The daily gazette., 1880-10-21
the Vaiue Of cl,izenshIp

1t 10 known that the Republican Com.
mittee of this city has been conpelled
to pay down $25, 900 for poll tax receipt,
for 10000 Republican voters, and, that
the Democratic committee had 10 pay
down SIC, 900 for like receipts for Demo.
cratic voters, exclusive Of some thou-
sands Of Democratic receipts purchased
for one or two special districts. In
shoit, there are some $4,000 Repubii-
cans and 10000 Democrats who will
vote for President in November who 90
lightly value the elective franchise that
they barter It to party leaders for fiily
cen s head.
Perhaps the 10000 Of party paid voters
in Philadelphia do not look upon the
payment Of their taxes by party commit
lees as q barter of their votes to their re-
sp ctive lea ieIs at fifty cents each; but
1t is the practical result, and the leaders
well know that there must be obedient
voters or they will be disfranchised by
Withholding their receipts. Il means
that the leaders, not the voters, hold
$4,000 votes In their custody, and 5000
Republicans and 10000 Democrats may
be set down as certain not TO scratch q
ticket, unless the leaders trade some of
their political merchandise of to each
other. .,..IE
In the most intelligent city of the
Union, where there are l30, 1000 homes,
and not over 100000 votes, estimating
sick, ihfrm ami non voters from COM
vlction, many more than one half of the
entire voting population are political
mendicants and retuse'to pay any taxes
whatever for the support OF theit govern
ment. Doubtless some, Of those who
have had their poll lax receipts pur-
chased for them, would have paid their
own taxes If they had not felt assured
that the party would do il for them, but
the fact remains that more than one-half
of our voters are but the qualified SER
wants of politicians, who hold the votes
of their dependents in their tax receipts.
We submit that this is disgraceful
to the voters, to party leadership on all
sides and to the free Institutions we
profess to guard with such jealously.
And it is an evil that must be remedi-
ed if there is ever toSbe anything like
an intelligent and honest expression of
the people through the ballot box
We see tens of thousands Of. men pr
rade the streets, we'll uniformed, with
banners, bands and fireworks and
sending up volumes Of cheers, which
should denote the profoundest interest
in the selection of our rulers; but what
must be thought of the meaning of
such imposing demonstrations when it
is remembered that not one in Eve Of
those who thus parade and yell for the
party, is willing to ply the nominal
tax Of fifty cents for the support OF
his government, to qualify himself as
AN cleo orr i''t''''t ''i'l' a 80
The taxes imposed in this State to
qualify voters are 30 trifiing that there
is not one man in ten thousand who
cannot pay his own taxes WITHOUT
self denial, and the payment of each
citizens taxes himself should be made
an imperative duty, and his disfran-
chisement should inexorably follow
his failure. 1t is.a necessity TO arrest
the growing political, Decentralization
thai is swelling the cost of elections by
hundreds of thousands each year, and
it is equally a necessity to teach citi-
zens the value of their own priceless
inheritance as The sovereign rulers Of
the Republic. Chimes. i,f,iIf.