Daily Republican., 1880-10-09
being liable to pay only poll tax
should be deprived Of his vote.


~ years Of age, aud having the prop.
or residence, shall be qualified to vote,
who shall have paid q county tax
which shall have been assessed at
least within 6 months and paid within
two years before the election. II is q
very simple provision far reaching,
just and wise; from which | would not
abats enc jot or title. stand here to-
night to vindicate and justify II. II
came down from our old whig govern
ment and ancestry and II deserves all
the honor which belongs both to it and
TO the men who enacted II.
The trouble is not with the constitu-
tion and II is not with the system; It is
only with It's abuse. No man has had
aught TO say against the system, ex-
cept as amended in 1873.
| In that year, for the first time, the
Democratic party then in possession OF
the State Legislature assumed to change
the Wing laws on this subject. They
never touched them before, From 1880
to 1872 We lived under this Constitu.
tion, doing very well, In the exercise
Of our rights to vote. II / would have
amended anything in the carrying out
Of that Constitution 1t would have been
in the contrary direction from that pur-
sued by the Democratic party, IWould
have mado II easier for an honest man
always to be secured in his vote and
harder for rogue to vote when he had
no right to vote twice or fifty times In
this town. I Applause.
But, in 1873, the Democratic Lsgis.
lature enacted law which, for inge.
nuity Of purpose has only been equslled
by the unsorupulousnsss with which
1t has since been administered. Be-
fore that time NO man could keep of
the assessment lists he must be as.
sssed and bear his share OF the burdens
Of the State, When he was assessed
he could only be taken of by his being
returned by the collector as either dead
or having left the State and having
ceased TO be . citizsn.
The burden Of taxation and the
right OF franchise, under our good old
whig consultation, marched hand in
hand, as they should, Bat by this
new law IL was made possible for the
collector TO throw of from that assess
msnt list whom he pleased, and, being
Q partisan, appointed as partisan, ap.
pointed by the Democratic party. he
carried out his instructions and orders
and obeyed the spirit Of that law.
Under the old whig law the collector
was bound To collect the taxes II it
were possible and was not charged
with the money he could not collect.
II a tax payer was unable TO pay it,
that did not throw him of the list.
The collector was armed with the pow |
Or, IS he is now, to imprison tax pay
or and compel him to pay his tax; bat
II was not in his power to throw that
man of the list. Now he has been
made king over thousands. All he
has to do is to put up notice any
whore he p,ea'ss in any obscure tav-
ern, upon any barn door, stating that
he will be at some place to be named
BY him, at times to be named by him;
and, whether the citizen sees that no.
tioe or not, he must attend then and
there and pay his taxes or 1t ia In the
option OF the collector to throw him |
off the list. .........
There is the great power Of this act;
the guillotine under which the heads
Of nearly 5000 voters Of this State fell
during the last four years. do not
know II the States Of the South have
similar system, but, for devilish ma
lignity, ingenuity and cunning ! com
mend 1t to their examination, If they
want anything worse than they have
already. ...
We hold biennial elections, and men
only warm up to their duty as the time
approaches when they shall vote, and
II is not harsh criticism to say that
they do not do this over % months be-
fore An election; the law says, and the
King says, II you do not pay your tax
in the March OF the year following an
election and within % months of the
other, you are disfranchised fer three
years unless you are . Democrat.
Laughter and applause. Think Of
III Think Of 1t That called upon to
exercise your political duties, you
have to attend to this % months be.
.ors the election or you lose your vote.
Now we all know that, with human
nature as 1t is, you cannot got any
electoral body Of people with the care
lessness characteristic Of human nature
about such matters, TO take such pre-
cautions at such long time before the
election. The only way that the exi.
gency can be met Is that, after years Of
such excoriation as you have received,
Won insugurate of your own mon and
friends q body Of assessors NO. known
to the law, unofiicial, who will see that
you do not forget your duty and that
you are not cheated out OF your rights
[spplause, ] and that step Is TO be taken
to protect yourselves. IL
Now, there Ia the Law but what shall
We say about its administration You
know that every four years We have
general assessment, (the next one will
be made during this coming winter
and be returned in February, for I
the three subsequent years We only
add to tie names already assessed those
omitted. Last year was the third year
of such an additional assessment, and
for the three years preceding 1t, that
had ELAPSED since the last general as
sessment, this people had bssn ander-
going what shall designate % me
EMBEDDING" procsss-throwiny off this
vast vote of disfranchissd citizens. The d
Republican party, its responsible men, [
knowing its interests and your rights,
its hard money men, many Of whom
am proud to see around me tonight, I
appreoiating and understanding the
imno-tapcs of this matter had taken
:. .--..I,. Ia nrnnniza Annh An rs. [