Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-09-03

ES1Lut x/IStTtCt-OAMUt Ell UhlFtAN. VI OouAoAu'
Seventh District.-F. M. McMULLEN, OF Greene.
Eighth District.-J. Y MEN1FEE, of Rappahannock
Ninth District.-R R. HENRY, Of Tazewen
AN APPLICATION FOR THE
VOTE OF AUGUSTA.
One ground of Senator Paul's appeal to
the farmers of Augusta is that he is in IA
vor of repeating that clause of the consti-
tuition of Virginia that requires voter to
nay his capitation tax, amounting to only
one dollar, before he can exercise his priv
ilege of voting. By the payment OF this
dollar, it may be remarked a person twenty
one years of age gets the right to vote for
the supervisors who levy his county tax
and who attend to his county affairs; by
the payment Of this dollar he gets the
right to vote for members Of the legisla-
ture who levy the tax upon the land OF the
commonwealth and who pass laws direct
ing how the income of the state shall be
spent, and other matters; by the payment
of this dollar he secures the desirable
privilege of voting for Mr.. Allen or Mr..
Paul to represent his district in Congress
i'm short for this single dollar man can
exercise weight in public affairs that
makes his neighbor who has property to
be taxed very anxious about his qualifca-
tions to exercise this cheaply bought priv
ileee. A weight that makes his neighbor
wish that he could be educated, Intelligent,
industrious and honest. for without these
qualifications, in addition to the dollar, he
may vote SO as to cause this neighbor
trouble and burdensome taxes. If he is
lazy. ignorant and thriftless he will not be
ant to vote in the interests Of Industrious,
saving people-in fact he will not appre-
ciate those interests but will rather put
himself at the disposal Of politicians here
and there and his influence instead OF
being used for the best interests of the
state and its citizens will be merely play
thing for scheming politicians.
One result of this one dollar payment is
TO secure class of voters in the State
who at least have interest enough in Vir-
ginia to pay some tax; another is to secure
q reliable income for the free school fund.
Every dollar of capitation tax goes straight
into the free school fund. To the Valley
of Virginia that is an especially important
feature of state taxation. She is always
here ready for taxation. She is not here
to-day and out Of the jurisdiction OF
the tax gatherer's hand tomorrow. She
not only pays her own school tax but she
is assessed to pay the school tax of others.
Take our own county for example. On
application at the Office Of Treasurer Paul
we learn that Augusta last year paid into
the public school fund of the state the sum
of SIS, 1926 and Of this amount there was
returned to her under the Henkel bill the
sum of $8,944.25. This statement will give
the information to the tax payers of Au-
gusta that they send off $7,038.71 to Rich
mon never to return. Or to put it in another
form Augusta is paying over $1,000 to
educate other peoples children. How
will the people like that when Senator
Pauls proposition goes into effect 7 When
the capitation clause is repealed down, goes
the revenue realized from it for the school
fund. When the z2s 1877 men that paid
the one dollar capitation tax last year are
released from its prepayment as requi-
site to voting, how many is it to be sup
posed will pay it2 Then with the reduc-
tion that would follow the revenue must
be raised somehow, and the farmers OF Au-
gusta must hump their backs and prepare
for another turn Of the screw.
Manhood suffrage as Senator Paul calls
IT NAV be q very taking term but when
you come to increase the taxes Of the far
mer of Augusta in order that men who
sriU not mot cannot earn dollar to pay
their capitation tax, may be enabled to
walk up and vote, the Senator will find an
active and earnest opposition at the polls
that he little expects, How would Capt.
Paul look in Congress advocating bill by
which the national government shall force
the State of Virginia to let everybody
vote: how does he, as an advocate OF light
taxation appear, when his scheme
of repeal can only result (if the free schools
are to be kept up) in additional taxation
and how does he appear as a special advo
cate of free schools when his favorite
scheme il successful reduces the revenue
of these schools. by thousands OF dollars.
These are practical questions, they are
questions of dollars and cents and they
should be answered plainly and squarely
The farmers of Augusta are not willing
unnecessarily to send more money to East
Virginia for educational purposes and
they will say SO at the polls. AS Capt.
Paul has chosen to bring on the question
in advance of its time, the Augusta far
mers will answer it now.
r. 10 noun ;,nnoaaihIa tn successfully con