The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-06-01
IRE (Japitation Tax.


The Capitation Tax.
The Couyepiicn which meets 10 this city
,o.morrow will o. course lay down plat
Corn, and ono Of tho planks VIII DC reso-
,.,.n, 4. favor Of striking cut of.the State
Cons,,,ution that provision which makes
shc payment Of cspl,ation tax prereq0''
site 10 voting.
We wish In this connection 10 call the at
ten,Ion Of the delegates TO few facts wnica
those gentlemen should not lose sign' Oh
Who was the leader Of the RIoDLEBERekR'
MAuoyr. GoRHAx forces In the con-
,est for Offices which recently occu'
MED The time Of the United States senate
"a, nearly six weeksi No other person
than Mr.. DAWES, Of Massachusetts inc Con-
s,;,n,iou OF whose State not only prescrioes
. c,n;,stion tax as prerequisite to voting
hui REQUIRES that every man shall be able 10
read that Constitution before be can be reg
,stered as voter. II General MALONE could
fellowship such man from such state
and vote with him day after day Tor SIX
weeks. how Is 1t that he Is so bitterly
hostile 10 the Democrats In Virginia
who are In favor Of only one OF
the qualifications Of voters which are
prescribed by the Constitution OF Mr..
DawEs's Staies Mr.. HOAR, OF the same
State, made an eloquent reference to Gene
"a, MALONE In speech In the Senate. He,
too, seems to have been particular fr'end
of tencrsi MAHoSE's. Did General MA
HONE defend Virginia from the attacks oil
HoaR and DAWES, or carry The war into
Africa by showing that their State requires
NJ her voters so much more than Virginia
REQUIRES OF hers! No. indeed. lie let
oil the Republican senators denounce The
Democratic party of the Union, and OF Viz
ginia particularly, and so far as we know
said never word In her defence when she
was attacked for DISTINGUISHING her poor
negroes. BAYARD, and VOORHEES,, ana
BRowY. and HILL, and VEST, and HARRIS,
and JONAS, and HAMPTON, and BUTLER, and
al the rest OF the Democratic senators VINO
look part in the discussions OF which we
are speaking, were not only willing but
anxious to throw their shields over VIZ
GINA, but never finger did General MA
HONE raise. lie never once told Mr.. HoAR
and Mr.. DAWES that their State was greater
sinner than his. He never told DON CANE
RON that the Law Of Pennsylvania was worse
than, or as bad as, that of Virginia. lie
never told Mr.. HAwLEY that the law OF Con-
nec.icut fully justified that OF Virginia, nor
That Virginia bad as good right to try to
exclude ignorant negroes from the ballot
box as Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and
Connecticut TO close it TO poor White men,
He never told Mr.. ANTHONY that lrlshmen
arc not allowed to vote in Rhode Island un'
less they are freeholders.
What we ask some independent member
OF The ConyeutiOn-some one who mas q
mind cf his own-to do is that he shall de-
clare that the laws OF Massachusetts, and
Rhede Island are worse than those oil Nlr'
GINA, and the laws OF Connecticut and
PENNSYLVANIA at least as bad; and to ASK
General MALONE to say so to the senators
from those States when he gets back to The
United States Senate. 1t must be evident
10 every member OF the Convention that II
would be comparatively easy to get rid oil
the Virginia law II there were no other
State ia the Union that had similar
one. So that il General MALONE will
wage vigorous war upon the Mas
sacauselts law, he will do more to d.
rect public opinion into the right channel,
or what is claimed by Rtsdiusters and theil
Republican allies to be the right chanel
thar he can accomplish by getting parce
OF ignorant negroes TO clamor about 1t or
the court greens Of the several counties in
Virginia. The Democrats in the United
States Senate did no little last March anC
April TO break down the Know-NOtbine
election laws OF Rhode Island. II
would not surprise us If in the
course Of a few years foreigners should bt
permitted to vote in that State on the samt
conditions as natives. The Democrats viii
deserve the credit for this change II ii i;
made. Why cannot General MALONE fol
low their good example, and set in motion
forces that will break down the proscriptiyC
laws OF Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, anC
CopnecticutY