Daily Republican., 1881-04-06

those who fail to pay their taxes. Still
treating the county, the public, as I
creditor leaving Il Just demand agninsI
the tt xahle, Is il not utterly absurd that
the creditor should appoint an agrnN
land cntruSt him with the power not on
lN t. prevent the creditor from reCclN.
ing his Just claim but also 10 defeat III,
creditor III his enforcement Of Il inst
claim for the succeeding year? Upon
What principle can such 4 provision he
defended
The act Of lST.;i. J submit, is gro;csque.
" absurd. illogical aud inconsistent. II
is opposed to all our notions OF fair
ld"HliiE 10 all or ideas Of the due and
prompt disrharg" Of official duty by men
appointed for the purpose "i serving the
ipubiic.
But, sir. 10 proceed step further,
what was the pUrpoS, "t the act Of lSi5'
What lci TO the passage Of that aci "
was it to insure the prompt collection
OF taNrS due irhm The citizens of this
STATE"
, If that Wrr" the purp"Sc OF the
act. how is it possible thar under the
act uf 1873 that end could have been nj
Itainrl more readily than upd"r the old
law" l. it possible that thc exemption
of The taxable from the payment OF 4
tax during Tie subsequent year, could
have h.cn considered As y proper means
for the enforcement Of thr payment ut
the tax during the proceeding year. II
| is absurd to suppose 50. l. il possible
that relieving the collector from the
necessity of making honMlI upon this
=. l.. n y
could have been considered the most
effective ncan, Of enforcing payiuont "i
the taA" It is also absolutely absurd 10
suppose. il for an instant.
But II may perhaps b" cl'imca that
the purpOG" Of the Act Of 1913 was To
secure the payment Of taNcS through
the fear Of til" taxable that if he failed
to pay his tax hr would bc suNscqurnt-
! ~ disiranchis,d. But sir, it such w"r"
the purpose Of III" Act "t lS'3 III"
means adopted were directly calculated
to work 4 double wrong. First, 10 the
public, and secondly, 10 The citizen
liublc to the tan. II would work ii
/ wrong tu the public because it would
| deprive the county Of the tax in the
subsequent year, which the taxable
would have been lahI" 10 pay il not;
EdiSiranchiScI--if his name had not been
dropped from the assessment lists
| Secondly. 1t would work Il wrong 10
tnr citizen liablrto pay tax, because il
world prevent him from paying - tax
! in the subsequent year, aS 70 which tax
he could not hc in default, thereby di~-
, iranrhiSiuG him. rs far rs the right -
vote upon that taN was concerned. |
, submit. sir, that tn" employment Of
! such means for thu enforcement ul the
payment uf taxes was both unnecessary
and uniustiiablc. lStnrrr Il question.
can there Dc a question, Ill thr mind Of
any rca- enable man bur that the old
law. requiring i personal deruaud upon
the taxable. w%S infinitely better caIcn-
lated to outurr" thc pay mont VI the
tuE"
Is ii possible that any mrnbcr "ithis
body Will adynncrthis proposition. that
the disiranchi~, mcnt vi a citizen on ac-
count Of his omission 70 pay a tax
which the law will not permit him 70
pay, is not gross uutrgr upon
tho ritizrn--uttrrlv inconsistent with
the principles of Hcpuhlicansm and
Democracy alike? we should never
forget that the ballot the right 10 vote,
is the most i'Aportant and sacred right
OF the American citizen. Ii lies at the
very root Of our American institutions !;
il is th" corner stone OF our principles.
Chief Justice Bowie, in Anderson vs..
BLAKE, NNlll Maryland, 81, well says
Of thr right to vote. at is the iOuuda-
tiun ui STATE authority the most i'm
pOrtant political function exercised by
the people in their sovereign capacity.
What object Of civilized government"
II j. the welfare Of the pr"pl" the pro
lection oI the people in all their in
frrcStS the doing Of .iustir" impartially
between man and man.
Under our institutions the ballot is at
once III" source and tn" guiding prin-
ciplc Of government. Taxation is
simply thc source from which the cX-
pcr>t o! government is derived There.
fore any system which nInitS 10 provide
dirtr! mrthOds for the enforcement Of
the payment OF taxes and seeks that re-
suit indirectly by striking az the most
sacrd right Of the citizen, for the
IDHintenaurc rf which alone taxation is
lrstitiablc is utterly SubvcrSivr OF the
cardinal principc~ OF American liberty
II is quite apparent. sir, shat the pur
pose or the act of lS7I was not the more
efficient collection of the tax. What,
then, was that purpose? /; was surely !
not 10 protect thg citizen in his full and |
free right ro vote, for il it0mit:pl the very
means by which that right could he
most eftc.tually secured, namely !
demand upon the taxable for the pay
ment Of his tax. The purpose Of thcac'
of 1873 not being the efficient collection |
ol the taxes nr the securing of tbc bal .
lot 10 the citizen, what was it.
There IL only one answer. II is the |
inevitable and necessary answer The
purpose Of that act was to deprive the .
citizen Of the right 10 vote by dciraud-
ing the public Of his tax. Is there =
more base and iSuominiuuS thing that ,
can b. conceived ot-4n art passed for
the purpose Of destroying the mos;
sacred right OF the American citizen,
under the title Of "an act in relation 10 |
the collection ii taxes in this State"
Can there h' found u man with y spark !
Of honesty in his breast. endowed with |
the first faint gimmrringS Of reason and |
not an utter stranger 70 the prcrcpts Of
lnCT@iitN' WHO Will al|clnIt 10 dri"nd ,
such an infamous system"
The act Of 1915 in its practical
operation, Is & great political engine,
worked hy Democratic aS>cssors, Dem !
o"ratic collectors and Democratic levy |
court commissioners. not for The pur-
pose Vt :. more efficient collection OF the |
ta&rS due the public nor with a view
~ i,Irujs l:yriIjl III thD t.itiy,pU hI
the State 'or their qualification to vote, |
but Tor the purpose. "f rrushin. ont all |
opposition to the Democratic party, |
laden with its injustice aud its fraud.
We tind. Sir, under the practical |
operation ui' The bct of 1873, Democratic |
officials, tmmindml Of their oathS Of
Office, picing with one smother in
their efforts To deprive men Of the right !
To vote, diSrcSarding the pccuniary in
tercStS of the public. sacrificing every