Daily Republican., 1882-12-02
TnO POII Tax Qualities alien.

8AEUBDAWS DEOAmADHN @t ASO~'
The Poll Tax QualliAo alien.
1t has become question of thought
whether the payment of a poll tax
should be insisted upon as a qualifca-
tion for the exercise of the elective
franchise. A paragraph is going the
rounds of the papers that one hundred
thousand white voters in Virginia did
not vote at the late election, because
they had not paid their poll tax. A
constitutional amendment adopted In
that State at the last election, abolshes
the prepay ment of such tax ss quail
ficatiou to vote and hereafter all that
will be required will be to register and
If the age and residence qualincationS
are correct, there will be no other bar
to a free exercise of the full privill lleges
of citizenship. AT first sight such q
privilege or rather inherent right will
be looked upon by the most of people
in an unfavorable light, and they will
very justly say that everybody should
be taxed ard pay something towards
supporting the State government under
which he lives. This is true. Money
will always be needed to pay the ex-
perses for running State government
and the man who enjoys the immuni-
ties of citizenship and the protection Of
she laws of the State would be mean
man were he to refuse to pay his share
towards such an object, All except
paupers who are non producers and
who are living at the expense of the
State and County should be compelled
to pay some tax. There are none who
are not paupers, who, either themselves
or their friends for them could not pay
some tax just as they pay Other
debts, and if it cannot be collected after
reasonable effort let the County exef-
cise its leniency towards such dsbtors,
Is creditors do in other cases.
The broad plain question is, shall q
mans citizenship be bartered away TO
enforce the pay meut of a debt due the
County or in other words, shall mans
inherent right to citizenship be made
property and the State and County be
made preferred creditor? These are
questions which should be thought
over by the law makers of Della
ware as they have betn in Virginia and
No they are being thought over in otEer
States that are already agitating the
question of abolisning the prepayment
of a poll tax as a qualification for vot-
ing. The abolition of such an objec.|
tionable feature in the collection OF
taxes would to great extent simplify
the election machinery of the Stats.
1t would be 30 entirely bipartisan that
no party could reasonably object to it
on partisan grounds. 1t would increase
the vote of the State, but what If it did?
Should not everybody, net pauper or
idiot and who is in every other way
qualified vote? A full vote is what all
should desire, and it Is what the gov
ornment in its constitution provided for
The National Constitution sweeps away
every barrier to free ana unobstruGted
ballot. By it the right of suffrage is
based upon manhood alone without re-
gard to color or nationality. The broad
principle is laid down, that if a man Is
q man, he is entitled to the rights of a
man. and the first great inherent right
of man is to feel that he is one Of the
sovereigns of the nation and that he Is
one OF the twelve million voters of the
nation who shall dictate its rulers.
Looking at it in this light should any
little petty County tax come in to inter
fere with the enjoyment of these rights?
Tax collectors should be aided in the
colleCti on of taxes by legal enactments,
bat should that officer be permitted to
hold in his hands bundle of franchise
privileges as security for the payment
of such taxes. The taxes are light, but
the security for the payment of them is
excessive, exacting and oppressive.
Virginia thought so and abolished what
she considered pernicious system
The ABOLITION of the poll tax was no
partisan affair In that State. While
Bourbon and Read ster differed upon
other questions, they agreed upon this,
and on the Seventh of November the
amendment to the Constitution, abol-
ishlng the poll tax as a prerequisite
qualification for voting was adopted by
an immense majority, while the Read
juster ticket barely slipped through.
We sincerely hope Mr.. Bates and all
other literally inclined members of the
Legislature will give this question the
thought that its prominence and i'm
portance deserves, and as constitutional
amendments are to be the order of the
day, if the Democratic platform means
any thing, this principle might as we'll
be incorporated as one of the amend
ments.
Two THOUSAND more men thrown
out OF employment by the shutting
down of an iron mill in Chicagois the
news the exchanges bring us this morn.
ing, the cause assigned, no orders, nc
uunrh EuidaMtlu thu annnitiwnnnna "a