The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-03-30
PAYMENT of Poll Tax.
THE VOTER MUST PAY 1T IN PERSON
OR BY AN AUTHoTItED AGENT.

THE VOTER MUST PAY 1T IN PERSON
OR BY AN AUTHoTItED AGENT.
On Thursday last criminal suit
charging one William II. Shrouds, an
election officerofthe Eleventh division
of the Twelfth ward of Philadelphia,
with unlawfully rejecting the vote of
one William burst, was tried before
Judge Allison of that city. The his
tory of the case is substantially as fol-
lows: Curst, the prosecutor, was chal-
letfgeG for non-payment of taxes. He
presented II tax receipt, but was again
challenged on the ground that he had
not pa;d Tie taxes for which he held
the receipt. He was sworn by the
election officers. but refused to say on
his oath that he had paid the taxes.
His vote was then rejected. In his
examination in court he said that he
| believed that the republican city COM
| mittee had paid the taxes for which he
| held the receipt, but he did not know
of his own knowledge tlla such was the
fact. Council for the defense took the
ground that burst in falling to pay his
| poll tax or in deputi2ing any one to do
| it, had not complied with the require
ments of the new constitution rs TO the
qualification ofvoters, and that Shrouds
was therefore justified in refusing to
take the ballot.
Judge Allison, in long and COM
prehensive charge on this point said:
THE new constitution holds as one of
the qualifications of y voters that he"
emphasizing the pronoun-"shall
have paid q state or county tax within
two years. The refusal of the prosecu-
! tor in this case to make oath that he
had made such a payment, in connec-
ton with the admission that he had
not made it and had no personal
knowledge fits havingbeen paid, ,justi-
fled the judge in rejecting the vote.
The Judge called attention of the jury
to the phraseology of the constitution;
that, propely interpreted, would re-
qu!re that the tax should be paid by
the voter himself or by some person
whom he had authorized TO pay it for
! him. En- the latter instance, he said,
the principle would apply that what II
man does by another he does by him
self. But this" he said, "by no
means allows stranger to intrude
himself into the business of a voter,
who alone can determine whether he
pays tax as q qualification for voting or
not. The custom has prevailed in this
city. and been extensively practiced,
OF obtaining names of voters from the
assessment list and without the con-
sent Of the voter, and even without his
knowledge, having taxes paid for
him." This, the Judge thought, does
not constitute legal payment of tax,
because it is not done by the voter,
directly or indirectly and is an un-
authorized act of q stranger on whom
the law confers no such right. If the
defendant in the clse before him, he
said, had accepted the prosecutors
vote, he would have been more proper
ly chargeable with violating the law
than by the act for which he was in
dicted.
The jury returned a verdict of no
, guilty and put the costs upon the pros
ecutor.
Emory p Beauchanp, of Indiana
who has just been appointed toa Swis
Consulate, was an applicant five year
, ago for the Belgian mission. Secre
tary Everts, according to the New
| York Tribune correspondent, men
toned the matter ut meeting, askin
Secretary Thompson regarding tn
= candidates qualifications, inasmuch a
: they were fellow townsmen. Posi-
| master General Key then said he coul
y
| on his. He said Mr.. Beauchamp ha
} the year before addressed an amusing
= series of love letters to u young lad
/ abroad, in one of which he had mad
: an offer of his "hole hart" This wa
. a good specimen of his habitual spell
! ing. The story raised laugh in tn
| Cabinet, which disposed of Mr.. Beau
= champs chances for the Belgian mi:
= sion. When he called upon MI
A Thompson afterwards to inquire cor
: cearning his prospects, that gentl,
D men advised him to return to Cologne
) and be thankful if he were allowed t
e stay there.
f New York State produces, accord
ing to the Richburg Echo, 10000 ba,
, rels day. Allegany county produce
= 10000 barrels and Cattaraugus count
o 1000 barrels. New York State prodl
o ces one-third of the total oil product {
4 America. About one year ago
produced one-siXteenth.