The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-29
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.
To the Editor OF The Appeal
clip the following from yesterdays.

To the Editor OF The Appeal:
/ clip the following from yesterday'sv
APPEAL
The Little Rock Democrat recommends the poll
tax qualification as the best safeguard against
illegal voting in Arkansas and II suggests that such
a law should embrace the following points:
l. The exhibit OF a poll tax receipt as evidence 81
the citizens right to the elective franchise.
g. The stamping Of this poll tax receipt by tho
Judges OF election IN Ordef 10 prevent uauus upon
). The application Of the poll tax fund, rs, tho
law at present makes IT, to the common school
fund with an amendment approprlaung THIS
revenue directly 20 the local fund.
But would such law be constitutional? IL has
been tried In this State and failed citizen can
not be denied the right TO vote save for crime OF
which he shall have been found guilty in court
Of competent jurisdiction.
/ call your attention to the following
provision in our Constitution of 1870:
"Article ~, Section /. Every male per-
son OF the age OF tweDty-one years, being
a citizen OF the United States, and resi-
dent of this State for twelve months. and
of the county where he may offer his vote
six months next preceding the day OF cleo
ton, shall be entitled to vote for members
of the General Assembly, and other civil
officers for the county or district in which
he resides; and there shall be no qualifica-
ton attached to the right of suffrage, ex-
cept that each voter shall give to the
judges Of election, when he offers his vote,
satisfactory evidence that he has paid the
poll taxes assessed against him for such
preceding period as the Legislature shall
prescribe, and at such time rs may be pre-
scribed by law, without which his vote
cannot be received. And all male citizens
OF the State shall be subject to the pay
ment OF poll taxes within such
ages as may be prescribed by law"
Now, on June II, 1870, facts OF 1870,
chapter 10, page 25) the General Assembly
passed an act TO eiiectuate this constitu.
| tional provision. But see how the polit-
ical manipulators OF Tennessee got over
this wholesome provision. By an act
passed December IA, 1871, facts of 1871,
chapter l24, page 1856, the Legislature de-
clared that the above act should not apply
to the elections TO be held in tins State in
the year 1872, and when the Legislature
met in 1873 the first act il passed was an
act TO repeal the act Of June IL, 1870, facts
OF 1873, chapter |, page -. 1t is the opin-
ion OF many sound lawyers that these re-
pealing acts are utterly void, and that the
act Of June, 1870, is still in force, notwith-
standing the attempted repeal, and that
every man who votes without having paid
his polltax is subject to indictment. Prac-
tically, however, these repeats have robbed
our school fund OF large revenues, and
have demolished one OF the strong safe
guards to the purity OF the ballot in Ten
nessee 1t would be in line with the Of
fetal duty OF our present Legislature TO
repeal these repeating acts, or the last Of
them, and restore the act OF 1870.
viii our Legislators do this, or will they.
at the dctation OF partisans, disregard
their duty and still leave us to the mercy
OF the INSCRIPTIONS? We will see.
LAWYER.