Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-06-21

IT, W grasp ttle Fedsuu iot tie hS"''s
unanimous rejection which the country
gave to the proposition that Philadel-
phia has as unanimously approved, to
make suffrage free of taxation. Various
reasons come to the city politicians mind
for this eccentricity of the country mind,
but IL has not yet come to him to suspect
that the countrymen is wiser than be Is,
and that he voted to give the suffrage to
no man who is unwilling TO pay twenty
I, i've cents for the privilege, for the very
simple and unquestionably sensible rea-
son that he thought the suffrage was
worth twenty-five cents to every citizen
and that every voter should be ready to
pay il when called upon; just rs the
country voter now does. II may be news
TO the city politician. but II is the fact
that the poll tax is paid in the country !;
and that II would astonish the
country intelligence TO realize that
Il is not often paid in the city by
the voter but by habitually political com
mittees. Such statement rs that which
we find attributed in the Philadelphia
Tines to Robert S. Patterson, Demo
crat of high character and official prom
inence in his party, will appear very
strange indeed TO the countrymen who
are wont to go 10 the places where the
collectors sit to receive their taxes, or to
be waited upon by them individually,
aud who pay their poll tax without
thought of refusing or of asking anybody
10 do il for them.
Says Mr.. Patterson ~ am very
sorry that the suffrage amendment was
defeated. II has and will cost the DEM
ocratic party largo amount of money
II the different ward committees had
not furnished money to pay poll taxes
5000 Democrats would not have had
the right to vote last election. The
!. fa1lt is entirely with committees.
They have educated the people to IL.
Large numbers Of people will not pay
their poll taxes when they find that
there are committees ready to pay II for
them. The number of people who do
not pay their poll taxes increases every
year"
OF course there will be nothing fresh
in this statement TO the town politician
anywhere in the state, but IL will re
otherwise with the rural voter, who..does
not understand how his vote is habitu-
ally killed in the cities by men who are
deprived by the constitution and the
laws Of suffrage, but for whom ii is
seized fraudulently by the political com.
inittees. Both sides do it, aud neither
can call the other black. Respectable
men like Mr.. Patterson do il and now
are exposed IN the most humiliatinp
way rs deliberate violators of the law
for no better reason than that other,
violated il.
In truth the Generalization tha
creeps in upon the honest man, un
Willingly when he takes up the work o
the politician, is striking exempliiied IL
this statement from Mr.. Patterson. n,
was his party's executive and found tha
to save his party vote II was necessary
that the tax Of 10000 voters should b,
paid. He knew that the law required
the individual voter to pay IL, and that
1t was unlawful to pay 1t otherwise
nevertheless the party necessity seemed
10 demand that the party should pay it
and he went right along with the swim
followed the habit of the political chair
man, did what the ward worker
wanted, and now regrets that the con
stitutional amendment that abolishe
this tax, which the voter never paid
has been defeated, because of the contin
ued cost of the payment 10 the part.
i, organization.
He blames the party committee TO
this; and blamable they are indeed
not only because they have educated tn,
voter not to pay the tax, by paying i
for him, but because they have violated
the spirit and the letter of the constitu
tion Of their state in 80 doing. There wa
no party necessity upon them To do it
proper application to the court woulc
have prevented the issue of tax receipts
to all who did not pay for them but tn
committees found this path beset will
trouble, and that 10 beat the law il woul,
simply be necessary to give each tax
payer the money TO get his re
ceipt; and that an appeal 4
the courts might pile up trouble with
out profit to all concerned and the,
took the easiest part, raised the funds
paid the taxes, and violated deliber
4eSiy "hat th' hb'" w v" lI
law. The chairman whom expedienc
does not govern, and who would rathe
be right than be president, does not gro,
sbundantly on the political bush
1t Is pleasant now 10 see that the
have been taught a lessen by the rur3
folk which many of them, however
seem too denseH stupid to understand
In explaining the country vote they sa
that the farmers did not want TO releas
the poll tax lest their taxes woul
be heavier. 1t is safe to say tina
no such thought occurred TO the farmer
who did not fail to comprehend that
tax Of twenty-five cents upon the nol
property owner does not realize a
amount that is sensibly felt ia th
states revenue. They retained il, nC
for the money il raised but for the elevi
tion of the suffrage and the self respe,
Of the voter and because they unde
stood that the ballot and the tax al
inseparable in our and every other Dem,
cratic government. 1t is lesson we
taught and one which the Philadelphi
politician has good reason TO feel dee
shame that he has not learned or h.
not practised.