Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1892-10-11
Mr.. CstrOn and the Sixty Days Poll
Tax.


very just criticism has been made
of that provision Of the school law
requiring the payment Of Poll-tsE
sixty days before election, aud sf-
fixing the penalty Of disfrsnshise-
ment for non payment at that date,
Realizing the intense unpopu-
farity and injustic of that provision
the republican press has of late
been industriously seeking to throw
the responsibility therefor upon
the democratic members of the
Legislature, and particularly upon
the democratic house. To ac-
complished this the most bare
faced and stupendous lying has
been prac,iced by the republican
press, especially by the Santa Fe
New Mexican, apparently on the
theory that the more fragrant and
outrageous the lie, the more per-
tinacious and persistent should be
the reservations in ITS behalf.
The tact is, as shown by the leg
islative records, ,that Mr.. Catron,
the republican candidate for de-
legate in congress, was himself
the author of that sixty days and
disfranchisement proposition.
The poll tax provision of the
original school bill is as follows.
Sec. 80 Thata poll tax OF cne dollar
shall be leived upon all able bodied male
persons over the ago Of twenty one years
for schools purpose. Itshsll be the duty
OF the county assessor to make out sepa-
rate lists OF all persons liable to pay a
poll tax In each district, and certify the
same TO the clerk OF the several school
districts, whose duty it shall be to col
lect the same and said clerk shall receive
ten per centum OF all money collected
from poll tax. The district clerks are
hereby empowered to bring suit in the
name of the district for the collection Of
the same il not paid within sixty days
after said list have been received by the
treasure Proveided, That it shall be
illegal for any persons 10 vote at auy
election who mas not piad his poll tar
for the currency year, and said pay.
ment must be made in the case OF
general election, one day previous tc
said election day.
This bill passed the council on
Feb. 4, 1891. The reports of leg
islative proceedings, as published
in the official documents are very
meagre but fortunately we have
the daily reports as published by
the Santa Fe New Mexican, which
are somewhat elaborate, and as
that paper has always been friendly
to Mr.. Catron and has lately gone
SO far in demonstration of that
friendship as to deny his paternity
of the sixty day clause of the
school bill and to change it upon the
democrats, it's testimony of two
years ago, before this controversy
came up, may now considered good.
We quote from the New Mexican
of Feb 5, 1891, fourth page, third
column, giving the debates of the
previous day in the councile on
the school bill as it had passed the
house and then under discussion
in the council, as follows:
"In Sec. 90, whore it read the poll tar
must be paid one day before any general
election, Mr.. Catron moved to make il
sixty days, otherwise the candidate
would heve to pay the tax. Ayes 2,
nays TO-"
Mr.. Catron and Pedro Perea
we're the only members voting for
this amendment and the school
bill of 1891 passed requiring the
payment Of the poll tax one day,
instead of sixty days before the
day Of election.
But Mr.. Catron did not give il
up so. Again on Friday, Feb. 13,
1891, as shown on page 176 of the
journal of the council, is the fol
lowing entry:
"By unanimous consent, Mr.. Catror
introduced council Bill No. 1884, entitled
an act TO amend an act entitled an act 3,
establish common schools ia the Terrific
~ OF New Mexico and creating the ofiic'
OF Superintendent Of Public Instruction
The bill was read a first time by titls
and under suspension of the rules read
second time by title and referred to com
mittee Of the whole"
This bill contained the sixty-day
clause, with other amendments.
The committee Of the whole re
ported the bill back ON the sam,
day and it was passed by the fol
lowing vote: ayes 8, noes 2-MI
Catron voting aye. On Feb. 25tl
the bill came back from the hous
, with some valuable amendmons,
not, however, affecting the sixt
day clause. That was retained a
;otroducad bv M Ootrc, .o,,J Al,