The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-06-07

VIDE gull existing between them.
On ratio of one to five, MiSSis-
sippi has 1O7 $40 white voters. If we
count every vote returned last year
as being cast by white man, Missis-
Sippi still has 55, l31 white votes who
did not go to the polls. Thus the
state government represents only
1873 per cent of the white voters in
the state.
On the same ratio Arkansas has
1853, 3O3 white voters. If we count
Cleveland's and Weaver'S vote as
white and HarriSon'S as colOred,
Arkansas has 63,63S white voters who
did not vote, or if we count every
vote returned as being cast by a
white man, the state still has Is, 374
white voters not going to the polls.
The same is true in regard to
South Carolina and Florida, the
former having 81 46 and the latter
9, 43l white voters more than the to-
tai vote returned at the last election.
/ am not familiar with the local in
fluences which have produced this
contrast between the voting popula-
tiOn and the actual vote cast. With
in the last decade portion of the
press and some of our public speak
ers, though first limited at, but now
openly proclaim for restriction of
popular suffrage. This war was first
declared against the cOlOred voter in
the south and the foreign emigrant
in the North, on the ground of not
knowing how to use the ballot for
their own good, but of late years this
movement has become more fOrmid-
able, and it's advocates boldly declare
for restriction of popular suffrage
and demand
Tristan educational qualifica-
tiOn.
Second-A property or tax qualifca-
ton.
AS regards the first of these de-
mands, Mississippi in her revised con-
stitutiOn, is the first state which has
taken a decided stand on this ques-
ton. @. 0. Bolton in letter says:
GA voter must be able to read the
constitution, or explain it when read
to him. The judges of election are
to be the judges of this. ....
The party in power who control the
machinery, require democrats to
read easy or explain simple sentences,
while all others will be given difficult
ones to read or explain"
Think of the power vested in the
judges of an election. Armed with
such law, they can disfranchise
ninety-nine per cent of the voters,
because not more than one half the
lawyers in state can properly inter
pref the intricate parts of a cOnstitu
ton, still less the farmers and labor
erS.
In Georgia and some other states a
poll tax system has been introduced.
No one is permitted to vote unless
he can produce tax receipt. The
payment of this tax is not cOmpul-
sorry; the law says to the voter, you
can have your choice, pay this tax
and be permitted to vote, or not pay
it, and lose your citizenship. Mr..
in the Atlanta Constitu-
tion Sept. 25th, '92, said: "Fulton
county has $4,000 voters but only
1874 have registered" In reply to
the question why they did not all
register, he answered: 1T is because
their taxes are not paid. Those who
aren't registered don't get this far
.......... If man returns any
he is bound to pay the tax
on it, but if it's only polltax we
can't make him pay it,"
This law has disfranchised thOus-
ands of voters. 1t has often been
said that "a man without property,
paying no tax, has no moral right to
vote, because he don't assist in sup
porting the government" This is
true when applied to non-producers,
as gamblers, usurers and kindred
professionals, but not so when ap-
piled to the labOrer. Every dollar of
tax paid, regardless of who pays it, is
the product of labor. If [ own a
farm and employ some one to Guilt
vate it, his labor contributes as much
towards paying my taxes as my prop
erty. This is also true of every other
branch of industry. Labor, whether
it owns property or not, is "the
creator of all wealth. and ultimately
pays every dollar of tax.
l do not mean to convey the idea
that a man, because he is labOrer,
should be exempt from paying his
tax. Its payment ought to be made
text to disfranchiSe him and thOus-
ands of others. This blow at popular
suffrage, regardless of the sources
11OIA WIlOH IL Cll1d udUCS, VI UIlC
ground upon which it is based, is the
most dangerous tendency of our time.
Think of a government whose finan-
cial policy has been dictated by the
bankers of New York and Europe,
and who for quarter of century
have done little else than pass class
laws and legislate the wealth of
many into the Golfers of the few,
thereby reducing large portion of
our population to wage slaves, and
now the same government is to tell
the laborer, ''you shall not vote, be-
cause you don't help to support me-"
This is like robbing man and then
killing him, because he has no more
to give.
There are but two ways by which a
man can speak to the government,
and make his wishes known, one
through the ballot and the other by
revolution. If you rob him of the
former, then you open the door to
the latter and make a nihilist of
him.
If it is true that ''the right to gov
ern must be derived from those who
are to be governed" as the heroes of
the revolution declared, then it is
equally true that when the govern
ment DISTINGUISHES a voter, disOwns
and abandOns him politically, the
voter has moral riCht tO aha ndOn