Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-09-05
The Poll Tax Law.
A correspondent of the Nashville
Banner writes:

"a hV A"u pniu MS pun thN
for the year preceding the election at
which he offers to vote is the most
plausible, yet most obnoxious, of any
of the election laws in Tennessee. The
argument in favor of it, as given by
the Banner recently, was that it was
enacted to keep the negroes from
voting. That given by the Democratic
orators is briefly stated: 1.-THE citizen
enjoys the protection of the laws of
society and should be willing to con-
tribute 80 toward the support of the
State, especially should he be willing
to pay this SO because itgoes to educate
the children Of the State" l offer the
following objections:
1t is a tax upon labor and is there
fore contrary to public policy, The
policy Of all revenuo laws should be to
exempt labor from taxation or leave it
discretionary with labor whether it
shall pay a tax or not. privilege
taxes are ultimately paid by the con-
sumner and the laborer should be al
lowed to consume or not as he pleases. J
The reason that labor should be exempt
is to give it an opportunity to purchase
more Of the necessaries of life or pro-
vide itself with more of the comforts,
and especially that out of its earning
1T might provide itself with a home.
The laboring man who owns his own
house, | care not how humble it may
be. becomes a better citizen. He is
interested in the execution of the laws.
in churches, schools and good society.
One without a home and with the laws
so enacted as to prevent him from &C.
curing n is deprived of the highest
incentive of good citizenship. He cares
nothing for the law because it is his
enemy; of society, because in discour-
ages his aspirations; of churches, be-
cause they do not practice what they
preach; of schools, because they edu-
SooO w uLhu ODooINduC6 VI GLASS
prejudice. The homeless man is the
tramp, he demands the time of court of
justice and boards with the county
jailer unless occupied as a bum" 1t
is said that nine tenths of our convicts
had no homes until society furnished
it in the prison walls.
The very fact that it is a poll" or
head" tax presupposes that the party
has no property. Men with property
rave but one means of support, and that
is by their labor. A tax upon them is
a tax upon labor. The most enlighten-
ed and prosperous States in the union
levy no poll tax. Pennsylvania pays
her State expenses, amounting to mil
lions, by taxing corporations. Illinois
derives her State revenue from the tax
on the Illinois Central railroad, | am
informed.
The poll tax law reverses the con-
stitutional idea of taxation, the funda-
mental declaration being hat there
shall be no taxation without represen-
%tation, while we practice the doctrine
of no representation without taxation,
and fixes the price to the poor class at
~ per vote. 1t makes revenue the
principal and representation an Incl
dent attached.
All taxes should be levied upon CAPT.
tai. Capital is that which a man has
above that which is necessary for a
comfortable living. What he and his
family eat, what is necessary to keep
them warm and decent, and a roof to
shelter them-a home-are necessaries.
All beyond this is capital. Labor Gre
ates all wealth except the reproductive
power given to money by law, and is
entitled to a much greater part of its
products than it receives. 1t should be
allowed more than 1T receives by law
and most assuredly should not have it's
muscle and energy taxed.
The poll tax is an economic law, it
is a failure, and as a moral law a fraud.
1t is founded upon false notions of
economy. To illustrate: The amount
collected from polls is about $500, 900.
We pay $500, 900 protecting society
from the homeless vagabonds that
d~epredate upon it. 1t takes $500, 900
poll tax and 800, 900 whisky tax to
punish the men that they educate in
crime. The poll tax and whisky tax
appropriated for homes for the home
less would abolish nine tenths of our
criminal courts and bankrupt two
thirds of the saloons, then as q revenue
measure it is a failure.
The moral and political effect of the
law will eventually undermine repub-
lican form of government, because its
tendency is to make the rich the office
holding class and to convert the latter
into %scoundrels. Under its practical
operation a poor man can not hope to
be elected to office until he taxes him.
self to qualify the men who are to elect
him, by paying their taxes for them.
And when he has got the office at this
expense the tendency then is to cheat
or Cypress, speculate in trust funds or
steal to reimburse himself for the
amount his election cost him.
If the law was purely for revenue
purposes, and not to Cypress and get
as much money out of poor whites and
negroes-or out of labor-why was it
not provided that mo man shall vote
unless he shall exhibit a receipt for all
taxes due the State and ~cnnntvYM