Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1898-01-07
TAXING n SUFFRAGE.
viii the law Stand the Ordeal of
the Courts?

ED APPEAL The Constitution Of
Ncvata, Art. II, Section 7, reads as
follows:
TIN Legislature shall provide by
tx of no. less than two nor exceeding
four dollars from each male resident
In the State, between the ages of
t"enty-one and sixty years. (unciviliz-
ed American indians excepted), one
halt to be applied for State and one
halt for county purposes; Ind the
Legislature may, in its discretion,
make such payment a condition to he
right Of voting"
Article ", Section II, OF the CoDsti-
tuition reads as follows:
Each law enacted by the Lncisla-
tIre shall embrace but one e~.ihj~ct.
with. WATCH subject shall be briefly ex-
pressed in the title XXXX."
An Act Of the Legislature, approved
February 8. 1897, bears the following
title:
An Act TO require the payment
OF poll tax by all legal voters under
sixty years Of age"
This Act provides that the name of
no person under the age of sixty
years shall be registered by any Reg
lstry Agent until such person shall
exhibit a proper receipt for the poll
tax required 10y law for the then cur
rent year. and also for the preceding
year when such person shall! have
been an inhHhitant OF The State OF Ne
vada during the last six months Of
the preceding year"
While the Constitution as above
gu 'ted leaves it discretionary with the
Legislature to make the payment Of a
poll tax a condition to the right of
voting, the Constitution also provides
that each law shall embrace but one
subject and matter properly connected
Herewith, which subject shall be
briefly expressed in the title. The
Act above referred to does Cot EXPRESS
In h title all that the Act embraces.
The title Of the Act the idea
that only legal voters are required 10
pay poll taxes and that all others are
exempt from the payment Of the Sd NE.
h title does not nllude to the provie-
ions OF the Act which prohibit politi-
ca committees or associations repre-
senting political parties, and candi-
dates for public office, from paving
the poll tax, or loaning money to pay
the poll tax, Of any voter; and DENY
ing the voter the right to ask a candi-
date, though the candidate might be
bis particular friend. for a loan Of
money to pay his poll tax, all Of which
clearly indicates that the purpose of
the Act was not to Increase the revenue
OF the State and the several counties.
That the title OF the Act is mislead-
ing and that it does not briefly, or at
all, express the subjects contained in
the body Of the Act. goes without say
ing. and is apparent to every one who
takes the trouble to read it.
Again Section ~ Of the Act says:
ANY person violating any provi
sions OF this Act, OF failing to comply
with the requirements thereof, shall
be ceemed guilty Of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction thereof shall be
fined in any sum not less than one
hundred nor more than five hundred
dollars, or be imprisoned in the county
Jail for not less than fifty days, nor
more than six months, or may be
punished by both such fine and i'm
prisonment.
The Act requires the payment Of
poll taX by all legal voters under sixty
years OF age, and it provides that any
person failing to comply with it's re-
qulrements shall be deemed guilty Of
a misdemeanor and upon due con-
viction shall be fined or imprisoned or
both,
Did the Trainer Of the Act consider
the consequences incident to the en-
forcement OF its provisions, or did
they know what they were about? It
makes failure to comply with it's pro-
visions a misdemeanor, punishable
by fine or imprisonment, or both, and
prohibits under like penalties a Door |
voter from asking his friend, who
may be u Candidate, to loan MIN
money 50 that he ran comply with the |
requirements of b Act and keep out !
OF Jail. Assuredly this is one of the
most sbsured Of the many absurd
On our Statute books.
NIry1rr |