The leader., 1901-04-03
DELINQUENT POLLS.

We print today the list of those tax
payers of Lrake who failed to pay their
poll taxes as the law requires, on or 10y
the first day of February. Some
scores of those whose names appear in
the list have paid since February LIST.
This list looks like long one, but it
is short by comparison with those
which have been published in the
counties where the negro population
predominates. In the white counties
from 80 to 66ss per cent. of all the
polls assessed are paid; in the negro
counties from three-fourths to seven
eighths remain unpaid.
To our mind this is proof that the
foresight of Gen. George was accurate,
and the constitutional requirement of
the payment of taxes as prerequisite
to the exercise of the ballot and the
privilege of the jury box has practical
" eliminated from our State politics
the most menacing problem that con-
fronted us. The loss of the poll tax
would be cheap price for this i'm
munity from grave danger, even If it
we're all to remain unpaid. There is
no good reason, in our Judgment, why
any attempt should be made to change
the constitutional provisions relating
to poll tax payment just because it is
accomplishing precisely what it was de-
signed by the Great Commoner that 1t
should do. That sagacious statesman
hit upon the only safe and feasible
plan for securing white supremacy in
Mississippi, and every southern state
has since followed more or less direct
ly in the path blazed out for our com
monwealth by Senator George. 1t Is
safe path, free from the pitfalls and
dangers of the shotgun policy which
must needs take it's place if the pay
ment of polls be made compulsory.
1t cannot be attacked by our political
enemies in the north and east without
their exposing the weak spots in their
own election laws. 1t is not contrary
to those amendments to the Federal
constitution which were passed while
the angry passions aroused by in'
ternecine strife we're still warm within
the bosoms of the northern people, and
by means of which they hoped to break
the proud spirit of the southern states
by subjecting them to the humiliation
of negro rule; it does not conflict with
those amendments for the very reason
that the payment of polls, while made
a prerequisite to voting, does not
draw the color line, but leaves it OPP
tional with the axpayer to pay for the
electoral privilege, or, by declining to
pay, to disfranchise himself.
AS for the people of the white coun-
ties, we see no good reason why they
should lash their boards because so
many negroes in the Weather counties
prefer to save two dollars and lose
their votes. 1t is precisely the thing
we want them to do. Their delinquen-
cy, after this year, cannot concern us,
for the simple reason that each county
will hereafter retain its own poll tax
receipts for the support of its own
schools, and the amount so retained
will not, as heretofore, be charged by
the auditor against the several counties
and deducted from the general State
distribution. All that concerns us is
the amount collected in our own coun-
ty, and we are satisfied that the per-
centage of delinquents will not in
crease when the voters begin to under
stand that their names will each year
appear in list of names which is the
reverse of an honor roll. Those who
are able to pay their poll tax, but who
are willing to forfeit the rights of citi
zenship to save small sum, should
not be regretted. They are not of the
stuff of which good citizens are made,
and we should be just as glad to see
such white men eliminated from poll
tics and the jury box as we are to see
the negroes drop out.--CdrthageHian.
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