The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-03

Al of politics in his county does not de-
 pend on his registering and voting he will not do. in order to save his fran
 chise. what a man will now do in the black belt or what a man will now do
 in the hill counties. Now my expert ence Is. that men who have no per- | sonal interest in politics, and in county where it is not absolutely nec- | essary that a man should take part
 in politics, that the very best class of voters. the very best element of our
 people. will not. even go to the polls
 unless they are brought there in car | riages. Now you may say that any | man who will not pay dollar and
 half to educate his children is not l worth voting.-
 MT. Rogers (Sumter)-Did 1t ever oc-
 cur to you that the reason for that is | that all the class that now vote and 1 are controlled by politicians will be l cut out under the requirement to pay
 a dollar and half, and the best man l has not time to fool with that sort of 1 cattle The reason the best men. and good business men, take So little inter- est in politics is because it is controll- ed and manipulated by the politicians | of the State, and the business man
 has not time to mix up with them. | MT. Smith-It did not occur to me
 because it is not that way down my 1 way. Whenever the business man
 comes out and takes an interest in my county. it goes his way as cer- i tainly as the sun rises in the morn- | ing, and it only goes against his in- l terest when there is nothing that l touches the pocket or interest of the 1 business element. and when there is nothing that touches the pocket or in terest of the business element, he does | not go unless he is persuaded to go,
 and although that has not been the
 condition in the hill or black belt coun- l ties I believe when negro domination
 and influence is removed it VIII De
 the same condition to a large extent.
 Now. Mir. President, If you make the payment of a poll tax voluntary and | put upon it no other condition than he I shall vote. believe a large majority of the best element of the white peo-
 nle in this State will sit by and not
 take part, and that the politics of this
 State will fall into the hands or rings
 and ciques who will operate and run
 it. pay their poll tax and vote. not Tor the benefit of the State, but for offices
 for themselves and their followers. I ] believe that such a condition as that
 would be almost as bad, though not
 quite. as the politics that arc influ- enced and dominated on account or the negro. Now MT. President, it seems to me that the same purpose can be
 accomplished and yet make this tax
 enforcible under a provision that no man shall vote unless he pays his poll | tax before February 1st, and there shall be no process for the collection
 of it.
 Mir. Lowe-wn the gentleman yield | for a question!
 l MT. Smith-I prefer not. Mir. Presi- dent. if it is not paid by February lst
 the right to vote Is taken from him. Now I believe in making it non-enfor-
 cibIe down to April. after the first
 day of February. but on the 1irst uay | of AprII and thereafter. l believe Tn making it enforcible by ordinary pro cess. Now the effect of that as l take if will be this, we know the disposi- tion of the negro. and we know the ois-
 position of the vicious element that only uses his vote as means or get ting money to drink or gamble with' That man is not
 MT. Roeers-You stated a while ago that the voluntary payment or the poil tax that the payment of poll tax puts nolitics in the hands of politicians. Now you say 1t should not be left vol
 untarv. but should be enforced by the State. Now explain please your posi- ton in regard to that matter
 MT. smith (Mobie)-I cannot explain
 because I have other matters 10 eH-
 nIain that will take the time. IT the gentleman will think and not talk ne will find out.
 T was going to say that the> negro
 and the vicious element will not pay two months ahead of time dollar ana
 a half in order to exercise this prlVl- lege. but if the business man knows he is liable for tax. although he Will not give a dollar and half to vote
 or exercise the franchise. he will put it on the list Of naoihl,es ike he does everything else
 and tell his clerk to pay it when 1t IS due. and will not wait until the hrst | of February, but will pay 1t between october and February. along with the balance of his bills, and he will, as | matter of business. qualify hlmseI to | vote. and there will be no incentive on the day of election for him to retuse
 to vote on account of the extra pur- den; whereas, when the day or eiection comes. and purchasers come around (and nobody will buy a tramp or negro ahead of time), or when the poll ticlan comes around two weeks before election and wants to buy, 10 and be- hold! the first day of February nus
 passed and he has no vote to sell. am, therefore, opposed to this system that makes 1t entlIeiy Nolunldry' anu if I get the opportunity, l will oiter an amendment, making 1t compulsory
 after the first day of April.
 | MT. Sanford (MontGomery)-He will
 not be allowed to vote.
 MT. Smith-No, sir; not If he does not pay before the first of February.
 MT. Stewart-I am in favor oi the
 substitute offered, and favoring that
 substitute, l represent the sentiments of the people whom l have the honor
 to represent in this Convention The statistics of the United States show that there is about B per cent of the
 negro population that are illiterate. The whites and negroes in our coun-
 ty stand in proportion of about five to one-about 5,000 negro voters to about
 1900 whites. Deduct third from that for illiterates, and it leaves about 5000 negro voters, in round numbers,
 who are qualified under the intellectu-
 al part of this Article; but now take off the bTidle and put no control over them in the way of. poll tax from 45 l to 50, and MT. President in five years after we have organized this system
 in 1903. the negro. If We permit them
 to control us, will. be absolutely in con- trol of our county, anu oi por county affairs. There will be a clear-cut ma jority. Now, the only protection we can have Is to allow the poll tax from 45 to 50 to accumulate on them after 1903, and in that way GU; off to some extent the number of people who will