The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-02

| frage and Elections.
 I Mir. Oates-I do not like the proyi- l sion reported by tho committee requir- ing a poll tax to be paid from the age l of twenty-one to forty-hve years, and no further. They have In this report declared against any law for the en- 1 forcement of the collection of the poll | tax. If there is no law for its enrorcr- ment. what is the objection to extend ing the age? If a man chooses not 10 l pay because he Is over the age of for | ty-fve years that Is his business. The poll tax. by the very terms of the Con- | stitution, is to be devoted to the public school education In the counties where | 1t is collected. Now, when there is no provision of law to cuerce the col lection, it is necessarily a contribution for school purposes. and in the general | plan, if any one is so small that he will not contribute a dollar and a half l per annum to the noble purpose of ed ucating the children of the state, he Is denied the right to register and yote. It seems to nae that is a fair proposi- tion, and there is no hardship in it at all, and if you put the axe limit up- ward, would say sixty years, but gen. l temen should observe the fact that the present constitution has no such limi- tatfon. The provision says that "all taxes levied on property, etc., in this State shall be assessed in exact propor- tion to the value of said property; pro- vided, however, the General Assembly may levy a poll tax not to exceed d dollar and a half on each poll, which shall be applied exclusively in aid of the public school fund, in the county so paying the same" Why put on any limitation at all? If disposed to put l I f~tx Nf | and not forty-fve. It is not in the present Constitution. It has not been at all except by an act of the Legis- lature. They saw proper to put on that limit. to excuse a good many from pay ing it. But this Constitution works a very great many changes, and would 1t l not be safe to leave 1t to the Legisla- | ture to say whether there would be | any age limit at al, and If so put it tip after this Constitution Is ratified. II seems to me that the action of the committee in attempting to limit to forty-five years was unfortunate. and that part ought not to be adopted. Ii there Is to be an age limit at all, tber I nm in favor of the amendment of- fered by the delegate from Dallas fix ing 1t at sixty years. If the will of ths Convention is not to fix an age limit then the present Constitution leaving il to the Legislature is and will be the solution, and I believe probably the best. That is all desire to say.
 MT. Long (walker)-The men over forty-five years of age are very willing for the young fellows under forty-five to pay until they are sixty. They would be excused, and fellows abou, my age a little over forty, would have to pay the dollar and half for fifteen years longer. am opposed to class legislation of any kind, and I am 1T favor of this section exactly as report ed by the committee. I think 1t Is g wise one. While it is true that the age Is not in the old Constitution. yet it has been in the act of the Legislature ever since almost the old Constitution was adopted, and even prior to that time. As sn many of the people of Alabama have become accustomed t' it, if you put 1t in there making 1t { dollar and a half up to 60 years of age while it makes no difference to me there are a great many people in Ala bama who will object to it-hundred and thousands of them. The distin guished gentleman from Jefferson say 1t is not a tax. I differ with him Anything is a tax that a man has t pay out of his pocket to support tn Government. You might say the tarif is not a tax. It is just as much ta' as an advalorem tax. It is worse thai that, 1t is taxing a man for the righ to breathe the air, or the right to vote There Is no advalorem in it.
 MT. Oates-Do you think 1t would b hardship to require a man to pay dollar and a half for the purpose c education.
 Mir. Long-It is very easy for som men to pay a dollar and half, but is hard for some men to pay. Mir. Oates-1f he has no property t pay on. he ought to pay something.
 MT. Long-He has already paid be 3 tween 21 and 45 years of age. I thin
 that Is enough. While a dollar an half is a very small matter to u! perhaps, to the farmer who has si l or seven sons, if all of them have t ' pay a dollar and a half, it will hay the effect of driving many of theT from supporting this Constitution. am strictly opposed to any change i
 this clause, and unless the Committe wants this recommltted I shall mov to lay the motion to recommit on tn } table.
 The President-The gentleman frol Walker moves to lay the motion to re } commit the Section and amendment o ! the table.
 , Upon a vote being taken a divisio wal called for, and the motion to tabl was declared carried by vote of l ayes to 53 noes.
 MT. OrNeal-I call for a verifcatio } of the vote.
 Upon a verification of the vote bein } had, the result was 49 ayes to 53 noe : and the motion to table was lost. } Mir. Heflin (Chambers)-I move th } previous question on the motion to rt l commit.
 MT. Long (Walker)-I move a yer
 fication of the vote again by callin
 for the ayes and noes, and make th
 point of order that that Is the only Wa
 that it can be verified.
 Mr. Heflin CChambers)-A verifics tion has been had, and I make tn point of order that the gentleman out of order.
 The Presidential seems to the Cha if the gentleman desired to have a vel ihcation by the ayes and noes, should have asked for it before tryin a verifcation by division, and tha after a matter has been submitted a verifcation by division, 1t is too lat to call for a verification by the aye and noes.
 The gentleman from Chambers move
 the previous question on the motto
 to recommit. Are you ready for tn
 question?
 The main question was ordered.
 MT. Sanford-I call for the ayes an
 noes.
 The President-The question Is no on the motion to recommit section 1