The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-10
THE POLL TAX AND PUBLIC
 SCHOOLS.

SCdO0kS.
 The people of Alabama. irrespective of party or creed, ought to be friends to the cause of education, and especially is this true of the generation which has come up since the war. We have known and conversed with many men of former generations who were thoroughly indif- ferent on the subject. They had suc- ceeded in the practical affairs of life without education and thought their children should do the same.
 There are probably not many of this class left, The conditions under which they grew to mans estate no longer exist. New ideas have come up with changed conditions, and the young people who have come to manhood's estate since the Civil War are able to see that want of education closes against them many avenues of progress through which they might attain success. They see that the young man without an education is at a disadvantage, and that he is left behind by the man who Is prepared to engage in any kind of business. The day of successful illiteracy is past and will return no more.
 Alabama, like her sister States. is com mitted to the cause of free public schools. If there are any who oppose that theory of education their opposition is useless and can accomplish nothing. We will continue to have free public schools and the money to keep them up must largely come from the State. and the States money comes by taxation. very material part of the fund comes from the poll tax. which all goes to the we find The Chattanooga Times saying:
 Strange as it may appear, the average good citizen doesn't regard the school question at all when he comes to consider the payment of a poll tax. AS general thing he does not believe that form or taxation the proper one for the main- tenance of schools. He believes that popular education should occupy dis tinct department; separate from and un- affected by any political considerations. In other words, that the State should make ample provision for the main- tenance of the schools and not depend on any voluntary contributions in the way of poll taxes.
 We, too, hold that the State should make ample provision for the mainte- ancs of the schools, and it has decided that part of this provision shall come from the polls. It's payment is made part of the suffrage systom and all good citi- zens ought to be more willing to pay 1t than they are to pay any other taxes. considering that it goes to the education of the children. There Is no more sacred right guaranteed us under our free gov ernment than the right of going to the polls and expressing our choice. and there is no more sacred duty devolving on the good citizen than to pay his part towards popular education.
 According to the last census there are in Alabama 6l0,351 persons of school age," between the ages of and 17 years, and there are in the neighborhood of sO0,O0O persons subject to poll tax. If all of them would pay their poll tax 1t would add, say, $450,0O0 to the general school fund, and thus materially tighten be kept up and a certain amount of money is required for that purpose. What of it does not come from poll taxes must inevitably come from other taxes, and as there are many citizens who have no taxable property the payment of their portion of the school fund would be a very trivial matter. He must be an in different citizen who does not value the elective franchise sufficiently. and who does not care enough for the education of the children to pay the small sum of $1 50 a year for the privilege of voting and for the blessings of education. We cannot believe that any great number of the white people of Alabama will fail to do their duty.