The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1902-10-22
The Poll Tax Amsndmeni.

a
every county IN the state primaries or
couyentions-from which the negro is
xeluded-selects every officer, except
IN very few places, and then the negro
will pay his poll.tax Cor certainly it will
be paid for him. So If that is the OBJ
iect 1t will fail of any good.
End: To compel the very poor to
bear their part of the expense of gov
eminent. The great argument on this
hpe is that the State looses many thous-
ands of dollars every year-deiinquent
poll tax. Whereas, it is a well known
fact that large percentage of the de-
linouent pa.H &ax list is fictitious, in this,
that when mans name once gets on
the poll tax list without any property,
he may die, go to the pcnitentiary,
move from the county and even from
the state, but for years after his name
will regularly appear on the delinquent
poll tax list.
During the 9th legislature it was
discovered that in the delinquent poll
tax list of one large county, there were
several thousand names of men who had
not lived in the county for over two
wears. and some of them had been dead
for ten years.
This very fact was emphasized when
the census was taken-very few counties
showing as many men over u years old
and under so years old. rs the tax rolls.
Now don't say. that if this is so, 1t is be-
cause the assessor gets pay for each
name on the roll-that is not the reason.
The reason is this 1t is very hard 10
get all the men who don't own any prop
erty and when the assessor once finds a
man, until he knows he is dead or moved
away. he considers he has been over
looked, and just puts him down again
tn keep him from shlrklng his taxes.
He don't know whether he is delinquent
or not.
Another thing. we have a statute
which is designed to compel every able
bodied poll tax payer-to pay the tax
or work three days on the public roads.
That is better than the amendment-or
can be made so.
The poor man, politically speaking
has little but his vote to protect his in
terest. The rich man has many and
powerful means to protect his Interests,
besides literature, hired friends and
powerful lobbys. If they are unserup-
ulous there is the direst fraud and
bribery,
1t is well known that when trusts,
combine and large corporations desire
political influence of any kind they are
aware of it long before the people even
dream of it. They select the man they
want and the places to be worked. They
can have trusty men TO pay the poll tax
of the delinquents both dead and alb
sent. What next?
When your primaries come on they
send in the proper number of men, each
armed with one or more poll tax re-
ceipts, and each vote at one or more
boxes. Do you say it can't be done. IL
has been done in those states having the
poll tax qualifications; besides, even in
our large Texas cities where all the vot-
ers are required to register but n short
time before the election, giving the
street and number where they live. By
eolonizing for few days and little
friendly help, many fraud ulent regis
tration receipts are obtained and voted
this way, even in regular elections.
Every able bodied man who labors
for living, helps to support the gov
eminent, poll tax or not, and without
regard to whether he works for rail-
road mere ant or farmer, they make
something out of him, and are enabled
to pay the tax, while he, after boarding
and clothing himself and family, has
little or nothing to pay with. Money
is good thing, but don't put the stamp
of the dollar on the Ballot Box.
Another objection: This tax must be
paid bkfore the LIST day of February
next preceding such election. Then If
he moves into this county on the LIST day
of February from some other county, in
no event can he vote at general cleo
ton in less than q months residence in
the county and In no election in less
than one year. Ne tax can be paid un-
til the party has been enrolled. So that
every young man coming OF age, every
person from another county, every en-
igrant, you'd have to reside in the
county from 8 to q months at least,
before he would be entitled to vote.
The amendment is un-American. con-
trary to the spirit Of our government,
and if adopted will bring uncertainty,
litigation and fraud into our primar les
and elections. w III. FEARS
His Life in Peril.