The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-26
The poLL Tax AMENDMENT.


The Houston Labor Journal is opposing
the poll tax amendment now before the peo-
pie OF Texas for their consideration, and in
its last issue says:
The Labor Journal does not believe that there
Is any virtue in the poll tax amendment other
than its eXpediency as revenue collector ana u
does not believe that the State should undertake TO
horde up money in its treasury at the risk OF
DISTINGUISHING thousands of honest but poor
men II there is any any additional qualification
10 be placed upon the franchise it should be an
educational ono, and not Tor the revenue only
AS the Labor Journal has said time and again.
the mere fact that man has paid his poll tax
does not signify anything as 10 his honesty or
intelligence as q voter AS matters stand now,
it is a hard thing 70 get large class OF indus
trious men both in business and labor circles,
10 take enough interest IN politics TO 60 out ana
vote, and to impose additional qualifications on
the suffrage certainly would not tend to give adj
dtional enthusiasm to this very respectable class
OF men II might be argued that this class OF
men are not good citizens, but this would be true
only as to their lack of interest in political af-
fairs. for they are industrious, hard-working and
honest and pay their taxes directly or indirectly
about as promptly as any other class OF people
The State is not in a condition OF bankruptcy,
and II has not yet become necessary TO prostitute
the right Of suffrage as revenue collecting e%-
pedient
The Post would suggest that this is a very
/ short.sighted view to take Of the PROPOSE
I ton.
! In the first place, the matter of the reve-
nue. involved In the collection of this pro-
/ posed tax is incidental to the main purpose,
namely, the publication of the ballot by
( the probable elimination of a worthless and
irresponsible element from the electorate.
Nor does The Post beAeve, as the Labor
Journal seems TO believe, that the effect of
the proposed amendment would be to dis
franchise any honest but poor man" 1t
will shut out lot of hoaters and vote sell
ers; but the good citizen, the man who
takes an interest In the welfare OF his gov.
eminent, however poor he may be, has
nothing to fear. He will pay this small ex
action and consider it a privilege to do SC
II the ends sought can be obtained.
But there is another view Of this matter
to which The Post would call the attention
of the Labor Journal It is assumed that the
larger portion of the constituents, or pat
rons, of that paper are taxpayers, who pay
on either real or personal property, because
. it is scarcely to be thought that man who
is too poor to pay poll tax will be found
subscribing to a newspaper, even SO good al
one as the Labor Journal Now, every on,
of these patrons who pays personal o
realty tax also pays a poll tax, beoaus,
the present law provides for the payment o
!, poll tax.
= To illustrate, take the laboring man wit
owns his modest little homestead and VIII
annually walks up to the collectors ofhc
and pays ON that homestead If he will es
> anime his tax receipt he Will End that on
: of the items in it is for poll tax Thu
. 1t win be seen that the law already pre-
vidng for the collection of a poll tax fror
y every male nhabitant between the ages q
p 81 and Go years, except those specifically eS
: empted such as cripples, etc. this propose
o. amendment is simply means for enforcin
= the present law and putting an end to tn
s unjust discrimination now prevailing. I
e other words. to be palmer still, the effect c
= this amendment viii be that the industrious
Ii provident working man who has become
property taxpayer shall not have laid agains
r him burden from which same burden tn
improvident. the worthless and the vens
r. are exempt.