The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1902-01-10
3 Educational Department. !
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Conducted by W. F. King.
A $4,000 LEAK.


.ood dnere are in this State 1850 or 12O.-
CUV persons subject to the payment of
sue one dollar poll tax prescribed by
low; me average number of persons
paying tnls tax is about AZ, 900. leaving
Arom 10000 to $4,000 per annum
~nlcn the public schools lose from the
AaHure to collect these taxes. There is
certainly no public fund which can SO
III anord to lose this or in which the
people are more deeply interested.
Nolnce no voter is among those who
eVaoe the payment of this poll tax, it's
payment being prerequisite to voting,
Al would seem that it were only neces-
Sary to suggest some reasonable
-netnod OF insuring the collection of il
20 secure the hearty support of every
'cltlzen who respects his right of suf-
'.frage.
The following suggestions are thrown
out in the hope that those who are in
terested in the question will take them
under advisement and help to work out
"a plan. to save this great waste and
more evenly distribute the expense of
improving our. schools.
The vast difference in the percentage
eof the polls that are paid in the several
counties shows unquestionably that
isome tax collectors and assessors are
very lax in their methods of conduct
ing the public business entrusted to
them. It can be readily shown that
some of these officials lost more for
the county, from the uncOllected polls
alone than they are paid for their SER
vices. Certainly in such cases it is the
duty of good citizens to remedy the de-
1ect by putting in Office men Of bust
ness ablity who will serve the county
with the zeal which they have for pri-
Vate affairs. It will pay the citizens of
each county to look into this matter.
But the laws for the collection of
this tax are such that the most active
zand capable officers will find it eXpen-
,sive business and often impossible to
make the collection. There are two
classes in particular which evade the
capitation tax. One is the migratory
1aborer, especially such as are employ
ed in turpentine and phosphate camps;
the other, the impecunious citizen, es-
pecially the black one, who has no
pride in the privileges of the electoral
suffrage and never has sufficient prop
serty to make it practicable to collect
this tax by levying on it.
To reach the first mentioned class, it
is suggested that our law be so amend
ed that either the Collector or the as
SCISSOR of taxes will be empowered and
required to go directly to the employer
or superintendent of gangs or large
bodies of laborers and, having taken a
sworn statement of the names of all
taxable persons employed, to assess
and collect the |capitation tax then and
there from the employer, giving indi-
-Vidual receipts therefor, which the en-
ployer will collect for from the men.
This law should be made broad and
elastic so as to prevent evasicI by con-
astant changing of residence or tenn
porarny discontinuing work, and to
permit collecting directly from the men
when that can be readily and thorough
1y done.
After a reasonable time has been al
lowed for every man to pay his poll
tax in the county where he holds his
citizenship, he should be liable for
such tax wherever he may be located
if he connot give evidence of having
paid it; at the same time provision
should be made for a prompt repay
ment of tax collected a second time
should such occur in the execution OF
the law.
To reach the great number Of negroes
who are always hanging around the
towns of the State, but from whom it is
almost impracticable to make collec-
-iion of any tax, there should be a pro
vision for coupling the school capita
-tiOn tax to the road tax, so that when
the former cannot be collected the de-
ainquent can be summoned to work out
the amount on the public roads, being
liable to Imprisonment for contempt in
case he refuses to heed the summons
an equivalent amount in money being
paid back from the road fund. The
making Of the one dollar poll tax the
equivalent of two or three full days
labor would insure either the prompt
payment Of polls or an abundance of
1abOrers for the roads at a low rate,
thus benefting both funds.
There is no possible danger to the
white supremacy at the polls to be an
ticipated from forcing this class of peo-
pie to pay their capitation taxes; but
ON the other hand, if these taxes were
diligently collected the amount which
would be collected from negroes alone
would pay half the whole amount that
is now paid for negro schools in the
State. H. E. B.