Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-06-25
INSTRUCT THE VOTERS AS TO REG
ISTRARI0N.


stands in danger of Acknowledgement I'M
der the new Constitution, through either
ignorance of the requirements of the sui.
frage article, misrepresentation of its terms,
or that indifference to civic duties that
has SO grown upon our people of late years.
And this condition does not involve mere
ly the unlettered but includes others as
we'll
We regard it as certain that only COM
paratively small part of those who fail to
register this year will ever get on the reg
istration lists, and that of those who reg
lister large number will be DISTINGUISHED
through the operation of the poll tax pro.
vision, unless the press of the State starts
an agitation that will stir up the cleo
torate, and unless that agitation is followed
up by bard work among the people.
The basis of the fear that large number
of citizens, who should be voters, may be
DISTINGUISHED is easy to state. Take the
case, first, of those who fail to register this
year. They will be confronted next year
with the necessity of paying the poll tax
for this year before they can register.
Now, a man may be induced with reas-
enable effort to pay his poll tax in order
to be able to vote, when campaign is on,
because the contingency is one that APP
peals to his pride and he is, besides, more
or less interested. But when it comes to
prying his poll tax merely for the privilege
of being in position to vote, when there
is no campaign on, and nothing to. excite
the interest Of the citizen, it is 8 vast y
different matter. The natural Incidence
and indifference, of the average man, will
assert themselves and he will fail to regis
ter unless sharp pressure Is brought to
bear
As regards the voters who ale now on
the lists, or who register this year, there is
almost equal danger. They are required
to pay, SIX months before they offer to
vote at any election in 1904, their State
poll tax for 1908. If they fail to do this,
they cannot vote. And if they fail to pay
their poll tax, for 1903, in 1904, before
they can vote in 1905 they will have to
pay their poll tax for 1904 and 1905; and
in 1906 they will have to pay for 1908,
1904 and 1905; if they have failed to pay
taxes for those years. The chances are
that the man who fails to pay his poll tax
this year, will allow two or three years
taxes to accumulate on him. AS the Con-
stitution requires that he must have paid
bis poll taxes for the three years preceding
an election at which he offers to vote,
when three years taxes have accumulated
under the new Constitution, the negligent
voter, who has gotten on the lists, may
find that he has to pay $3.50 back poll
taxes before he can vote, unless he starts
out paying his poll to from the jump.
We believe that this is a matter that the
press of the state should take up actively,
and especially our weekly contemporaries
In the cities and towns the voters can be
reached personally, without much diff
Guilty, but in the rural districts, the cam
paign of education will have to be carried
on mainly by the press. And unless it is
begun in time and prosecuted with vigor
large part of the electorate, and a whole
some part, will be cut off.
The danger is real and imminent, and
the gravity of it is not to be discounted or
bellttled. We respectfully commend the
situation to the careful consideration of
our contemporaries.-Norfolk Virginian-
Pilot.
Ever since the iniquitous poll tax quail
fcation was made part of the constitu-
ton we have been sounding notes Of war.
ming. A few weeks ago we sounded such
note, and our Norfolk contemporary
rebuked us by saying:
"Our 1azewell contemporary should be
more careful of its facts and its allegations.
1t is liable to contribute to the very thing
it fears-the disfranchisement of whites
by giving a false and erroneous idea Of the
difficulties of registration"
Then our contemporary denied that
every voter, except the old soldiers of the
late war between the States, will have to
pay poll tax as prerequisite to voting
in 1904, and thereafter. The Yirginian.
Pilot, however, discovered its error and
acknowledged it.
Our Norfolk contemporary also rebuked
us for saying that the poll tax qualifca-
ton s ga trap to catch the poor man."
We again make the charge, and in sup.
port of the assertion will call the atten,
ton of the Virginian-Pilot to the closing
sentence Of Sec. 90 of the constitution. 1t
says:
"THE COLLECTION OF THE STATE
POLL TAX ASSESSED AGAINST ANY
ONE SHALL NOT BE ENFORCED BY
LEGAL PROCESS UNTIL THE SAME
HAS BECOME THREE YEARS PAST
DUE"
Will any sane man deny the purpose
and probable effect of this artfu provisionf
That it was intended to greatly reduce
he electorate is too obvious. 1t is an in.
lucement held out to poor men not to pay
heir poll tax, and is premium on de-
iquency. Inscriptions politicians de-
'ised the scheme to pot men in such a
position that they cannot register or vote.
The appalling condition ofindiference to
which our contemporary refers is traceable
o the outrages on understanding" clause