Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-04-24
EFFECT OF P0LL-TAx ON BALLOT.
Necessary Prepayment Threatens to ca,
Down Vlrqinia's Electorate Materially.
(Richmond News-Leader. J

1
There will be weeping and wailing
and gnashing of teeth when the sove.
reigns assemble to cast their ballots at
the election polls after Jan. l, 1904.
Before that date it is plain sailing
for those who have registered, no poll
tax qualification being required for
the privilege of voting.
The only elections scheduled for this
year, however, are for county officers,
excepting clerks.
InAbe clerks office of the hastings
court in this city are three big books
labelled 1900, 1901, 1902, devoted to the
enrolment of the names of poll tax de-
linquents. and each of those books con-
tain Is, 900 names, more or less.
Unless this tremendous number of
| delinquents is reduced marvelousIy
within the next year the Richmond
electorate-and by parity of reason
ing the Virginia electorate. as we'll
will be cut down to beautifully small
and aristocratic proportions.
That is, if the commonly accepted
construction of the suffrage clauses of
the new constitution is correct and
this instrument means what it is sup.
posed to mean.
But what does it mean is question
which has puzzled many of the legal
not to speak of the lay-minds who
have tried to slove its complicated pro-
visions.
In order to obtain for publication an
Official construction of the clauses re-
latiDg to the pOll-tax requirements
for registering and voting reporter
for The News Leader visited the at
torney- generals Office this morning and
in the absence, on account of sickness,
of General Anderson, Mr.. John Egg.
lesion, of his office, gave the following
as his conception of the attorney'gen-
erals opinion on the subject:
"a man applying to be registered
after Jan. 1, 1904, shall be entitled to
register only on the condition that he
has paid to the proper officer all State
poll taxes assessed or aSsessable again.
st him, under this or the former con.
stitution, for the three years next pre-
ceding that in which he offers to re-
gister.
"This applies only to registration.
One has to comply with this to get his
name on the book merely.
But after the first day of January.
1904, all persons, whether registered
under the foregoing provisions or un-
der the provisions of section 10, in Or
der to vote, must have personally paid
at least six months prior to the electi-
on, all State poll taxes assessed or as
sessable against them under this con-
stitution during the three years next
preceding that in which they offer to
vote, unless such persons shall have
served in the army or navy of the
United States or of the Confed crate
States, or any State of the United
States, OF of the Confederate States
during the late war between the States
''In other words, if man registers
before Jan. /, 1904, be shall be entitled
| to vote in all elections held before that
date without the payment of any poll
tax. But in order to vote in any cleo
ton held after that date he must have
personally paid all State poll taxes as
sessed or asSessable against him only
under the new constitution during the
three years next preceding that in
| which be offers to vote.
"This means that he has to pay only
| those poll taxes which have been assess
ed against him under the new cOnsti-
| tuition. So that if he offered to vote
after Feb. 1904, he would have had to
pay poll taxes only for 1908 and 1904.
The same principle applies to all
people who offer to vote, no matter
when registered. but those Offering to
register after Jan. 1. 1904, must have
complied with the requirement herein.
| before recited, namely, the paying of
all poll taxes for the three preceding
years assessed or assessable, either un-
der the old or new constitution"
Under this construction that pay
ment of accumulated poll taxes will cut
a considerable figure in future cleo
tions and the habitual neglect of vast
mum bers to liquldate this debt to the
State will cause many who have here
tofore had voice in public affairs to
| become political cyphers.
There is much alarm, too, that the
horney handed sons of toll, to whom
| 81 or $5is well;nigh insurmountable
bar, will, many of them, fall down
| when they come to vote. as it is under
stood the law will he STRICTLY enforced