The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-15
All It's Friends Were Induced
to Pay Their Capita 5.s5
ton Taxes. s
STRIKING SCENES II, 4. !. 4 /,
IN TREAsURER's 0FFlCE.l.
It55Was Literally Janmed ::' D'ulr'-1 l''
ing the Greater 2 Portiot, | 81 III
Yesterday Estimated That
About a Thousand APP sIss *
peared on the Last Day :.s
for Receptionof Taxes. 81


H BY sunset Of yesterday about one thou.sS$s!!
sand citizens had passed before the desle s
of the treasurer of Richmond and thafsS
electorate Of tho city had been swelledl
to perhaps 5000 out Of q. possible vote tott 4
q, 900, and an actual registered vote n OF !f
more than 5000. @ isl,i ssi h. sl,; y
TO this startllngly small mum Der must
be added ono or two thousand more
veterans OF the Civil Sor Spanish A1nori-j
can wars, who are by virtue Of i&servicesS
in defense Of their county, exemp st from
the tax with which tho ordinary layman5sg
must purchase his right OF suffrage, N, BuER
even with this addition the mum herFi \: s3B}SS ~
remarkably. almost ridiculously. small m M
for community Of the size OF Richmond
There has never foro been known n SOW
small a poll, and the fact will. perhaps
be signlf ficant sof things Ito come. y It ~
already comm only L rutnored II and 8@ COM
monty believed that assi resi- Of 5tha IN
activity OF the one and tho s1na ctiyit
tile other, in aconA ctlon witt the cha Pc
irenings OF yesterday the lines laid In ar
recent ection loon !. IL
and the nti-saloon Will III ~ turc FbeS Ill .sSs
tile more marke ny " II. "a s4issss
Striking Scene. 3l5ls554
8& The last day in the $treasurer's Office
was in moro respects than one striking v
and Interesting. Previous and persistent
announcement through the press OF the
city had called the attention Of the cltt-
zens generally to the fact that unless "A
they paid the poll tax before 5 O'Clock yes s5;
aterday afternoon, they could mot cast "a a5
ballot In the coming elections. Over 9. 900 Al
persons registered sunder&the new COnsti-SSSj
tuition. and all l9of these might have had dFaG "
vote for the mere dollar$and afhalf, but
"a tude seemed to have stolen Y 9 yer5@4
them, for they came not s Ss il, M, i3;a
still the crowd was something immense
at times Nenrly s, 900 persons had paid the
tax preyiously,tt to yesterday, and between ~
early morning and dark almost O. thou-s4
sand more nppeared-certainly not more, ",
possibly less. The force In the treasurer's Il
Office was considerably augmented, and
six clerks were kept Intense busy
straight through the day. a little after
5 o'clock, when the of1ice and the books n
were closed, Treasurer Phillips said he n
had not had time to got a drink OF water. ~
much less a bite to eat. At times the Q oftlcsi5
was jammed-not simply full OF people.
but jnmmcd. The people seemed to cone a
In bunch. They packed themselves In 81
and then couldn't unpack a person at tl1a VI
desk had literally to fight his way back Af
to the door when he wished to leave. Tho
crowd was very unwIoldly and becams Il
sbolstcrous now and then-talklnB, laugh ii
ing, hootlng. "A ss5s5i 5
ri was rather a curious slght-watchMg
tho people as thoy laid down the small Y
money that brought tho theoreticallY.$
big right to cast the ballot. BY 3 2. N. s3
the bulk of the crowd had exhausted it-is
self and from then until about 5:soha Il
struggling few kept up appearances. Then II II
tne office closed. Tho clerk kept on until
,late ut night. figuring things up b,lt
stated that they could glve no figures ~ h,
detail. They guessed that the list OF thaSs
day would show 1000 Or fewer names.
and that the total vote of the city would II
amount to 6,0O0 or something nnder.ss The &
total possible list of assessable candtdata taa S
returned by tho commissioner OF the rcY-
enuo Is over 22,0oO. saa
Saloon; Anti-Saloon. st
There is one very significant and Inns
portant feature of the days work, In 9 s
recently held election the lines between q
the whiskey and the anti-whiskey forces y
were very closely drawn, Tho whtskeS'sg9
forces have bcen very active with an in,4IS
iterest horn OF considerations more posi-
tive than personal ones. The church geo-8
ple it has been almost impossible to set n
thoroughly aroused. They were interest ed
hut rather passive since mo 1ece - Eesl sEsi s
trntion the whiskey men have been UNI AS
ceaslnsly at work. They have marshalsd
ali tho friends, and registration list IN 81
hand, have persuaded them to pay the
TAX and have their names enrolled The
church people. or some Of them, also on
deavored ia do some work, hut wlth.nos y
so good effect. At one OF the religious X
meetings on Sunday IT was declared tllat a
seventy five per cent OF those who paid 3
pol taxes yesterday were whlskey peopls,
Who would favor an open" SUNDAY IS
4 plea was there made to the members OF
the church to register forthwith, and tfysI4
to balance things moro evenly, The state q
ment made Sunday ls TO certain extent AZ
true. 1t is generally believed that eertaalhs s.
ly a good majority Of the citST's vo1eEs hfs D
now no, anti-saloon.