The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-22
Letters to The Editor.
POLL TAX

And the Tax Collectors Duties.
 Montsomery, Ala. March A, lSS. Editor The Advertiser: .
 In an article this morning. headed, "Registration Has Reached l,lOo, there are comments upon my office, which re- coRnixe as a Journals right to indulge in. being a public bfficiaA but WheR.N IS not stated properly 1 feel that you Will do me justice by making amends for It. The article says: ... .-.., who have paid one years poll tax when two years were charged against them or the Collectors books. voter "ho pau one years poll tax when two was que, fact which he did not know, IS as enec- lively aisfranchised as If he hed made no effort whatever to comply Wlth the law and the Constitution.
 ''Numerous cases of this sort nave come to light since the beginning or ,ne ,,an, uiry registration 1t appears that voters went to the Collectors office to pay thelr taxes and paid tor one year when they were III some cases due two years tax, oi WhSh they were ignorant. The Cohector nt, uin not tell the voters how many years poll tax they were due the State. He accept ed the money and made out the receipt for the year named by the voter
 In answer to this desire to state that that called upon the City Registrars this morning and asked them if 1t Is fact that the chief complaint was as stated They said that 1t was not and that there had not been more than twenty or tWeh- ty-tve challenges an that account; me me pression that tho poll tax Is charged 10 collectors as under the old law anu that it is my duty to keep up with these charges and to make record as collecteu. As a matter of fact there is no charge made against any man for poll tax ana as the new Constitution was estabhshed to weed out the illiterate. the presuhp ton is that most voters know when they
 ridtr rQf well paying poll tax each year There Is no noil list made of tax payers untll the year is complete, and then l am re, ouired to make an alphabetical list ana file with the Judge Of Prooate. ana tnen it becomes a public record, where any man can ascertain for himself whether he has paid or not. By the way. thls IS duty put upon Collectors (which Tor merly belonged to the Assessors oHce(, for Which there is no compensation. This ts money handled by me, which requires about one-third of the work of the offce, without compensation and no reduction or bond which l was required 10 give when | got pav for 1t under the old Constitution.
 In answer to that part of the article which is as follows:
 It is clear to me- said a well known citizen yesterday that the Collector or deputy collector should tell man who goes to pay his poll tax how much he owes when he presents himself at the window. If a man goes to pay his gre cery bill two months due, the 2roceTyman would certainly tell him how much he owes. To go further, if a man owed two years tax on real estate. he is always told by the Assessor and Collector the total amount of his taxes. While the payment of poll tax is voluntary. 1t Is at the same time a qualification and the agent of the State should assist the voter who is trying to qualify. The failure to volunteer information to voter might De construed as the States assisting Tn the disfran c hisement of its citizens.
 I desire to say, that the position taken bv a well known citizen" is absolutely absurd and ridiculous. He compares man who goes to pay two months gro cery bill that is regularly charged to him and the payment compulsory, when the law expressly prohibits a list or any compuIsIon in poll tax collection. All rrach!nery for poll tax collections has been taken from the collector, and we could not force collection as the grocery man can. If collectors were required to carry out well known citizens plan. IL would require an additional clerk each year. 1 have taken great pains to notify and try to keep the public warned or inc time for poll tax collection and have always furnished all information, wheth- ar Daid for it or not. oy going over the records when asked. In conclusion, beg that before you comment severely on the officials of the State for the execution or the law. you ascertain whether 1t Is the law or the officer that is in fault.
 Respectfully,
 Geo. W. Halls,
 Tax Collector.