The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-07
THE DUTY or ALApAMIANs.


 THE DUTY or ALAnAMIANs. That the effort will be made to re- duce Southern representation in Con- gress is practically certain, especially now that Ksifer has made himself champion of the movement. The main point will of course be the alleged de- nial of suffrage to the colored voters. though, to come down to hard facts, if the proposition of Crumpacker, Keller and their sort could be carried to its legitimate conclusion. and equal and exact justice done, some of the States North would find Q material reduction in their representation. Nothing of the kind is to be expected. though. for the animus of the movement Is all found in either hatred or jealousy of the South.
 But there is one point which those people make against the South that The Advertiser has often warned our people About. That complaint Is that we claim more voters than we have, and that consequently we have more members of Congress than we are entitled to. They say, for example. that two or three thousand votes in a Congressional District in Alabama counts for as much as twenty or thirty thousand does in some North ern Districts. On this state of facts the facts of votes as cast--they base the charge, and their people up there believe 1t, that we have not as many voters as we claim and as we get rep resentation for.
 While we know that this is not fair or truthful, we cannot be surprised if it is believed by those who are not ac- auainted with all the facts. That 1t Is believed is the fault of the white peo- ple of the State who fail or refuse to vote. For example, there are about 2so, 900 white voters in Alabama. There are at least 50,o00 of these who have failed to qualify themselves by regis tering Many who have registered have failed in their poll taxes when they are within the poll tax age. In other words they voluntarily deprive themselves of the right to perform one of the highest duties of American citi- zenship. That is one of the ways they fortify the contention of the enemies of the South.
 But this is not all. nor the most glaring fault of the white people of Alabama, for that fault is the failure to vote of thousands who are qualified. There are fully 100000 white men in Alabama who were qualified to vote at the late election. The total vote cast was about half that number. In plain words. fully one hundred thou- sand white men who were qualified to vote on the eighth day of November failed to do so--end the greater num- Der of them were Democrats. Why they thus failed of their duty. or what excuse they can make for 1t we do not know. and that is not material now. The fact remains that they failed to vote and by that failure placed a club in the hands of our political enemies which they win not fail to use to their own advantage and to our disadvan- tage.
 But what of those fifty thousand voters who have not qualified them selves? Will they continue to remain disqualified, or will they act the part of good citizens and prepare them selves to do their duty in future? It is for them to decide. but The Adver- tiser intends to keep them reminded of 1t as often as 1t thinks good and proper. They have no opportunity to register now but that matter of poll tax Is up to them. It must be paid. next February or the citizen will be barred from voting in any election. To- cal or special. during the next two years. It matters not if he has regis tered; he Is not qualified to vote if there is poll tax due. Even if he has reached the age Of 45. and is no longer subject to the poll tax qualification he is not a voter if there is any of that tax due which accrued before he reach ed the age limit.
 it VIII De SSSu tudt IL lb h9b only the duty of Alabamians to qualify themselves for the suffrage as an act of good citizenship but it is their duty to remove, as far as lies in their power all ground for the argument of North ern Republicans, that we claim repre- sentation for more voters than we have. They owe to themselves, their families, to the State and to the cause of good government to take part in the selection of all officers. and they owe 1t to the entire South to prove that we have all the voters that we claim. Let the people of Alabama re- fleet on these things and show them selves true men and good citizens.
 
 NOT A STRENUOUS MESSAGE.
 The Presidents message was sent in-