The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-03-31
BLISS RAPS CITY
ELECTION LAWS
MAKES RECOMMENDATION FOR
AMENDMENT TO ELIMINATE
PRESENT INJUSTICE.

Editor Pensacola Journal:
The city election again brings 10 the
surface an injustice that | have tried
10 have corrected for years and which
to-day stands as a disgrace on the
statute books. | refer to the law
specifying qualifications of electors in
the city elections of Pensacola.
The law makes the qualifications OF
an eleetor in Pensacola the same as
that of the previous general election;
that is, man qualified TO vote last
year is qualified to vote this year, and
if he was not qualified last year he is
not qualified this year. How mani
testify unjust 5his law is.
Any young man who has become of
age since the registration books clos
e0 last year cannot vote this year.
He must wait until he is % ears old
before he onn vote in the city election
Any man who may have lived here
for years, perhaps all his life, cannot
vote in the city election unless he was
qualified in the election of last year.
He may have forgotten to register;
or he may have been registered and
forgot to pay his poll tax; or he may
have been away from home when the
books were open; no matter which,
il is impossible for him to either pay
his poll tax now or register now and
consequently he cannot vote in the
city election.
A great many good people are set
Ting among us. We are inviting them
to buy property and build homes.
no
fore the registration books closed last
year they could not register and if
they were not registered last year
they cannot vote this year ana will,
therefore, have to be citizens between
three and four years before they can
have voice in municipal matters.
That is encouragement to newcomers
with a vengeance, isn't it? Yet that
is precisely where the matter stands.
I have discussed this matter in
print years ago. / also tried to get
the Young Mems Business League to
use its influence Ito have the law
amended. In the new city charter
bill four years ago fought for this
change but I have heretofore been in
the minority. | now commend the
matter to our representatives in the
legislature.
Let us by all means have a city
election law by which q man can quail
ify and vote in city election. Give
the young men a chance. If he is II
years old he should be entitled TO
vote. Give the newcomer a chance.
If he has been here long enough he
is entitled to vote, ana when | say
"long enough" / do not mean several
years but one year.
A gentleman who has lived in Pen
sacola all his life and is registered
and has paid his poll tax cannot vote
because he is not marked Paid" on
the books for one years tax; and he
avows he paid the tax and had his
receipt but mis- wife in burning some
OLD papers burned the receipt, Here
is a case where little neglect has
disfranchised voter so far as the
city election is concerned.
Under the present law, no matter
where a man may live now, If he was
qualified to vote in the last general
election he cmn vote in the present
city election. He may have moved
out of the state but yet he is qualified
to vote in the city election, while the
young men who have become of age
since he books closed last year, and
those who have settled here during
the past two years and those who neg
lected 20 register or pay poll tax last
year cannot vote even though they
are residents of the city.
The law is beautiful thing and
should be framed for it's magnani-
nous provisions.
NIJAG II nTLCC