The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-09-19
POLL. TAX
REQUIREMENT
HON. s. J. BOWIE FAvORs SOME
RADICAL CHANGES.
He Says the Makers Of Alabnma's New
Consultation Went Further Than
the Necessjties Hequlred--
NeMe&ies S6ggest&A.
10 the Editor Of The Age.fferald:

i X
To the Editor OF The AEe-fierald:
! ton that the poll tax provisions in the
new constitution need appointment. The
truth is. that the trainers of the new
| in grateful remembrance for their wise
4 solution of the vexed suffrage and 9TH
\ er problems, but they were so anxious
| Black bet forever secure. that. in my
| opinion, they undoubtedly went too far.
The fact is that the cumulative, .voiun-
p0 tax Of the bseT
against the possibility Of the return OF
| motive Is concerned. we are all thor
now. The truth Is. however, that they
went further than any necessity re-
The proportionate number of negroes
TO whites 10 mississippi, Is far greater
| than it is in Alabama. In fact, we have
| h majority OF whites IN our State, while
| In Mississippi: and in some counties in
| whites IN the ratio of ffteen to. one.
PROVISION, fifteen years ago, which has
! fully and amply protected them: and
| In its details 1t is far wiser and more
ths state The Mississippi Plan, brief
! ". is that the poll tax is a lien upon
| taxable property, but that process Of
f Il is further provided that the coun-
iscr eaii the amount Of Of the poll tax.
where It Is deemed necessary, not to
Mississippi's school FUND.
They have not only secured them.
selves Just as effect sg as ave we have have
se dhs fund through the poll tax pro-
Visions. and they have not diminished dn1,aas ed
this State. The fact is that with a
population of about one.half the white
eating that their suffrage plan has not
resulted in political suicide on the
part of any considerable number of
The vice of the voluntary poll tax
plan IL that II encourages the commits
sion of political suicide and the neg
man himself is 70 blame, or Of that hat he
question: That is not the issue. the
Than the Welfare OF the Individual, and
the public Is bound to suffer when
there is a great body OF n-partici-
pecially when that number is growing
with every year. and must in the ma
ture OF things, continue 10 grow, so
argument in favor Of permitting
man with taxable property to vo1un-
tarily refuse to pay a part of his tax,
Wight to vote, is just as illogical az ii IL
the Legislature, were to pass a statute
condenlning murder, but encouraging
lie harm viii result from an open en-
couragement and Invitation to men of
means to neglect a sacred duty to
themselves then ,a ,sa, ana t. the public and to
ly Is. for a man to bribe another. is it
b brit eqRd imsyglf wrong to permit him to
tionai FUND Of the State. IT oaght to
f srsS'se S year BY year .b bst i has SUI
the provisions of the new constitution
offered q direct premium of $500. per
annum for the neglect of public duty
As to White Supremacy.
If the preservation OF white supre-
macy in single County in this State
was even remotely involved in the
are, But Mississippi has proved too
wei that the matter can be handled
n dinerent way for us TO shut our
least OF 1t are becoming more and
more nSs serious tadoSso eyrYryy day.
the trainers of, the Constitution en-
deavored to make a plan for the en-
tire State which under. any cireum-
pf the state. With greater wiS fIn
the Mississippi plan adopts the rrineis
pie of local self government. by Civ
IN the state, whereby conditions pecu.
liar to any particular County can be
met. without resorting. to method I'M
Necessary nee and harmful in ether eoun
conditions are uniform but there is no
use in trying to- maintain a plan which,
iiednces the white vote nearly one-half
the sole purpose of protecting half
dozen or dozen counties In the black
belt, when ample protection can be af-
saner methods.
A constitutional amendment, giving
the County Commissioners in a partic-
amount of the poll tax, or the age linn
1t. or such other methods as may be
necessary could do no harm and would
out in other States. and with the doc
trine and theory OF home rule and local |
self government, and would be an ann |
PIE remedy against the possibility of
tsetion Of the black belt does not Pm in
yOlEye, the pe,Fpetuat,iGn Of runous
the white. population of the State
. Political suicide Is detrimental to the |
miserable policy OF holding on to a dol |
lar and half a year righteously lev.
his own race, In consideration OF his
surrendering his right to participate in
the government! It is true that the
an idea that the white people would
pay the tax and the negroes would
not. 1t Is also true that the negroes
do not. but unfortunately 1t has been
demonstrated that there are tens OF
as the tax. remains. voluntary. viii
shirk the discharge of a plain and i'm
perative duty. and wise craftsmanship
demands that we should look that ques-
tion squarely in the face.
The argument in favor OF the ratifi-
that 1t was a perfect instrument, but
that Ii was an Improvement on the old,
believed then and believe now that
1t was better than the old and there
fore should have been ratified. but
neither its friends, nor it's trainers,
ever claimed for 1t that 1t was per-
feet work. Indeed. one of the. strong.
ratification by the committee of the
convention appointed to issue an adj
dress to the people was the facility
with which 1t could be amended.
We would make a great mistake
now II. we treat the constitution as a
The collection of the poll tax by pro-
cess of garnishment under the old con-
stftution did In numerous instances re-
suit in grave injustice, and oppression.
Mississippi wisely prohibits the use of
this process and so should we. But in
er States no good reason can be as
signed why man having taxable prop
erty, visible TO the eve OF the tax coll
lector. should be permitted and en-