The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-07
TAFT IN VIRGINIA.


 Poll Tax Decision Disfranchises Most Democratic VOters.
 Richmond. (va.) Special to Ney York
 Tribune, (Rep)
 Consternation prevails in the ranks of the Democratic party In Virginia. and the Democratic leaders both here and in other parts of the state frankly admit among themselves that If @ re- cent decision of Judge Martin. of Nor folk, is not reversed before the com- Ing national election. Virginia must for the first time since Mahone's day be counted in the Republican column. The decision is on the interpretation of the polI-tax clause in the state con- stitution. Section 21 of Article II Of the Virginia constitution requires that every man otherwise qualified to vote must personally pay his poll tax at least six months before elec- tion time Judge Martin. in deciding a test case on this clause, ruled that personally pay" means that the pros- pective voter must in his own person hand to the proper state or county of- ficer the amount of his poll tax. He ment by personal cheek, when not made in person. was violation of the clause.
 The result of this decision. judg ing from a careful study and analysis of available figures. practically means of the Democratic vote of the State, while 1t means only the disfranchise- ment of approximately fifteen per cent of the Republican voters. The reason for this is that the large majority Of the Democratic vote IS polled in the rural districts. where 1t has been the custom for years for farmers and land holders to mail checks for their poll tax to the county treasurer. The far mers before the Martin decision nerdly ever thought of hunting up the county treasurer in person to hand him over the Sl.50 tax On the other hand, the larger part of the Republican vote is boiled by negroes. who, as a rule, do not own much, if any land and pay their poll tax in person, The great majority of white Republican voters in Virginia live in cities, where 1t Is easy to pay the tax in person.
 In 1904 Bryan received from Virginia S0.6 64S votes, to Roosevelts 47,S80 These figures show how grave Is the cratic leaders. It is estimated that if the Martin decision is not reversed the Democratic vote in the coming national election will not exceed O,00o. and Re- publican leaders say this Is too liberal an estimate.
 There were several conferences of Democratic leaders last week to decide what steps can be taken. and every tion carried to the Court of Appeals immediately. The ablest constitutional lawyers of the state will be engaged. and neither effort nor money will be spared in the attempt to have the Mar tin ruling overturned. A fund Is be- ing raised for this purpose.
 Democrats throughout the state are up in arms over the decision, and in dignantly exclalm that it is ridiculous and absurd. but they admit that, they have grave fears of the Court of Ap- peals taking this view of it.
 Mr. Byrd, Speaker of the House of Delegates. has admitted that the de- cision is a grave menace to Democratic hopes. If 1t stands. he said. it means such a heavy loss of Democratic votes. while at the same time not seriously make the situation here a serious one. T cannot help believing" said MT. Byrd. that the case may be appealed and the Court of Appeals reverse Mir. Martins decision before the voting day comes"
 MT. Lewis, a member of the Virginia Legislature, who has a wide knowledge of the political situation In tidewater
 'Gnless the Martin decision is re- versed on appeal do not we'll see how any Democrat can take an optimistic view of the situation. The decision Democratic voters that 1t Is a ques- ton whether Bryan can carry the state"
 Elated by the decision. Republican
 
 stiffest kind of fight to put Virginia in the Republican column Even before the Martin decision, they felt that there was a possibility of carrying Virginia, and now they believe that this pos sibility has changed almost to a cer- tainty. They now predict a Republi- can majority of from 10000 to S0,- 900.
 From reports of Republican leaders in various parts of the state, it would seem that this prediction might be carried out. always barring the pos- sibility of a reversal of the decision. The negroes. it is said have paid their poll tax this year in unusually large numbers. The Federal office 1 holders are all in line and working hard for Mir. Taft. The fact that he is spending much of his time at Hot Springs and that prominent Virginians are meeting htm and coming In per- sonal touch with him will surely be an important factor in the coming campaign. Republicans throughout the state will soon make a concerted ef- l fort to get Mir. Taft himself to make speeches in Norfolk and Richmond | They believe that if the Republican National Committee will make an active campaign to carry Virginia, Mir. Taft wiu poll heavy vote among con-