Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1908-04-09
LAST-THE POLL TAX.

been paying their poll taxes. His in
/ formation as to this has come, like the
rest, almost entirely from Democratic
/ sources. And be declares that what
was intended to be a reformatory
scheme by theDemocrats has been
their undoing, because of the way
in which the Republicans have
utilized it for their benefit. Mr..
Copeland is strongly of opinion,
that though the Republicans are not
violating the law they are transgress-
ing morality with the methods they are
using to induce Republican voters to
pay their poll taxes and to preserve
their suffrage rights. He bases his
conclusions on exaggerated stories told
by Democrats and his own conception
of the purpose of the partisans who
devised the existing poll tax qualifica-
tior fer voting. When it was placed in
the Constitution it was falsely an
nounced to be revenue measure for
the benefit of the public free schools.
Then the Republicans knew that the
principal purpose of the poll tax iniqui-
ty was to place an almost insurmount-
able barrier between the poor illiterate
man and the ballot box. The eagerness
with which Democratic politicians and
newspapers are now calling for a
rigid, inequitable construction of the
provisions for the manner of paying
poll taxes, to the disadvantage of the
humble voter, is proof conclusive of the
evil intention of the measure. The
Republicans have right to believe and
they do believe that such was its inten-
tons. The Democrat who doubts it
must either be a blind partisan or a
dullard. Holding from the beginning
this, now proved, accurate estimate of
the true character and intention of the
poll tax qualification for voting, the
Republicans of the Ninth District de-
termined to use every means permitted
by the law to get their voters qualified
So, for the Congressional election of
1904 they went earnestly to work, as
did the Democrats, to accomplish that
end. The Democratic newspapers be-
gan to howl when they found that all
the Republicans were putting on their
armor and were ready to battle for q
priceless ballot for American freemen.
These Democratic howlers said the la,o
was being violated, but when they
found that Mr.. Wysor's managers were
working on the same lines as were the
Republicans they ceased to howl. After
the election of 1904 was over, Mr..
Wysor published a manly letter, in
which he acquitted the Republicans of
the district of all legal or moral inten-
tional wrong. He was a member Of
the Constitutional Convention, helped
to frame the suffrage laws and was
member of the revision committee.
Who was better qualified than he to in
terpret the meaning of the poll tax
law? Eere is what he said in MS let
ter:
THE only safeguard in the constitu-
ton against one man paying poll tax
for another is the six months provision.
The reason for this provision was that
1t was thought a man would hesitate
risking his money six months with the
view of influencing the vote of another.
1t IS true the constitution provides that
the voter shall personally pay his taxes
But this amounts to little or nothing.
The constitution does not forbid a man
lending or giving another the money
with which to pay his poll taxes. A
loan or gift makes money the absolute
property of the recipient, and if he uses
1t IN paying his taxes, he personally
pays them. Of course a pretended loan
or gift, made to corrupt and purchase
the voter, is against the constitution
and does not qualify the voter, but here
we are met with practical difficulty.
Who is to find this out? When you
challenge such voter he will say he
paid his own taxes and it will be very
difficult to gainsay his word"
After this honest and unanswerable
Interpretation Of the clause in the Con-
stitution which provides for the prepay
ment of poll taxes as qualification for
voting, the Republicans felt not only
safe but justified in what they were do
ing. But the Democrats were not sat
isfed. They were grievously disap-
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