The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-28
NO RADICAL CHANGE NEEnnD.


 NO RADICAL CHANGE NEEDED.
 The Advertiser is unequivocaily op- posed to the change of the suffrage | section of the Alabama Constitution by eliminating the poll tax Srequire- ment. It makes clear this position, inasmuch as number of public speak CTS and number of newspapers in 1 Alabama have declared the section un- fair. unjust ana an evil that ought to be rsmedied.
 It happens that quite a number of these critics of the suffrage section. | as shown by their. utterances. do not know that the poll tax qualification for voting cannot be changed without amending the Constitution and with out another constitutional amendment change. The fact that so many critics of the suffrage section of the consti- tution do not know this. shows that they have but lightly studied the ques- tion. The State is but recently through bitter and strenuous cam- paign. centered about the adoption or rejection of an amendment to the Con- stitution. The Advertiser does not want such another campaign in the near future.
 The suffrage section is under criti- cism. because the registration lists in the various court houses are faulty and imperfect. The criticism is well founded. but the trouble Is not the fault of the suffrage section. The Legislature can and should provide ways for the preparation and distribu- tion of accurate polling lists. No con 1 stitutionalf amendment campaign would be needed for the correction of the evil of incomplete and imperfect polling lists. The Advertiser is opposed to the re- peal of the poll tax clause because it has bestowed all the benefits, 1t prom ised when made a part of the Con stitution of 1901. The ignorant and vicious voters among the negroes have been eliminated from Alabama politics. ballot box frauds are things of the past, and Alabama has as clean elections as any State in the Union. | As to the fairness and purity of her elections Alabama may we'll serve as | a model to many other States. It is unnecessary to point to the condi- tions which prevailed previous to the | adoption of the prsssnt suffrage sec ton. The unpleasansnsss, not to use | harsher word. of shess conditions is too fresh in the nsemofg of Alabam- aims to need recounffnE
 It is said that there are perhaps 100000 men of Alabama who are reg istered. but who are disqualified from i voting because they did not pay their | poll tax. There are now 77.ooo Ala bamains who paid their poll tax and | are fully qualified voters because of | 1t. These 77,oeO men were given no | sort of preference over the 100000 dis qualified voters. Every registered | voter Is equal in the eyes of the suf- frage law as laid down in the Consti- l tuition. No more fifducement was of- fered to one man than another. The 1 disqualified voter had the same op- | portunity as the qualified voter.
 The suffrage section was given It's | severest test. in the ill-advised amend ment campaign. A political scheme | was deliberately planned to catch | many voters off their guard. The | scheme signally failed. although the election came in an off year when | many voters had neglected to pay | their poll tax. But the voters who | were caught by the trick have learned | their lesson and they do not propose l to be caught again in that way. No | constitutional amendment election is | necessary to remedy the evil of hav- ing so many citizens of Alabama dis | disqualified. though that is done neg | atively by the voters themselves.
 Thousands of men who could not 1 vote in the amendment election have l already paid their poll tax. Thous- | ands of others will pay the tax be- l fore February 1. It is safe to proph- l esy that conditions in reference to the 1 electorate of Alabama which existed l last year will never exist again.
 The privilege of voting stands for something in Alabama. It costs no | white man more than s15o a year. and the small sum which he pays for 1 the privilege goes to help the cause of l public education in the county in | which the tax is paid.
 We have a clean and healthy cleo torate in Alabama. No white man is | preferred over another; no white man | is discriminated against in favor of | another. Men who are advocating | radical reform in our electorate should | study thoroughly the conditions which | now exist and the results brought | about by our suffrage section.
 TIT HAS ITS ADVANTAGES.