The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-10
BANKHEAD' REASON
FOR OPPOSITION
Voters Not Given Chance to
Pay Poll Tax
SOMETHING ABOUT RECORD
When Public Sentiment Favors Pro-
hibition There Is No Need of
1t Being Written In
Constitution.
S0METHING ABOUT RECORD

Jasper, November Especial. I'm re-
Spouse to the request of Frank v. Evans
to United States Senator John H. Bank
head for an expression of his views upon
the proposed constitutional amendment
the Walker County News, of which Mr.
Evans is editor, today publishes the fol-
lowing letter from the senator
Mr.. Frank V. Evans, Editor Walker
County News.
Dear Sir-Before making reply to your
| request for my views upon the proposed
constitutional amendment; beg your in
diligence while I make few preliminary
observations I now CT years old. I
! was born and reared In one Of the hill
counties of Alabama a farm. I spent
! four of the best years of my y Jung man
hood in the Confederate army, where
the rank and file were subjected to many
temptations. I have spent nearly the
whole of my life since the age of 40 in
the association of public men of the state
and nation-the last 20 years at the ma
tional capital; and during all these years
no man has ever seen me under the in
fuence of strong drink of any kind Dur
ing all this time 1 have advocated and
voted for prohibition, and am now heart
| lily in favor of laws to Suppress the evils
of intemperanee, and will contribute to-
ward their enforcement in every way
possible.
| l have been a member of the Methodist
church and the Masonic order for so
years, and have tried to live up to the
precepts and teachings of both. I love
| the church and her ministers and have
| contributed much as my means will
allow toward the support of her insti-
tutions. The preachers are as rule sin
cere. God-loving and God-fearing men.
1 have no criticism to offer because of
the fact that many elergymen have ex-
ercised their constitutional prerogative of
expressing their convictions on this is
sue. The ministers and members OF all
| churches l hold in high esteem.
In matters of state, however, I must
be permitted to do my own thinking
and I must follow tho admonitions of
my own reason and judgment. Il after
mature elaboration and reflection I con-
clude that my duty to myself and the
state requires me to pursue certain
course, and 90 particular thing, 1 must
move in that direction, or else it may
be truthfully said of me that I have
neither the moral or political courage to
express my honest convictions-a charge
that l am unwilling to have established
by my further silence upon the rnatter of
the adoption of the proposed constitu-
| tional amendment.
l cannot agree with the advocates of
the adoption of the amendment that this
is solely a moral ISSUE 1 am lead to
this conclusion by the fact that there
are on both sides of the question ,len
of the very highest type of Christian
citizenship and civic virtue in whose con-
ception of morality there could not be
such variance. If only strictly moral
| question were presented. Neither is the
question that of saloons or no saloons-
they have departed from Alabama by ac-
ton of the peoples representatives and
l have no apprehension of their return.
Time of Election.
| The time fixed for the election is. to
say the least, most untimely, and does
an irreparable wrong to a very large
number of patriotic, honest but unfor-
tunate citizens of Alabama 1t was snap
| Judgment that does not oomport with the
| justice and dignity of our great state
| and the cause whose interest 1t was in
| tended to conserve. l do not intend the
use of the word SNAP Judgment in
! any offensive sense. but I know of no
other term that clearly expresses the
/ idea. This is what is known as an off
year in politics. No election was pro-
| vided for or expected during the year
| was an exceedingly hard year financially
| Many thousands of good men were out
| of employment owing to the general de-
| preston in business of every kind. 1t
| was hard struggle with thousands of
| hard working men to keep soul and body
| together and pay their taxes for the sup
| port of the state and county govern
| ments.
These unfortunate men naturally de-
| cided first of all, that they must have
| living for their wives and children.
| Next they argued that no election will
! be held this year and that 1t will not
be necessary for me to pay poll tax, and
| that can use this 81 80 to help me tide
| over a tight place, and next year when
! times are better 1 can pay 49, Every one
| was saying the times are beginning to
| improve-that prosperityis returning. labor
| is beginning to find employment and
| soon everybody will be at work and
| money plentiful. Under these circum-
stances 1t was perfectly natural that the
hard pressed head of the family would
postpone the payment Of the poll tax. In
many cases he had no choice-the col
| lector Of state and county taxes was
knocking at the door, and from him
| there was no escape. Owing to the fact
| that no election was scheduled for this
| year there was not the usual reminding
| by the press and BY candidates. and
many of our best citizens overlooked this
important duty until 1t was too late.
| do not mean to assume that all men who
have not paid their poll tax for this year
would vote against the amendment, for
that would be an unwarranted assump-
ton; but what do say Is that the call
ing of the election this year is violent
injustice to all the voters who failed or
were unable to pay the last poll tax, re-
CARELESS Of how they would have voted
in this election. On principle, the wrong
done the men on either side of the ques-
ton Is equally harsh and unwarranted.
No great moral or political question can
be fully and finally settled where a large
number of the electorate believe that
they have been unfairly deprived of an
opportunity to participate in It's settle
ment There Is spirit of justice and
fairness implanted In the breast of every
honorable man that will assert itself