The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-05-21
REAL TRUTH ABOUT THE
GALVESTON ELECTION
JUDGE FISHERS ELECTION WAS
NOT A REPUTATION OF COM.
MISSION GOVERNMENT

The election at Galveston few
days ago of Judge Fisher has been
heraldcd by the enemies OF commits
sion government as a rcpudiation OF
that plan OF government \ writer
in the Kansas city star gives tue
real facts in the case and says:
The contest was between the social
ed liberal element and the other
fellow. Now, like all the Southern
states, Texas has gone crazy on the
subject of laws restricting the ballot.
The discovery made there that the
real plan for getting rid Of the negro
and other undesirable voters wa.
through the poll tax qualification. So.
TO make good job of 1t. they I'M
posed two poll taxes of s. cach-ou'
state poll tax and the other "a couu.
~ poll tax. These taxes are made
payable in February and at no other
time. 40 notice or demand for pay
mcnt is sent out. The object OF
course. is TO limit the vote as much
as possible as no one can vote Who
has not paid both poll taxes and ,ln
produce the receipts for the soMo
The time OF payment. FEBRUARY. rs ir.
mote from election and is the shortest
month of the year II can readily b
understood that many wen meaning
and respectable voters would overlook
the matter while others would refrain
from paying taxes as matter Ct
economy Poll tax cXactcd as a pre-.
requisite for voting u.s. as Il matter of
fact, q property qualification. II is
equivalent to requiring a voter TO be-
possessed Of property valued az $1,000
or more
Now the result of this sort of re-
striction is just as might be eXpoc'c'.
except that in Galveston it took a
somewhat different turn than was an
ticipatcd by the Southern gentlemen
who have been so enthusiastic in pro.
viding this restrictive legislation. The
liberals" got busy in February and
paid the poll taxes, or rather supplied
the money to aay the taxes of a large
number OF negroes and undesirable
voters. When election day rolled
around the result of these efforts was
made painful manifest.
Galveston contains a population OF
$4,000 and has. therefore. voting
population of at least 5000, and yet
at this most hotly contested election
only 800 votes-practically all that
were qualified-were cast This is
less than go per cent of the total vo.-
of the city. II is said that fully 900
of these votes were those of negroes
and others who had been qualified
through the efforts of the "libcral"
element-saloon keepers, gamblers
and such characters of citizens The
liberal" candidate had less than ,uu
majority.
So instead of the Galveston election
being a knockout for the commission
form of government. it illustrated lu,
fact that unfair and tricky election
laws may prove "A boomerang There b.
just one thing worse than elections
controlled by the tactics used i'm Gal
weston, and that is the unfair laws
relating to elections which are in force
in practically every Soutneri state.
No one should object to straight
out educational test, but that is the
last thing desired by the men i'm cJr
troll of affairs in the South
Following his election Judge Fisher
gave out an interview in when "a
strongly indorscd the commission plan
of government. He said
have at all times believed, and
still believe that the commission form
of government as now in Opcrati m
IN Galveston and many other cities
IN Texas and the United States is the
best form OF municipal government
which has thus far been established.
| was opposed 10 that feature of our
commission government which vest
ed the power in the governor of Tex,
TO appoint our commissioners. be-
lieve in local self-government and am
unalterably opposed to the centrallzn-
tion of power at Austin The people
of Galveston may rest assured that
by no act of mine will the commission
form of government be disturbed.