The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-22
Three Constitutional Propositions


 Three Constitutional Propositions . The constitution makers of 1901 anticipated amendments, and they proceeded to make them as attainable as the permanence and steadiness of the original law would justify. A three-fourths vote in the legislature can submit a proposition to amend the constitution, and then a majority of those voting at an election will rau- fy it.
 There have been three propositions before the legislature, every one of which would go far toward making the constitution of 1901 a more ac- ceptable instrument. The three really relate to the three great defects to be found in it.
 The proposition segragatiag Jeffer- son county in the matter of fees and court costs has passed both houses. The population of Jefferson county is so great abuses and extortions arise in it when it is compelled to permit the collection of fees and costs that are not exorbitant in counties of small 'population. A population of 226,476 in Jefferson county calls for one set of schedules, while a population of 12.S55 in Winston county calls for another.
 The second pending proposition re- lates to the public schools. It is not easy to see why the constitutional convention of 1901 prohibits school dis tricts from levying taxes for school purposes, but it did do just that thing, and today a district that wants a bet ter teacher or a larger school than the state and county and the poll taxes provide cannot levy a dollar of ad- ditional taxation. The state and coun- ty school taxes are arbitrarily limited by the constitution itself, and no dis trict, however wise and patriotic, can tax itself. Alabama is believed to stand almost alone in this respect, and the pending proposition proposes to re- move the restriction on district taxa tion without making district taxation compulsory anywhere. The good sense of the pending proposition will surely put it before the people, and its ratifi- cation would be. reasonably certain, for no one could in all reason say that a district shall not have all the educa- tional advantages it is willing to pay for.
 The third proposition is even more far-reaching and important. Today a good share of the young men of the state are disfranchised and the total number of whites who lack the sui frage privilege is estimated at 100000. This is simply dreadful in it's effects, and those who are seeking a small electorate have not weighed its eff fects upon the state. No matter whose fault it be it is a dreadful situation when 100000 white men are repelled from instead of invited to participate in public duties. Representative Jenk- ins proposes to submit a proposition that will take away the cumulative feature of the poll tax condition of voting. He proposes to insist on the payment of a poll tax in the year that man votes, but he sees only trouble and injury to the state in a provision that becomes worse as the years go on. Surely a proposition of this na- ture should be submitted to gener' ous and thoughtful people. The popr- lar vote may show that the people of Alabama are unselfish and patriotic At any rate there should be vote on cumulative poll taxes as a prerequisite of tho voting nrivileqe