The Southern herald., 1911-06-02
HOBBS STARTED THE CRUSADE.


to pay their poll aud other tax, as re-
quired by the fundamental law.
The collection OF poll taxes was not
made compulsory by the constitution
because it was hoped and believed that
over 100000 negroes in the State would
default, thus DISTINGUISHING themselves
and bring tranquility and prosperity
to the Commonwealth. Time has am
ply veriefid this hope. But, and the
admission is a humilating one, hundreds
and thousands of white men have de-
faulted for poll tax, and yet in many
counties they have been allowed TO par
tieipate in the Democratic primaries.
This evil has grown year by year until
at the State and Senatorial primary
four years ago it had become so ha-
grant and so impudent that god men
were startled at such an extraordinary
spectacle and cried out against the in
iquity.
Chief among these was Hon. B. I.
Hobbs, the lamented editor Of the
Brookhaven Leader. Mr.. Hobbs was
the ablest newspaper champion OF the
Senatorial aspiration of Vardaman IN
Mississippi. He loved his friends, But
he was more devoted to law and order;
and he never hesitated to stand for the
night as he saw the right, even to his
financial and political hurt. This will
not be gainsaid by the dead editors
fereest adversary, now that he sleeps
the sleep of the just in the silent city
of the dead in the beautiful town OF
Brookhaven. Nor is it improper to say
for it is the truth, that b. 7. Hobbs Is
mourned by his legion of friends, and
respected by those who differed from
him, from the center to the circumter-
ence of Mississippi.
Last April, under the caption OF
"Whither Are We Drifting" the
Brookhaven Leader sounded the warn
ing against poll tax dehnquents voting
in primaries in a most vigorous edito-
rial. This editorial was reproduced in
the Clarion-Ledger of April 30th, 1910,
and editorially commended. Later IN
signed communication to this paper
the Hon. J. A. P. Campbell, the self
retired Mississippi Gamaliel, full OF
honors-with no enemies to punish save
the enemies of good government-not
only commended the Leader editorial,
but laid the law down in the premises.
Judge Campbelrs communication ap-
peared in the Clarion-Ledger of May
4th, 1910. 1t was reproduced by Editor
Hobbs in later issue of the Brook
haven Leader.
Editor Hobbs evidently had the idea
that the constitution was made to be
Obeyed; that it was the duty OF all
good citizens to stand by the sacred
instrument, which had freed Mississippi
from pillage and misrule, and to stand
by all who stand by that sacred instru'
ment. This, regardless of who is or is
not a candidate for United States Sen
ator. A candidate may be only a
primrose by the rivers brim, but the
constitution is no plaything. While
stands the constitution, the State shall
sand; when falls the constitution, the
State shall fall. In short, the constitu
tion is the supreme law of the land
To nullify it is to invite red-handed
anarchy. So believing, the Brookhaver
Leader, a year ago, cried out against
poll tax delinquents voting in primaries
and to the Leader, therefore, under
the fearless and conscientious control o.
the lamented Hobbs is entitled the cred
it for leading what has now becoml
a successful crusade against this viola
tion of the fundamental law of tn
State.
Following is the editorial appearing
in the Brookhayen Leader of las
April:
"As one native and to the manner
born, who loves Mississippi, the edito
of the Leader desires to sound not
of warning. 1t is a notorious fact tina
in many places in the State poll ia!
delinquents are allowed to vote in tn
primaries. A poll tax delinquent VIII,
votes in any primary subjects himsel
to the same pains and penalties as i
he voted in the general election. Tn
violation of this law will forever ma
the perfume of the primary election law
dear to the bone and sinew OF Missis
sippi.
"Ten years ago it was publishe
from the official record that ther
were 29,6OO poll tax delinquents in Mis-
slssippi. This was just ten years afte
che adoption Of the constitution of 1896
If the same ratio of delinquents ha
Kept up for the past ten years, tn
white poll tax delinquents of Missi!
sippi aggregate 10000. To allow sue
delinquents to vote in primaries, tn
real elections in Mississippi, aside fror
the violation of the law, is unjust an
unfair to those citizens of the Stat
VINO pay their poll taxes. In short, th
way things are drifting, the State
in danger of being governed by the mol
taxed, or at least through the votes q
the primaries of those who fail and r.
fuse to pay their poll taxes. The pc,
pie are patient and long suffering; bu
endurance has its bounds. Those Den
ocrats of Mississippi who pay the
taxes are justly resentful of the fat
that men who do not are permitted,
violation of the law, to vote in pr