The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-02-28
SHOULD
Be POSTPONED
For One Day Which Would Make q
Vital Difference I'm Time to
Pay Poll Tax
Jacksonville, Feb. "a. 1912.


Mr. Will H Price, Chairman Demo-
cratic State Executive Committee. Mar
ianna, Florida Dear Sir: There has
didates and considerable among the
people of this county as to the desira-
bility of having the date for the first
primary changed from Tuesday, April
80, to Wednesday. May /. By putting
the primary thus one day later, one
month and four days win be gained
for the payment of poll taxes, and If
the primary is held the first of May.
poll taxes can be paid in time to
qualify up to and including the 18th
day of April AS it is now, the 9th OF
March is the last day.
There are but little more than
twelve hundred qualified in this county
| up to today. A reliable report / got
from Hillsborough county is that there
are less than a thousand qualified
! there.
From conversation with candidates
who have been travelling through the
state, / learn that light qualification
seems to be the general rule. 1 be-
lieve that a great many more people
will qualify if the time is extended a
month. Particularly is this true in
Tampa because factories that have
been working shorthanded will start
up again about the middle of March.
| Friends of mine, living in country
districts, say that the people are &C
customed to pay their poll taxes along
about the first of April. If the date is
changed as proposed. they will have
until the 18th of April to qualify.
In view of those things described,
Suggest that If you yourself are i'm
pressed with the desirability of chang
ing the date and thus giving the addi-
tional time for the payment of pol
taxes, it can be done without calling
the committee together If you were
to write letter to each committee.
man, stating the case and putting thi:
iquestion to them: Are you in favor o.
changing the date of the primary
from the 30th of April to the 1st day O
May? If SO, write me a letter to tina
effect. If you are not in favor, writ,
me letter expressing this view. I viii
regard majority Of the letters eithe
way, provided get an expression from
a quorum of the committee, as decid
ing this and will announce it as the de
decision Of the committee either tina
the date shall be changed, or that 1
shall remain as it is, and will instruc
the campaign committee to act accord
, ingly."
If this can be done right away, a.
expression can be had, I believe fror
enough of the committeeman to settl
t the thing in time to allow a sufflcien
time for the advertisement of the pri
mary with the changed date in it.
Please do not construe this letter a
anything more than a suggestion.
, a candidate before the primary, I can
r not determine that my interests wi
/ be affected either way.
Yours very truly,
Claude LEngle.
} state Chairman FavOrs Postponemen
e Mariana, Fla, Feb. 26. 1912.
Mr.. Claude LEngle, Jacksonville
l. Fla, Dear Sir: Replying to your ia
9 vor of the Gath, will state that l am {
the opinion that it was a mistake o
the part of the state committee to hav
called the primaries for the Goth {
< April. The first primary should hay
9 been called for some time in May. I d
not believe that the electors through
out the state, unless there should b
some change, will qualify, or, at leas
a large number of them, by payin
Ii their poll taxes in order to participat
!, in the primary. I find that there is
u general idea prevailing in the countr
Il that a man cannot pay his poll ia
with out paying the other taxes due b
him, and, as you know, the payment {
taxes is always deferred as long q
Il possible.
e I am today writing a letter to eac
Il member of the state committee II
questing his views as to the advisabi
Il ity of changing the date of the fir!
primary from April 80 to May 1st. /
order to make such change, however,
am of the opinion that it will be nece.
sary to reconvene the state committe
= for that purpose. 1 will wait until
c hear from the members of the commit
tee before taking any steps in this d
rection. Very truly yours,
Will H. Price, Chairman