The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-07
Some Evils and Suggested Remedies

The real evil with which we had to con-
tend in regard to the poll tax under the
old constitution was the collection of it
by garnishment which brought into play
the iniquities of the fee system and which
was used and abused to the great injury
OF thousands of unfortunate negroes and
white men. The same evil existed in
South Carolina and Mississippi and in
both states they prohibit the collection
OF the poll tax by means of garnishment,
thus cutting out the real evil, but they
made it lien upon taxable property,
thus preventing a man from committing
political suicide, or from 5ribing himself
to give up his right to vote. | have
heard some arguments made in defense
of this provision but L believe they can be
shown to be unsound. AS the state, from
reasons of public policy. prohibits a man
from bribing another or from accepting
a bribe, it should for the same reason
prohibit a man from bribing himself. 1t
ought not to offer any man premium
to forego an important right and duty of
citizenship.
But the denial of the right to vote to
those who Intentionally refuse to pay
their poll tax is not the worst evil in
this connection. Every year there are
thousands and tens of thousands of white
men who would be perfectly willing to
pay their poll tax II the amount was
included in their statement of taxes, or
II the tax collector were required to give
them notice of the same and to make
demand upon them. l believe it true
that more than one-half OF those who
are now disfranchised for the non-pay
ment of taxes would gladly pay the same
If the amount was demanded by the
proper authorities and if it was made
lien upon the taxable property. But un-
der the law as 1t now stands, the tax
collector is forbidden to include state
ment of the poll tax with the other taxes,
or 10 make any direct effort to collect
the same. He cannot demand the oav-
ment. Every inducement that can possl-
hly be offered seems to be offered 20
keep a white man from paying the tax.
1t is true that every election year VIC
have an agitation in the newspapers on
this subject, but this only happens every
two or four years. or In the stress of
some great issue like prohibition cleo
tion. In the meantime thousands have,
some perhaps Intentionally, but the ma
jority inadvertently, overlooked the pay
ment of the tax for one or more years
and they find themselves willing ana
anxious to vote and willing and anxious
to pay the tax when their attention is
called to it, but they are precluded from
voting because of some past omission.
We cannot expect ;he best results from
our citizenship SO long as we offer the
temptation Of a self bribe to so many
thousands and long as we punish by
political dsfranchisement so many more.
thousands who have been guilty merely
of an inadvertence. It is the law and not
the man which is at fault in a large ma
jority of the cases.
| believe the framing of our new scon-
stitution, especially it's suffrage provis-
ions, to have been one of the greatest
acts of constructive craftsmanship in this
generation. / take off my hat to the
great body of intelligent. disinterested,
patriotic men who composed that con-
yention and who sought to give us reifef
from the intolerable conditions incident
to negro suffrage. They builded wisely
and well. They accomplished not tenn