The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-02-19

IRE 10 paw taxes when due disquali
fees a registered voter. The political
code of Georgia, section AZ (c), pro-
vides
"No person shall remain registered
longer than he retains the qualification
under which he registered"
Anyone who had not paid his taxes
before midnight of December 20, 1928,
is tax defaulter, and in order to
now qualify will be required to pay
ali taxes now due, take the voters
oath and re-register This is true
whether tax Fl ia has been issued
against him or not.
Unjust Women Pay Poll Taxi
This question is answered by the
Georgia acts, 1922, page p, section 4,
as follows:
Those (females) who have never
registered may register for the pur-
pose of voting, and shall be required
to pay poll tax for the year in
which they may so register, and shall
be required to pay poll tax for each
Succeeding year, so long as their
names remain on said Registration
book"
A woman heretofore registered
must pay poll tax for the year in
which she registered and each year
since; failure so to do or to pay 9TH
er taxes when due renders her a de-
faulter
If hitherto unregistered woman
NAV now register, il qualified, and
vote. She thus becomes subject to
pay poll tax when due.
3-As to Registration.
This involves two things, namely:
taking the voters oath" and then
signing the voters book.
And here lies the trouble. There
are but few legally registered voters
in Terrell county, because they have
not taken the voters oath"
In the case of Chapman VS.. Sum
ner school district, reported in 18th
Georgia appeals, page 152, and in l52
Georgia, page $50, both of the appel
late courts of Georgia held the mere
signing of ones name in the voters
book to be insufficient, but that to be
legally registered the voter must also
nave actually TAKEN tHC OotH'
This oath can be, and must be, ad-
ministered only by the tax collector or
his clerk, who alone is custodian OF
the voters book.
On the trial of the case of Jennings
ct al VS.. Brentwood consolidated school
district, had before Judge W. c. Wor-
rill on March g. 1922, on the first rtial
OF bond valuation issue J. O. Fus-
sell tax collector referring to the
list of voters in the Brentwood dis
trict, testified:
mo, sir; i cannot say that any of
those appearing on that list took the
oath when they attempted to register
before me-" Again, 81 don't suppose
anybody ever held up their hand to
swear when he registered They just
signed the book without taking any
taking any 9th"
The law is found in code section
A. and is this:
Oath Must Be Actually Made"
THE tax collector, or his clerk,
shall in no instance permit person
to sign the voters book, or any sep
arate printed OATH unless such per-
son shall have actually made the oath
before him"
Every voter who has registered
heretofore and did not actually take
the oath required is not now legally
registered. Such voter should now &C
back to the tax collector, have him
actually administer the oath to hin
and then register by signing the vo-
| tiers book
To Re-state Briefly.
IA voter who owed taxes after
December. 10th is a defaulter The
moment he becomes a defaulter, il
registered, he is automatically unreg-
istered.
To qualify he must pay his tax and
re-register.
Women may register, and are
subject to poll tax for the year only
in which they register, and thereaf
ter, so long as registered.
ga voter is illegally registered
who did not actually take the voters
oath, even though he signed the vo-
ter's book
To qualify he should now take the
oath before the tax collector and re-
register.
Thus, every voter may qualify and
legally exercise the franchise in the
coming primary, and contested cleo
tions be avoided.
H. A. WILKINSON, Secretary
County Democratic Executive Com.