Evening star., 1938-01-11
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY C. GOULD LINCOLN.

ycdES W uAkc Tic CltlZcIlS Oh Young age
realize the importance of their exercise
OF the franchise, and to improve election
laws in the States. It has played its
part in the very greatly increased per-
centage of voters.
In the opinion of Mr.. Michlet the time
to obtain legislation in the States to i'm
prove elections is between the national
elections and, If possible, between the
congressional elections. also. The cam
paign for modernization and uniform
election and registration laws outlined
by the head Of the National Get -Out-the-
Vote Club Is now under way for 1888.
Five main objectives are included. First,
q repeal Of the poll tax as a prerequisite
Of the right to vote; second, ballot re-
form, with the elimination of the old
electoral college, with the pretense of
choosing individual electors, with the
ballots shortened and simplified, so that
all can vote promptly and intelligently;
third the use in all States Of the auto
matte voting machine; fourth reduce to
some standard of national uniformity
the registration of voters, and fifth, the
prompt canvassing and reporting of elec-
ton returns.
Today only eight of the States of the
Union retain the poll tax, which must
be paid by all voters. One Of these Ar
kansas, is soon to vote on constitutional
amendment providing that in no event
shall the poll tax affect the right Of
suffrage in that State. The Arkansas
Legislature, in 1897, provided for the SUBJ
mission Of this amendment to the people.
The seven States which cling still to the
poll tax are Alabama, Georgia, Missis-
sippi. South Carolina. Tennessee. Texas
and Virginia. How the tax operates to
cut down the vote in those States is
graphically set forth by Mr. Michelet.
The combined vote Of these States for
President Roosevelt in 1886 was 2,457 900,
or less than 10 per cent Of the Presidents
27.751 900 votes. New York in that year
cast 3,293,000 votes for Roosevelt, or
nearly million votes more than the
combined poll tax States.
The revolt against the poll tax has
been going on for q number of years.
Beginning in 1920, there were eleven
poll tax States. North Carolina in that
year cut loose. by an act of Legislature.
Louisiana followed suit later. Florida
banned the poll tax, and now Arkansas
is on the way to its elimination. Mary
land took lead two generations ago.
when it adopted its present State Con-
stitution prohibiting poll tax payment
as the basis Of the right Of suffrage.
Ohio. Oregon and Utah followed, with
constitutional amendments for the same
purpose. Massachusetts,, Pennsylvania
and Rhode Island, while employing tax
assessments as an aid to the preparation
Of the poll lists, admitted non-taxpayers
to suffrage, SO that no voter otherwise
qualified lost his right to vote.
The poll tax in Virginia is under at
tack from the progressive press OF all
political parties. Mr.. Michelet contends
that the poll tax, originally instituted to
check the Negro vote in reconstruction
days. is today disfranchising the white
vote Of the State. Virginia, according
to the last census, had q total native
white and foreign-b population 81
years of age or more of 970,952. In 1885
the vote cast in the State was only 334,-
500. If not q Negro vote were included
and If the Virginia vote were cast by
white voters, the omcial returns show
that about two-thirds of the white popu-
lation of voting age failed to participate.
The showing made in Texas, another poll
tax State, was not much better. Last
year, 1t is estimated, the Lone Star State
had a total potential white vote Of
2,500.000. Yet the vote cast for all presi-
Dental candidates in that State IN 1895
was only 843, ,482. About 10 per cent of
the white voters appear to have been dis
franchised by the poll tax.
The average vote of the non-poll tax
States was "a per cent Of the total po-
tential voting strength. The average
Of the poll tax States, on the other hand,
was "a per cent of the potential vote.
North Carolina, where there is no poll
tax, cast 839, ,462 votes as compared to
115,437 cast by the poll tax State, South
Carolina. Virginia cast only 334, $50 for
President in 1896, compared to 829, ,945
votes cast in West Virginia. The picture
drawn by Mr.. Michelet indicates very
clearly that the poll tax is responsible
for cutting down the vote.
The argument for the adoption OF the
voting machine is that it makes it pos
sible to complete and verify the returns
by Q o'clock election night in all the
States. It will put an end to delay and
uncertainty. which invite election frauds.
The prompt canvassing of election re-
turns by State, city and county election
boards made mandatory by law, would
also have q beneficial effect. It would
put an end to an old-time practice IN
which returns were held up in certain
communities until the bosses could know
how many votes were needed"
Uniformity in the registration of voters.
with uniform date ten days before elec-
ton when all registration ends, would
also make for more honest elections,
avoiding the election fraud of last
minute registration padding.
Democratic factions in California,
famed for factional political rows, are
lining up again for a contest. One group
Is out to get the political scalp of Sena-
tor McAdoo-if 1t can. Mr.. McAdoo was
elected to the Senate in 1882, when
President Roosevelt made his first sue
cessful run for the White House. The
part that Mr.. McAdoo played in bringing
about the nomination Of Franklin D.
Roosevelt at the Chicago convention Of
that year will 60 down in history. Mr..
McAdoo, running as the Democratic
nominee for Senator against Tallant
Tubbs, q wet Republican, and Bob shuler,
an Independent dry and militant preach
er, was elected, although his opponents
had q combined vote of l ,229, ,764 votes to
his 943,164.
Opponents of Senator McAdoo are
backing, at least for the time, Peirson M.
Hall, former United States attorney for
Southern California. Hall has decided
to throw his hat in the ring, 1t is re-