The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-05-29
Campaign To Stop
Southern Poll Tax
Democratic Symbol
Congressman Holds Thdt
Poll Tax Is Blight On
u. S. Democracy

Washington, d. C. GLNS)-Ap-
pealing for support of the Geyer-Pep-
per bill to abolish the poll tax as
requirement for voting in Federal cleo
tions, Representative Rudolph G. Ten
erowicz of Michigan charged that the
poll tax is "a blight on democracy"
and prevents true representatives of
all the people" from poll tax states
being sent to Congress.
"While Congressman from other
parts of the country, with similar con-
stituencies, have voted for social leg
islation to protect the rights of labor,
to give aid to the unemployed, to pro-
mote public works projects and slum
clearance programs" Tenerowicz de-
clared in nationwide radio address,
"the poll tax states legislators from
the South have almost uniformly op-
posed such legislation"
Calling for the achievement of 200
per cent democracy in every part of
the United States," Tenerowicz said
that "the campaign to abolish the poll
tax has become a symbol of the strug-
gle to maintain a democracy in the
world. If democracy means anything,
it means the right Of the people to
govern themselves"
Representative Tenerowicz, who
spoke over network of the National
Broadcasting System, denounced the
poll tax as an undemocratic and un-
American restriction on suffrage.
Pointing out that citizens in eight
Southern poll tax states must "pay
for the right to vote," the speaker
said the aim Of the tax was to debar
large masses of white citizens from
voting.
"People in all parts of the United
States," Tenerowicz said, "are vitality
concerned about this device which
keeps the Southern people from vot-
ing. The effect of this disfranchise-
ment of the common people within
the poll tax states is matter of self
interest to the people in every state
in the Union. The Fourth National
Conference of Labor Legislation, held
in Washington, reported that the
Southern poll tax states rank lowest
in Legislation protecting labor, wom-
en-, and children.
Standards of All Endangered
"Only one Southern poll tax state
has minimum wage law for women
while % Of the other states have such
legislation, and in that one state, gov
ernment officials admit that the law
| iS. onfDp,,I a..
poll tax state which makes it illega
for women to work more than 4s
hours week.
"There are twice as many child la
, borerS in the South as there are il
the rest of the country. The need fol
Legislation to protect the children is
great, yet only one Southern state out
laws child labor for children under 1(
years of age.
81 mention all of this because it has
a meaning for the people not only II
the South, but in the rest Of the ma
ton. When working conditions are
below the normal standard, in the pol
tax states, the workers in the rest o1
the country are endangered
"The cotton mills of New England
will move to the South, as they have
been moving, to take advantage Of {
people who have no legislative safe
guards. The coal operators of tn.
| nation will try, as they have tried, t,
} force the miners in Illinois, Ohio
Pennsylvania and in the other grea
coal producing areas to take lowe
, wages because the miners in Virginia
Tennessee, and Alabama work at ;
cheaper wage.
Support for Bill Sought
"If their fellow workers in tn,
South must take lower wages ant
-, longer hours, then it will not be Ions
=. before the same working conditions
: will be foisted upon them. SO it i
imperative for the welfare of ever,
person throughout the United State
. TO see that the Southern people ar,
given the opportunity to subject thei
government officials to the test G
! popular approval"
= = The address Of Representative Ten
eroWicz was the elimination of a ma
tion-wide celebration of Anti-Pol
Tax Week, from May 1l-1S, and dedi
. Gated to the elimination of poll take
as requirement for voting. Th
campaign was conducted to win sup
port for the Geyer-Pepper Bill, HI
: 1924 and 1880, introduced in Con
gress by Representative Lee f. Geye
l. of California, and Senator Claude Pep
{ per of Florida, and providing for th
: abolition of poll taxes in Federal elec
: tionS.
Il The American Federation of Labo
has denounced the poll tax as pre-
l. requisite for voting and is support
7 ing the campaign for its abolition.
h RFHIND THE TIME