The Omaha guide., 1947-07-12
Am JEWISH


ROA4 (0A w.
ing federal elections was urged by
Shad Polier, vice-presidnt of the
American Jewish Congress ap
pearing July 1 before a sub. com
mittee Representative Gamble,
N. Y. Republican, chairman) of
the Committee on Administration
of the House of Representatives.
A favorable report upon tn bills
under consideration by the Com
mittee ending the poll-tax was,
Mr.. Polier declared, essential to
square Dur electoral practices with
our professions of democracy"
Taking the position that pay
ment of poll taxs had M relation
ship to fitness to vote, Mr.. Polier
declared that every citizen hav.
ing tn mental and moral qualifi-
cations should have the right to
vote" He called attention to the
recent statment of President Tru
man that the United States. in
order to maintain it's prestige as
a world leader and effectively to
spread principles of democracy a.
broad, must much more com.
pletely practice democracy at
home.
A Southerner himself by birth.
and a resident of South Carolina
until his graduation from, M. Pol.
Ter called attention to the fact
that the poll AXIS now Required
by saven southern states Gala.
bama, Arkansas, Mississippi.
South Carolinaa, Tennessee. Tex.
as and Virginia) were enacted be.
tween 1889 and 1908 for the ex
press purpose of denying the vote
to Negroes, and that today they
actually have resulted in the dis
Acknowledgement of between eight
and ten million white and Negro
citizens in the low. income bracket.
Challenged by southern Congress
men on the sub committee. Mr..
Polier was able to point to express
declarations of such a purpose by
the constitutional conventions of a
number of southern states enact
ing the poll tax requirements.
When Congressman Pickett of
Texas aruged that in his state
the poll taxs were used for gener
al school purposes, Mr.. Polier re.
torted that the $4,000. 900 collect
ed in this manner every two years
was in fact a high price for DENY.
ing the most basic education to
the people of the community.
Participation in public affairs. in
Guiding election campaigns, sci.
lection of candidates, and the vot
ing for office were, he pointed out
most Important astpcts of adult
education, which was in effect
denied to men women of the poll
tax states. That these men women
were ready and anxious to vote
was, he showed amply demonst.
rated by the tremendous increase
in the number of persons voting
in four southern states North
Carolina, Louisiana, Florida and
Georgia. which have abolished
the poll tax within the past TWEEN
ty five years.
Constitutional objections to the
proposed bill outlawing the poll
tax advanced by the southern
Congressman on the Committee
were also answered by MI. Pol.
Ter. He pointed out that there was
a remarkable coincidence in the
fact that those who opposed out
having of the poll tax as uncon
stitutional seem largely concen-
trated below the Mason. Dixon
line. Reviewing the legal prece-
dents, including recent legal com.
mentators, Mr.. Polier urged that
the legislation would be consti.
tutional and that in any event
the final word had to be left to
the Supreme Court Of the Unitd
States. That Court. he observed.
was, after all the final protector
of states rights.
To the argument that the Con
SIlIuIlOn entrusted to the states
he right of deermining the qua.
lifications" of voters, Mr.. Polier
answered that the poll tax. every.
one now realizs, was mot a equal
ification at all, but a restriction
Anything which denies the right
to vote to men and women fitted
to vote" Mr.. Polier declared, lis
not a qualification but an 'abo-
mination' in a democratic societv.'
To the usual argument that each
state should be allowed to decide
for itself who should vote, Mr..
Polier pointed out that the bills
were not concerned with tn elect.
ion of members of Congress, who
would make laws not only for
the communities which elected
them but for the country as a
whole. Indeed he said, I'VE are