The Tribune. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1951-19??, 1953-09-12
Some Pertinent Fact S Concerning
Virginia's Poll Tax Evil
By Randolph L. White


Barring a miracle November g 1853 will inst bel
another legal holiday for threefourth Virginia
citizens.
These citizens will not stay home or Ego fishing"
because they disnterested in the affairs of their
state as some politicians claim rather because of
the price tag of $150 their which must be paid
six months in advance. Don't misjudge these citizens
1t isn't the small of money nvolved-but the prn-
cple of the matter 1t an arbitrary assessment and
could conclevaby be set at any lawmakers see
fit.
Thirteen years ago--in the National Elections of
November s. 194Oout of Virginas adult population of
about 1683OOO only 1853 900 people were eligible to
vote But, in neghboring non-polled tax West
Virginia 81 percent of the adult population eligible
to vote.
Some proponents of the poll tax insist minimizing
the requirements and say that anyone buys bottle
OF hooch can afford to $15O vote Be that
as IL may In my opinion the right to vote is inherent
1t inherited when America won it's independence
from Great Britain But the right to buy not buy
bottle of hooch is choice of the individual
Thomas Jefferson Virginia's foremost statesman of
all mes worked tirelessly to extend suffrage among
all the people He vigorously opposed the pro-
visions which restricted voting to of real estate
and condemned limitations on the right to vote Among
his many notes, Mr. Jefferson wrote, "The influence
over government must be shared by all the people,
individual which composes their mass participates
OF the ultimate authority the government will be safe
The Government of Great Britain has been corrupted
because in ten has the right to vote MEM
bers of Parliament"
1t has been thought that corruption has been re-
strained by combining the right of suffrage
the weather. people: but it would be effectually
restrained by extension of that right to such
bers would bid defiance to the of corruption
Thus wrote Americas great statesman of condition
in his day; condition the passing of years have
materially affected in his beloved Virginia.
Virgnias leading statesmen, dating from pre-Revo-
l1tin
sion of the right of suffrage This great struggle
spearheaded by Nathaniel Bacon who led the famous
Bacon Rebellion against Lord Berkeley England who
denied the right to vote to in the colonies who
not property owner. In his Memorable Bill of
Rights adopted in 1776 George Mason stated for the
first time that ga majority of the community hath
indubitabe naenable and indefeasibe right to re-
form, alter abolish any government which does not
promote happiness safety"
YET it was not until 1851 that Virginia finally ex-
tended the right Of suffrage to all it's white male adults
1t wasent until 1S76-durng the Reconstruction
period-that Virginia imposed its first poll tax
prerequisite for voting. Al the time, it said that
it's purpose to bar the Negro from the polls However,
according to historian, the scheme" backfired 1t
great opportunity for fraud Politicians seeking
office would frequently buy votes by paying poll taxes
for the Negroes. Consequently in 1882 the tax
pealed by the votes of both Democrats and Readusters
who recognized that the poll tax had become
of corruption.
The next 20 years Democrats from Eastern Virginia
waged intensive campaign to restrict voting, but
they met with failure until 1901. Their opposition to
the suffrage laws not aimed at keeping Negroes
out of pubic office because after 1891 there
Negroes holding public office in the Old Dominion, but
it because the Popust-D in Western Vr-
ginia and the Republicans feared that the movement
to restrict suffrage would dsfranchse the of pow
erysricken white farmers This at the time of the
debates silver and god when the price of tobacco
for Vrgnias Souhsde farmers had dropped to all
time low and the Popuist movement had attained much
influence Independent force and within certain
wing of the Democratic Party.
When Vrgnia's historic Democratic Convention was
held at Norfolk in 1900, the pledge made that no
white person would be disfranchsed and that the
Constitution would be submitted to "a vote of the people
for ratification rejection" There popular
demand the part of white Virgnans for the calling
of Constitutional Convention. Out Of $4,000 poten-