The Texas Observer NOV. 1, 1963 A Journal of Free Voices A Window to The South 25c The Politics of Poll Tax Repeal Texas politics now is the politics of poll varied to some extent with the politics of the various political campaigns; it is the tax repeal. Local committees laden with the recipients. thought of the liberals that if these work- distinguished and respectable names are Connally held two press conferences last ers win repeal Nov. 9 they can keep on being announced all over the state to work week without bringing up the poll tax (re- going through the primaries and Novem- for repeal. Opposition is appearing on a districting was very much on his mind) ; ber, 1964. last-minute basis. The Belden Poll showed if he spoke of the poll tax in his speech in 51% support for repeal against 43% op- Amarillo Oct. 24, reporters did not note posed, with the outcome' Nov. 9 depending the fact. Lt. Gov. Smith says the voters WORKERS FOR REPEAL have on turnout. Persons close to the repeal may reject repeal because of Crystal City. been coping with talked-around reasons for campaign have become more optimistic re- Vice President Johnson has spoken out for retaining the tax, trying to squelch these cently than they were but they are still repeal, but has not stumped for it, as some reasons before they become runaways. For "running scared." hoped he would. instance, it was heard that the argument The leading Texas officeholders are all Sen. Yarborough had as his guest over was gaining ground that repeal would hurt on record for repeal, except Lt. Gov. Pres- his radio program, heard on 130 Texas sta- public school financing. Therefore, D. Rich- ton Smith, who has not committed him- tions, Cong. Jack Brooks, Beaumont. They ard Bowles of Austin, former president of self. had this exchange: the Texas State Teachers' Assn., issued a Vice President Johnson says the poll tax Brooks: ". the Democratic members statement that it would not—that under is "the shame of Texas." Senator Ralph of the House are proud of our senior sena- the law, "anything a school district lacks Yarborough says, "The poll tax should go tor for a good many reasons. But one of the toward its minimum (financial) program the way of the ducking stool and the whip- most important is your co-authorship of will be automatically made up from the ping post." Sen. John Tower and Cong. Ed the proposed amendment [to] abolish the minimum foundation fund," and that in Foreman, Odessa, both Republicans, sup- poll tax requirement to vote for all federal any case "the poll tax proVides about three- port Texas repeal of the poll tax Nov. 9, officials. ." tenths of one percent of the state aid to conditioned only by enactment of a work- Yarborough : [If Texas does not abolish the local schools." able voter registration system (they said at its poll tax but the federal repealer passes,] Reaction among Anglo-Texan voters the Corpus Christi GOP conclave they had "The.voter in Texas would need a Philadel- against the civil rights movement has led not evaluated the one that has been passed phia lawyer to figure out where he would to some opposition to repeal. To try to and would take effect in the event of re- have to go to vote and what he would have cope with this, specifically in rural East peal). The third top Republican, Cong. to vote on when he got there. ." Texas, Bill McIntyre, city commissioner of Bruce Alger, Dallas, is also for repeal Nov. Brooks: "I think it's more logical in a 9. Gov Navasota and a businessman, as well as the . John Connally warns of "chaos"— democracy to tax a person for not voting giver of a party during Ralph Yarborough's two ballots, two poll lists, two voting than to levy a tax on him so he can qualify weekend in Austin attended by many sup- places—if Texans don't vote for repeal to exercise his free choice in an election." porters of Don Yarborough for governor, Nov. 9. And the governor, who warned of Yarborough: "We levy taxes here to has been telephoning around East Texas bloc voting as an issue that menaces repeal, keep a man from voting. I am absolutely arguing for repeal. In a news release, he has since said that anyone who doubts that opposed to the poll tax. It is inconsistent in was announced as the chairman of the he is for repeal just doesn't understand a democracy. I am for abolishing the poll "Rural Texans for Poll Tax Repeal Com- words—he is for repeal. So are many other tax Nov. 9." mittee." congressmen, and senators and representa- Don Yarborough—whom the Houston tives in the legislature, who have stepped Chronicle declares is certain to oppose An example of the local melodrama that forward so to say. Connally next year—has been orating all is being played out on the issue comes from The question of working for repeal is over the state for repeal: he says Nov. 9 Fort Worth. Probate Judge A. L. Crouch, quite another thing. The League of Women is the most important election in 100 years. a staunch Democrat, decided to press his Voters, whose special project repeal has The Democratic Coalition—labor, lib- fellow officials on the question. Accompa- been, has taken an active, forward role in erals, Negroes, mexicanos — are now work- nied by members of PASO and the unions, the formation of the local committees for ing all-out for repeal. Their basic plan is the he called on a group of officials to speak repeal. The state Republican Party is not use of block workers, each one responsible up, then and there, for or against repeal, doing anything. Connally wrote the mem- for 20 voters, to turn out voters for repeal and sign or fail to sign a petition for re- bers of the State Democratic Executive among Negro and Latin-American voters peal. The sheriff, district attorney, four Committee and asked them to set up local in 15 selected urban areas. More than 800 district judges, a county commissioner, the committees to work for repeal, even though such workers have been signed up in Dal- mayor pro-tern, two state representatives, the League may have set them up locally, las, compared to just 150 or so in Corpus the tax assessor-collector and county treas- too. (The danger is not too much work for Christi; the goal one hears mentioned urer, the county Democratic chairman, and repeal, but too little, he said.) The inten- statewide exceeds- 10,000. These workers the state Democratic committeeman and sity of the response to these letters has will be called on throughout next year for (Continued on Page 3) Texas do not speak for democracy. On this and question, men and women of many kinds WHAT of politics do speak for democracy—Vice AB OUT President Johnson, Senator Goldwater, Senators Yarborough and Tower, Governor Connally, the League of Women Voters, the groups of the Democratic Coalition. Some of them believe that their party - - • or their cause will gain ground in 1964 because of repeal—and they are probably One of the best reasoned statements of out a price-tag on manhood, without hav- right. Some of them believe that their party the essential reasons for repealing the poll ing to choose, if they are poor, between or their cause will lose ground in 1964 tax has been made by Senator Walter Rich- meat for their children tonight and citizen- because of repeal—and they are probably ter of Gonzales. ship for the rest of the year. right. But they are agreed on the repeal of If the federal amendment to repeal the The handful of crotchety old men who the poll tax, because it is the right thing. poll tax passes, but we keep ours, the sena- have taken their stand for the poll tax in It is democracy, the way we believe in. ❑ tor writes in his newsletter, "we would have to have dual voting booths, registra- tion lists, election judges and watchers, not to mention much higher costs. Gov . not f"4/r. pica Connally has appropriately described such a development as 'chaotic.' To quote from In our opinion, no Democrat should vote or fixers.' " a recent editorial in the Pleasanton Ex- for Jake Pickle for Congress. He is disqual- Later, when Pickle became Price Dan- press, 'We're going to find ourselves in one ified by his past from receiving the votes iel's organization director for the state woollybooger of a mess.' " of Democrats. Democratic committee, that committee "Mainly," Sen. Richter continued, "I'm This man carried water for Allan Shivers mounted vicious conservative attacks for poll tax repeal because I do not think in 1950 and was still hauling it for him in against the elements that make up the it is right to hang a price tag on a man's 1954. In 1952, Shivers, although the elected Democratic Party of the country. In its 1957, the Pickle- right to vote in a free society. chief of the Democratic Party in this state, newsletter dated June 17, officially endorsed the Republican candi- run committee specifically called the three "It is clearly impossible, yes humanly date for President and campaigned the chief leaders of Texas labor, as well as impossible, to devise any completely fair state against the Democratic Party that had Negro attorney W. J. Durham, "leftwing" and effective means of separating those honored him.