THE POLL TAX ISSUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24956, 27 July 1944, Page 3

THE POLL TAX ISSUE

PROBLEM OF NEGRO VOTE CRUSADE IN UNITED STATES In May of this year there occurred in Washington a defeat for tho democratic principle that ought to be reported along with its victories, writes Alistair Cooko in tho 8.8.C. overseas journal, London Calling. The news appeared on the front page of the New York Times in these sober words: "Senate vote bars poll tax closure. Bill is set aside." Now let mo translate: You know that in eight States of the South, nearly all negroes and many poor whites literally never have a vote because they cannot possibly afford the voting or poll tax, as it is called, that you have to pay in these Slates when you become a voter. It is one dollar, by the way. For many years, American Liberals all over the country, and some very bold men from the South, have been crusading to try to get the poll tax abolished, saying that it is one of the special American blots on the _ democratic system; that it is a miserable hypocrisy, which, of course, it is. Only a year ago the House of Representatives voted to abolish the poll tax, and was widely congratulated. The bilf had "then to come before the Senate. But there were other pressing things on hand, and everybody knew that in the Senate the bill would meet terrific opposition; not so much opposition in numbers as opposition in time. Private Problem of South Southerners, and especially senators from the South, are not all naturally and incurably against the social good of the negro. But they tend to regard the negroes as their private problem and they have greatly resented, since tho war began, the ideas of Northerners to give tho negro more political equality; the Southerner feels, often complacently, but often too from a real desire to help, that the social progress of the negro depends more upon the imagination of his white employer than on revolutionary changes which might alarm more ignorant whites into drastic feuds and violence. So, on the whole, the Southern senators are absolutely against removing the poll tax, but they cannot sway the majority in the Senate. Their opposition could, however, be fatal, because the Senate enjoys the awful privilege of unlimited debate. Since 1917 it has been possible to limit debate if a two-thirds majority agree to it, but on May 15, 44 senators voted against closure, and 36 for; almost at once the Senate voted to move on to other business, and the old. sad crusade to give the poor Southern white and negro a vote was placed on the shelf again. Unlimited Debate What happens in unlimited debate is that when everybody has had his say, the senators against the measures start a filibuster; they start talking. As long as a senator can keep talking and stay on his feet he can talk about anything under the stars. Once a filibuster lasted nine calendar days, when the Senate threw in the spongo and gave up. Senators have read newspapers aloud; they have started at Genesis and moved on through the Bible. The late Huey Long once talked 17 hours, roaming up and down the Senate floor, telling stories, reading from a novel, describing his mother's recipe for fried oysters. We may not feel proud about this shelving of tho poll taxissue, but few Americans would have felt proud if. while American hoys poured on to the beaches of Europe, the Senate of the United States had been entertained by recipes from a Southern cookery book. FIRST OF ITS KIND CLUB AFLOAT FOR SEAMEN SYDNEY. July 2r> Sir Thomas Gordon, representative in Australia of the British Ministry of War Transport, formally handed over to the United Seamen's Service in Sydney tlie world's first floating club for merchant seamen. The ceremony took place aboard the ship "I am pleased to hand_ this vessel over to our American friends," said Sir Thomas Gordon. "In northern operational waters it. will bo used as a recreation club by British, Australian, American and other Allied merchant seamen." The ship, formerly a British merchant trader, was transferred to the United States War Shipping Administration and United Seamen's Service by the British Ministry of War Transport under reverse lend-lease. Among its amenities are a liquor liar on the sun deck, facilities for deck games, a dining lounge, reading and writing rooms and a cinema. Its officers, will he British and its ratings Chinese and Malayans, A United States War Shipping Administration official said thai: similar clubs had been established ashore all over the world hv tho United Seamen's Service, but this would he the first afloat, ft would follow operations. FORTUNATE POSITION HOSPITALS NOT REQUIRED LONDON, July 2r> Casualties in Normandy have fallen so far below the numbers feared that the Army Medical Council has returned to civilian posts some of the medical personnel assembled. Hospitals which were to have been merely clearing stations are being used as base hospitals, while others which were reserved for military cases are again taking civilians. At ono hospital arrangements were made to receive three thousand casualtics a day, hut tho present average is only 250; most of them with minor wounds caused by shrapnel. Medical arrangements in the field, swift transport, and tho generous use of penicillin have kept fatal wounds down to a fraction of 1 per cent. PERMITTED TO RESIGN FAMOUS CANADIAN AIRMAN OTTAWA, July 25 The Royal Canadian Air Force has granted the request of Canada's loading fighter ace, Flight-Lieutenant George ("Screwball") Beurling, to resign his commission and return to civil life. The R.C.A.F. acknowledged that Beurling, the much-decorated hero of Malta, who shot down 32 German planes, had "done his part in helping win the war, and should he given the desired opportunity to obtain permanent employment offered to hint. ' Beurling recently returned from England to teach flying and gunnery tactics.