Show THE POLL TAX NUISANCE THE season on of the year is RPM again at hand when the inexorable collector of what is known as poll VC IU tax will be after every able ad bodied di ed man not exempt by law to donate two days labor or three dollars ir ic money for the benefit beneat of the streets and roads this so called tax is in imposed because the subject is a man and is able bodied it is a tax on muscle and good health and andis is tolerated on account of an absurd old time custom rather than upon any grounds of equity or reason there is no tax paid by the citizen which is as unjust and unequal as a poll tax it is also one of the most burden some taxes on many which they have to meet the poor laborer or mechanic who toils from ten to twelve hours a day to get bread for the mouths of his family and who trudges his way to and from his work on foot y with his dinner pail on his arm or perchance pays a nickel to ride on a street car is compelled to donate his time and money to the same extent as the wealthy gentleman with his carriage and steppers st eppers or the transfer companies with their numerous vehicles which require the constant use of the streets the poor men are the ones upon which this tax is a burden they get little or no benefit from good streets either by way of pleasure or profit the ones who get the great benefits are the men who contribute nothing to the maintenance of the public streets street and roads we see no good reason why the streets should not be kept in repair by a general tax the same as other public institutions as the courts the schools the prisons the asylums or the government itself the poll tax is a relic of barbarity and ought to be abolished many of the eastern cities have done away with the nuisance long ago and no bad results have come to the streets in consequence thereof it is degrading to tax the muscle health and st strength reneth of an american by putting patting him on the street under tinder a boss and made to work with pick and shovel like a galley slave let salt lake city set t the he pace in the west by abrogating the infamous poll tax and make it a free city fit t for freemen to h live ve in tax the property sufficient to keep the streets in repair aud and thus lift the dieg disgraceful burden from the tired shoulders of the poor laboring man which also rests on the wife and children for no other reason than that the father is strong and healthy |