Speech #890047537

The Senator has underscored one important and basic point of the many which. in his brief comments. I find particularly appealing and Interesting. and that is the authority for Congress to act. The authority of Congress to act against the poll tax is no different or less than the power of Congress to act under the rest of the bill in eliminating literacy tests that have had the effect of violating the Constitution. I know that in the course of this debate questions will be raised concerning cases which have. under certain circumstances and In the face of certain facts or lack of facts. held the poll tax to be constitutional. but there have also been cases that have held literacy tests to be constitutional. As Congress has power under the 15th amendment to say under section 4 of the bill that we feel that under a certain formula the use of literacy tests should be suspended over a period of time. I believe that Congress can exercise the same power and abolish the poll tax.