The Empire County argus., 1856-02-16
Coloma. Saturday Morning, Feb 16, 1855.
The County Seat.

The Placervillans have again raised their pet
cry of removal They are wandering abroad
over the county like disturbed spirits-running
down villages and heading off teamsters cropping
into tunnels and plying cabin doors-running to
and fro and half-mad, and all for signatures to
their petition for removal Somebody once asked
What's in a name!" He'd think there was ev-
cry thing in it, to see the industry and pcrtinacity
with which these denizens of the ravne city hunt
them down A name! why they're said to be
worth twenty cents apiece at Greenwood Valley,
and influential ones at premium. Roads are
promised, public buildings gratuitously erected lin
the air. and almost every thing desirable guaran-
teed- all for NAMES.
At the instance of this clamorous people, bill
was introduced in the Legislature and finally passed
on 10Th April, 1854, submitting the question of a
removal of the county scat to vote of the people.
The 9th Of September round, the vote was cast
and counted, and Placerville found herself fairly
and effecually beaten. This was at the general
election, when all parties kept jealous lookout
for fraud and after the county had been thorough
ly canvassed and over eleven thousand votes cast,
only BIAS were for Placerve. The total vote
was 1859: of which Coloma received 4,600--a
majority over Placervlle of 855, and majority
over each of the other contestant towns, Diamond
Springs ranking third in the race. For geograph-
ical location Cooma is acknowledged to be equal
TO any point, and as to convenience was endorsed
little more than year ago, as the choice of the
legal voters Of the county
The Board of Supervisors few months since,
entered into contract for the erection of capa-
cious granite jail in this place. Mr. Raun, the
contractor has already done work on the building
to the amount of probably 1000 to $4,000, and
has received $4,000 on the job Nothing short of
a Providental interposition will prevent Raun
from completing the edifce, and nothing short of
repudiation BY the county can prevent his getting
the remainder Of the $4,000 for the work The
county would thus be loser, by removal of the
county seat, just $4,000 in this one item. Then
building lots must be bought and other incdentals
would swell the sum to $4,000 for Jail alone.
In the present depleted state of the treasury this
would seriously embarrass the county, and would
probably force county scrip down to so low figure
that $25, 900 of it must be issued as an equivalent
for the $1,000 cash
ANOhAON0 'hV SOuHty scat; anu yOu VIII dt OuCe
hear demand, and very natural and proper one,
for a division of the county-and this demand
would be sustained by a very large proportion
for aught we know majority--of the voters in
the county, and must be acceded to. Of the con-
sequences Of such a result scarcely need speak.
Another brood of county officers must be supported
two sets Of building lots purchased, and two
court houses and two jails must be erected and
any intelligent man can foresee sufficient sum in
the shape of incidental expenses to depress the
two counties that their Indebtedness would hang
over them like PAIL for years to come.
We extract the following from a forcble leader
on this subject in the Georgetown Nears of this
week:
" Should the county seat be removed from where
it is now located by the Legislature assembled, in
all probability ere another year shall have passed
the representatives of the people will again be an
noyed in lcgslating for its removal to some other
more favored locality squandering the public
money on subject which is of no benefit to the
State at large"