The Empire County argus., 1856-03-22
DR.. TayIor's Report.


DIR. Taylors Report.
The following is the report made to the Assembly
on Wednesday, 10Th, by one-half of the Ell Dorado
delegation, and which is styled in the Pacervlle
resolutions DR.. Taylor's report 1t is signed by
Messrs Taylor, Oliver, White, and Welch Read
it and if any thing in it is untrue, make note
of t."
The undersigned, portion of the Ell Dorado
delegation having had under consideration Assem-
blv bill No. 168, entitled an Act to submit the
question of the removal of the county seat of Ell
Dorado county to the qualified voters thereof beg
leave to submit the following report:
First. That in our opinion, derived from per-
sonal acquaintance and inquiry, large majority
of the citizens and tax payers of Ell Dorado county
are satisfied with the present location of the county
seat of said county, and that they are averse to
any change of location believing that removal
would result in great pecuniary loss to the county
at large without affording any additional facilities
for county business. The county has now court
house, with Offices for its county officers, which is
convenient and of a substantial character for a
wooden edifce which will answer every require
ment for the holding of courts for number of
years
Second. The Board of Supervisors have a large
granite jail at this time in course of construction
large portion of which is already completed, and
the whole of which, according to the terms of the
contract, must be completed and ready for use by
the first day of June next. The cost of this Jail
is $4,000, and the amount already paid by the
county to the contractor, is upwards of $1,000.
Third. Removal of the county seat from Colo
ma to Pacerville, any other place in the county,
would involve the county in the loss of her present
public buildings which, together with the accruing
expenditures for the erection of buildings, if
anything like commodious buildings are erected
q tba xuou1d oh in
not less than seventy seventy-fve thousand dol
lars. In the event of removal the present build
ngs owned by the county would be nearly total
loss while the expenses of the election the removal
and the erection of new structures would involve
county in large debt, clouding the credit of the
county, deprecating her paper, rendering it neces
sary to resort to direct and onerous taxation.
Fourth. There have been two elections held, at
which the people have twice already directly voted
for the location of the comfy seat of FL Dorado
county, the last of which held but little more
than one year ago, in accordance with an Act
passed by the Legislature, April 10, 1854. In this
election, as in the preceding one, Coloma received
the largest number of votes, and was declared the
county seat of Ell Dorado county. The undersign-
ed therefore, deem it wholly and totally inexped-
ent and unnecessary to re-submt this matter again
to the people, especially so after an expression
of the people has been had at the ballot box and,
furthermore, viewed in the light of past experience
a special election would by no means insure fair
expression Of the people, while it would cost the
county many thousand dollars.
The total vote of Ell Dorado county in 1858 was
eight thousand two hundred and ninety four and
in 1854, when the question of county seat was
pending, the number of votes polled was eleven
thousand five hundred and forty-fve, and in the
last election, 1855, the number polled was eight
thousand seven hundred and eighty-one, showing,
at the time when the county seat was pending, an
|
by official papers now in the hands of your commit
tee that in 1854, when voting for county seat the
city of Placerville polled fifty votes than was
polled at the last election in the whole township.
Diamond Springs another town competing for
county seat in 1854, poed nine hundred and forty
three votes, while in 1855, this town polled only
four hundred and eghtystwo votes; all of which
shows remarkable falling off in these places.
Coloma, the present county seat on the contrary,
shows singular contrast compared with the places
Just mentioned. In 1858, Coloma township polled
thirteen hundred and eighty ght votes and in the
two succeeding elections, ten hundred and ninety
eight and ten hundred and sixteen votes respect
ively showing less vote on the county seat than
was polled the preceding year.
Sixth. Your committee find no petitioners pray
ing for election by the people to settle the ques-
tion of county seat do the people of Ell Dorado
desire anything of the kind WHILE on the other
hand, remonstrances have been presented to your
honorable body signed by over six thousand voters
and tax payers of the county, protesting against
any action upon this subject. Your committee are
of opinion, that Coloma, the present county seat is
as central and conveniently located as any other
town in said county, and to fortify this opinion,
they would adduce the fact, that no convention or
county assemblage of the people has, in their know
ledge, been held in any other town than Coloma.
Furthermore. the citizens of Cooma have expend-
ed, by private enterprise, than fifty thousand
dollars in bridges and roads leading into Coloma
an amount greater, in the opinion of your commit
tee, than has been expended in all other portions
of the county put together The undersigned be-
lieve that removal can only be productive of evil,
and in any event. of no benefit to the county at
large Believing, also, that no considerable portion
of the citizens of Ell Dorado county expect desire
to vote again upon this question, wish any legis-
lationsof any kind contemplated in the bill herein
referred to- and that special elections generally
and in this particularly, unnecessary, the un-
dersigned would respectfully recommend the indef-
mite postponement of the bill
w. H. TAYLOR,
]. WING OLIVER,
JAMES D. WHITE,
l.. S. WEIGH.
| UNIoNTowN, March 81.
| Editors Argus: The miners in our vicinity are