White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1867-04-25
TO THE VOTERS OF
D0NIPHAN COUNTY.

D0NIPHAN COUNTY.
At the April meeting Of the Board Of
Oounty Commissioners of Doniphan
County. the Board submitted the ones =,
tion Of the loestion of the County Seat
to the voters Of the County. At. % cleo
ton to be held on the third Tuesday Of
May next. This election wss ordered
upon petition got up. circulated. and
presented to the Board. BY citizens Of
the town Of Wsthens. Upon that petit
tion were the names Of about thirteen
hundred and fifty persons.
II might BE- supposed. 30 'msny nsmes-
appearing upon the petition. ths. the
people of the County we're dissatisfied
with the location Of the County Seat. and
desired its removal to some other point
but Il is due to those usscqusinred with
the facts. that it should be known that
many Of these nsmes were procursd to
the petition under the false representation
that the County Seat never had been To-
Gated. and many other names were forg-
ed. Nearly onehslf Of the names upou
the petitions were in the handwriting Of
the persons who circulated them. Men
were approached BY the csnvassers for
the petition. With this question: do
you wish to sign q petition for q vote
upon the location Of the County Seat 2"
"No; am in favor Of its remaining at
Troy" Then, says the canvasser: "I'll
put your name down for Troy"-snd
wonld sign the individuals name to q
petition for vote for the location of ths
County Seat. Was this anything short
Of forgery?
1t should be known. too. that the Ia W
under which this election was sought.
was entirely ignored by those who got mp
and circulated the petition. The statute
upon the subject provides that When
any number Of legal voters of any Coun-
ty in this State. equal to three 6ftbs OF
the whole number OF votes cast at the
last general election in said County, shall
petition the Board Of County Comm mis-
sioners of said County for the removal or
location of the Seat Of Justice. the Conn
ty Commissioners shall cause an elec-
tion." &c. What was desired by the
petitioners. was remorol of the County
Seat. The County Seat had been locoted,
the same as the County lines of Doni-
pban County had been established. The
petitions read ss foilows:
ITO the Honorable. the County Com
missioners OF Doniph.n County, State Of
Kansas: We. the Undersigned. voters Of
Doniphan County. prsv yonr Honorable
Body to order an election for the location
Of the County Seat of this County. as
provided by law"
They should have peti,ioned for . re-
rnoval of the County Seat. Had they
done this. their petition wonld have
shown to what point the petitioners de-
sired the Comfy Seat removed But the
getters mp Of this, scheme dared not pre-
sent such petition to the voters of the
County. They very well knew that only
those living in the neighborhood of their
town would have signed such petition.
and that two-thirds of the voters of the
Comfy would have driven from their
presence the men who should have pre-
sented to them petition for the removal
of the Comfy Seat to Wathens. Would
the citizens of Wayne, Wolf River. and
Iowa Townships. have signed such pc.
tition Not one OF them.
But the question Of the location OF the
County Seat is submitted to the voters
Of the County, and the question is pre-
sented. how are the people of the County
to be benefited by . removal?
The County Seat is located near the
centre Of the 1County-the exact geogra-
phical centre being three miles west Of
Troy. 1t is located best to sccommo-
date remote parts Of the County. To
this point citizens from all parts Of the
County can 20, and return to their homes
the same day. Can this be said OF Wa
thena. or any town in the County on the
River? Do the citizens OF Wayne. Wolf
River and Iowa Townships desire the
County Seat removed nine miles farther
from them?
There is. in fact. but one argument
used why the County Seat should be re-
moved from Troy to Wsthens: Wood
is so high at Troy" It was stated. not
long ago. by . man from Wsthens, that
the County would save. in ten years. ii
the County Seat was removed from Troy
TO Wathena. in the item Of wood alone,
enough. twiee ouer. to erect the necessary
public buildings in the County. It has
been asserted. too, that it cost the County
as high Is two Thousand dollars per year
for wood. All such statements are made
without any regard to truth. Wood in
Troy has never been ss high % during
the past two Winters. Tho past Win.
ter. j. @. Williams had the contract to
furnish the County with wood. for which
he was to receive two bundred dollars.
On the 18th day Of March. the day on
which the Court House burned, he com.
plsted his contract snd Of the wood he
furnished the County. there wss then re-
naming five cords. The County after
wards furnisbed few loads moro. The
same gentleman offers to bind himself to
furnish the Comfy with wood for the
next ten years. for $500 per year. How
much could be saved the County, i the
County Seat were removed to w athens?
Not $50 per year.
Some aissasiafsctioa hes been express
ed throughout the County. With County
officers and high taxes. and brnce the re-
povsi Of the Comfy Seat is desired.
L.