Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-04-23
bad Faith Of bowling Green,

Bad Faith OF Bowling Green.
In the following we shall use the terms
Perrysburg and Bowling Green in the
sense of the inhnbitAnts Of the respective
Villages.
1t is we'll known that Perrysburg has
charged Bowling Green with bud faith, in
this: that it promised the inhabitants Of the
county ii they would vote for the removal
Of the seat of justice to the latter place, B.
g. would erect the necessary public build
ings free Of expense TO the county--that no
tax should be levied therefor. 1t failed to
redeem its promise and it is we'll known
and admitted that 5000 were raised by
taxation for, and expended in, the erection
and completion of the Jail and court house.
But it seeks now to excuse its failure, by
stating that the promise was made upon
che condition that the County Commission
ers should appropriate to that object the
proceeds OF the sale OF the old court house
and Jail. Was that so2
A few days before the election in '66 the
following was published in the B. q. paper
in large type, SO as toNattract attention:
uu~%~~~ LL-L
vote Il the county is cast for re-
moval, and the citizens of Bowling
Green do not construct the Court
House and Jail, as per agreement,
then no new buildings can be con-
structed until the people vote to tax
themselves for that purpose. and the
county seat must remain where it Is.
This is better security for the tax
payers than all the bonds in chris
tendom."
The word agreement" in the above was
used In the sense Of promise. There was no
person or party with whom they could
agree and Mr.. ST.. JOHN, then one of the
County Commissioners, testified before the
Examining Committee Feb. I'd, 1870,
''TAere ,Ods no understanding rRh Borlins
Green Jolts that M>y uere 10 hare The old build
Sn9s."
This disposes OF the pretense, now put
forth, that they were to have the avails of
the sale OF the old court house and Jail.
This guilt is too short, at both ends, to cover
their bad faith.
But the people Of the county were taxed
$230o0 TO erect and complete the buildings
st Bowling Green. Did they ever "vote
10 tax themselves for that purpose?" Ger
tainly not. Then how was it done? To
answer this question Understandings, we
must premise that two Of the Commission
srs were in sympathy with B. G. and evi.
IDENTIFY in collusion with its citizens, to shift
the burthen from that village upon the
county. In support Of this we have the
testimony Of JoHN H. REID, Esq, before the
Examining Committee where he stated
that the Commissioners informed the peo-
pie Of B. q. that a larger court house
than the old one was desired and, "If that
exhausted the fund subscribed by the B. G.
Jail themselves, and would add, if necessary,
10 the fund for the completion Of the court
house in ease the fund subscribed at B. g.
should be insufficient"
They did not wait 70 see whether the
fund subscribed would be sufficient or not
but on the Sd March, 1868 made the follow
ing levies:
For Court House e..,....................$l0, 900
Jall.".s.. ,...,....... 5000
County offices ......,....,.......... 5000
1otAI....,,..... ...."."..".......... $23, 900
Learning soon after, they had no author.
ity o,make SO large levy for public build
ings without vote of the people, they re-
s;inded tl.e levies for Jail and ofices, lsav-
ing only the levy for court house on tbs
record. This was done March Sd. although
the "sorncr stone" of the court house was
mot laid until the 4th. of July following.
Here we have proof incontestable, OF a
secret. understanding between a majority Of
the Board of Commissioners and the citi-
scns Of D. g. that the latter should be re-
iieved from fulfilling their promise, by the
former casting the burthen npon the tax
payers Of the county. Was there no bad
faith here'f Was there. not fraud prac-
tised upon the people OF the eounty2 And
was not B. q. the foundation Of that fraud?
And'in view Of these facts, what claim
has b. g. upon the sympathies Of the pco-
pie for which il so persistently suppli-
Gates? None whatever, but rather stern
Eebuke for lis duplicity and i'll faith. We
say, "Voters, remember that il the vote of
the comfy Is cast for removal" next Octo-
Der, the Commissioners Of the county will
At once find the Court House and Jail fully |
completed and flushed for their acceptance
AMI occupation.