The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-08-05
Removal Of Parish Seals The Hos-
sier Case.

'iei AZ AcidtioI 10 moving
the courthouse from its present site
at Bellevue; and the contest involves
purely question of construction of
a statute, we propose to review the
act of the Legislature providing for
the removal of parish seats and
changing parish lines.
The act was passed at the last SEES.
sion of the General Assembly and
provides that whenever one-third of
the property Taxpayers of any par
ish shall petition the police jury to
remove the parish seat, it shall be
the duty of the police jury to order
a special election to determine
whether the parish seat shall be
removed or not.
The act further provides that if a
majority Of all the votes cast at the
election shall be in favor of one
place, the parish seat shall be re-.
moved to that place; but, if not, the
police jury then shall order second
election to dertermine the question
of removal.
The act further provides that if
no one place shall receive majority
OF all the votes cast at the first cleo
ton, then the taoo places which re.
celved the highest number of votes
at the first election shall be voted
for at the second election, and the
place receiving the highest number
Of votes shall be the parish seat.
1t is on this last provision of the
act the contest in Bossier has arisen:
and, in order to understand the mer
its of the question, it is necessary
to state briefly the facts, which are
as follows: At the first election
under the ordinance of the police
jury some sac or seuen different places
were voted for; among them were
Bellevue, the present parish seat,
Benton and COleyille. Bellevue re-
ceived the highest number of votes,
Benton the next, Coleville the third.
BY adding together all the votes
cast for the different places in oppo-
sition to Bellevue, there was found
to be majority against Bellevue; in
other words, majority u, tavoY of
n,oring the parish seat.
On these facts the contest in Bos-
sier has arisen. One party contends
that as there was a majority of votes
at the first election in favor of re-
moving the parish seat, Bellevue, is
thereby excluded from a second
election under the act of the Legls.
lature.
The police jury have adopted this
construction of the act, and have
ordered a second election to take
place for the parish seat between
Benton and ColeviIle, excluding
Bellevue from the contest.
The other party contends on the
contrary, that as Bellevue is one of
the two places which received the
highest number of votes at the first
election, it cannot be excluded,
under the act of the Legislature, from
the second election; and that the
contest must be between Bellevue
and Benton, and not between Ben
ton and Colevil'e, which rank the
second and third places in the first
election contest.
The act of the Legislature appears
to be plain and free from ambiguity.
1t requires, in the first place,
majority of all the votes cast at the
first election to remove parish
seat in all cases; aud it requires, III
the second place, that if a majority
of all the votes cast is not given,
at the first election, for some one
certain place, then the two places
which receive the highest number
of votes shall be voted for at a sec.
ond election, and the place receiv-