The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-08-05
B0ssier Courthouse Election.
Webster Tribune.1

u
No. 81 OF the Legislature of 1880,
the second election, in our humble
opinion, should he between these
places.
The Police Jury of Bossier held
that a majority of the votes cast
were in favor of removal, Bellevue
cannot be in the second race,-a
majority of the electors having de-
cided against Bellevue.
In this We think they are mistak-
en-. They are not sustained in this
view by the Act of the Legislature
or by Article $50 of the Constitution
OF 1879. This article of the Consti.
tuition reads as follows:
"All laws changing parish lines
or removing parish sites shall, be
fore taking effect, be submitted to
the electors of the parish or parish
es to be affected thereby. at special
election held Tor that purpose, aud
be adopted by a majority Of votes OF
each parish, cast at such eiection.n
This is a general provision author
izing an election for the purpose of
ascertaining whether it is the desire
OF the electors of a parish to remove
a parish site, and also to ascertain
to what place it should be carried
This article as it stands would have
been imperative, without an act of
the Legislature to carry it into eff
fect--providing the manner of hold
ing the election-the means by
which the views Of majority of the
electors Of parish could be ascer-
tanned. Consequently Act No. 81
of 1880 was passed. The Sd Section
OF this Act reads as follows: "That
it shall require a majority of all the
votes cast at said election to change
the parish site, and the place receiv.
ing such majority shall be declared
tue parish site. In the event Of no
one place receiving majority of the
votes cast at said election, then the
Police Jury shall order a second
election after thirty days official no.
tice, at which election the two places
receiving greatest the number of
votes at the first election shall be
voted for, and the one receiving the
higher vote shall be the parish site.o
Now, where do they get the au-
thority for leaving cut Of the second
election the town of Belleyues 1t
cannot be found in the Article of the
Constitution or the act of the Legis-
lature. We have not seen the act
of tho Police Jury ordering the cleo
ton to be held. They had no pow
ers, except such as were conferred
upon them by this act of the Legis-
latnre. 1t simply authorized them
to order the election if one-third of
the property taxpayers of Bossier
parish petitioned for it. They had
no legislative authority. Their du-
ties were simply ministerial. Does
the act provide that in the first cleo
ton the voters shall vote for or
against removal, and if majority
shall vote for removal, the place
where the Courthouse is located is
not to be considered in the second
contest? Not a syallable Of this
kind can they fluid.
The object and intention of the
Legislators were simply these The
voters at the first election should be
permitted to vote for the place of
their choice, and the two places re-
ceiving the largest number of votes
at the first election should be voted
for in the second election regardless
OF the question of removal, and the
one receiving the greater number of
votes should be the parish site.-
This was the only practical manner
of carrying out the provisions of the
Constitution; the only means by
which the will of n majnritxy3 oo,,ld