The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-06-08
WILL THE SQUARE BE SOLD I?
The County Commissioners and MAG
iStTateS Decide
TO PUT THE COURTHOUSE SITE
On the Market-A Committee to be
Appointed TO Look up New Site
for Conrt-House-A Vault to be
Built at Once for the Preservation
of the Court Records

Built at Once for the Preservation
ofthe Court Records
viii the courthouse square be sold:
The recent action of Judge BOykir
and the bill of Indictment drawn by
Solicitor Barber against the County
Fathers and magistrates for failure tC
act upon recommendations made by
several grand juries, had some effec1
it appears. Al least the authorize:
were led to take up the question o
building a new court house and dis
cuss it pro and con. Speeches were
made by Messrs. G. A. Reynolds, G. II
Fogle, Col. a. G. Davis and others, al
OF whom expressed themselves in fay
or Of new court house.
Every member of the Board of Com
missioners and % magistrates out OF
62, were present at the joint meeting
OPINION OF THE ATTORNEYS.
Messrs- Glenn & Manly made the
following report:
1--WE can lind nothing in the origi-
nal deed to the chairman of tile cOun-
~ court, or in the deeds to the citizens
who bought adjoining the square, pro-
hibiting the sale of the lot, and as tie
law, where thereais no such prohibit
tiOn, positively says that the land
bought for sites for public buildings
may be sold, (see Code Section 707, sub.
sec. y we think if you will carry out
the provisions of section 707, sub. sec
ton Sth, OF the Code, you can both
sell your old lot and build your court
house elsewhere, unless there was an
understanding which entered into the
contract at the time of the sale to
those abutting LOn the court house
square, that this should ever remain a
public square.
I'VE could not find the old act for
the division of the county of Stokes,
which authorized the Building of the
present public building, but do not
think its provisions will change
our views on this subject. To be
perfectly frank with you, we will
state that as our Supreme court has
never passed on this subject, but only
intimated an opinion in the case of
Marshall VS.. Commissioners, SO n. c.,
page lob. and that whenever you issue
your notice and attempt to sell, some
of the citizens owning property on the
square will attempt to enjOin you.
Such Il suit will cost but little and
will forever settle this question, and
even at the risk of losing it, we think
it better for this matter to be thus fl
nally ended. Our opinion is that
these cases are such that each one
stands on its own bottom, and only an
adjudication of the appellate court
will decide this matter finally, ard
the practical way to get at the power
of the county to sell this court house
square is by the way indicated.
III. Z. Fries. w. L. Brown, r. E.
Dalton, John II. Kapp, NJ. J. Crews
Samuel Alspaugh, ]. NJ. Guyer were
appointed a committee to consider To-
cation and price of a lot for new
court house.
1t was resolved that in view
of the entirely Unprotected condition
of the records fire proof vault be
constructed at a cost of not over
81, 900.
REPORT ADOPTED.
The following report to the magis-
trates from committee, composed of
G.. HI. FOgle, @. Hamlen and FL. E.
Fries, was submitted and adopted:
The committee appointed at your
last meeting have examined the cOun-
ty Jail with reference to the safety of
the prisoners and as to protection
against fire.. and submit the following:
In our Judgment both purposes
could be served by removing the pres
ent wooden flooring and substituting
instead ! to inches contrete and &C.
ment. This would leave only the
joistS exposed for fire to catch on
the top, while from beneath there
would be but little chance for fire to
start. The flooring would be placed
between the ioists, offering the same
obstruction to escaping prisoners as
now with the concrete and cement as
an additional obstruction. The eX-
penseS incident to this change would
not exceed $500.
The former county board of educa-
cation, composed of MesSrs. j. S. Ray,
J. n. Anderson and +. d. l.. MeSser,
was re elected.
TAXES LEVIED.
Taxes were levied for the ensuing
year. They stand as follows:
State tax. Observation-Disclosures. 49,. 81 "a
On poll for road. COMMUNICATIONS. "a
On poll for county. ...... II
Total. -...--.--.-. ..-.......--S2 10
BOARD OF Quotations REPORT
Chairman ]. s. Ray, of the County
Board of Education, submitted the
following report which was adopted
and placed on file:
while donot propose to magnifythe
action of the county board of education
as though some great things had been
accomplished, permit me to state the
following facts; and / would say /
state them merely to show you that
some progress has been made il max
ing our public schools more efficient
than they have hitherto been: Our
public school teachers are acknowl-
edged to be at least as competent as
those of other counties, while our
school houses are beginning to ap-
proach somewhat the condition in
which the county board has desired
to place them. In travelling the va
rious parts of the county you may
have noticed for yourselves the inn
provementS Tallude to. Seventeen new
houses have been built and eight re-
paired at an average cost of 1855, which
may seem a pretty high figure; but
then they are good school houses, and
the Board wishes to build none that
are inferior. This average includes
about 300 desks, without which no
school room can be considered suita-
bly, furnished. The school terms
have, nearly as can be just now eS-
timated flor the time for this report
is not yet Gomez averaged about sew
enteen weeks. which is over The APP
pointment by law, and the attendance
has been better on the whole than any
previous year. The reputation of our
county abroard may furnish the best
commentary upon our action"
Ex-sHERIFF LEAGUES REPORT.
Ex-Sheriff league submitted the
following report to the board regard
ing the amount of taxes collected from
October /, 1892, to January /, 1893:
School fund. .......s.....S I2, 4S3 "a
Paid treasurer. S12, 235 81
Commission .... ga IL
S12, 8594
Balance due league 1896 II