The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-03-02
COMPLICATED.
THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE FAIR
GROUNDS QUESTION.

Mr.. Trump Furnishes Abstracts of the
Fair Grounds Property and the Court
Houss Property-A Glance Into tho Sit
uation,
Another link has been completed in the
chain OF events concerning the removal Of
the fair grounds and the projsct Of ips
creasinR the court house facilities.
Abstractor OF Titles Harry Trump, yes
tertlsy filed his abstract of both tue fair
grounds and court house properties with
the county commissioners. Ia the matter
of the title TO the fair grounds the record
is complete and IL shows that the grounds
belong to the county and thSt IL has
clear title. The record shows that the
Agricultural Society has the right to use
the grounds for fair purposes and so long
as II continues to hold fairs there, 30 long
will it continue in possession of the
society; but when the society ceases to use
the grounds for such purpose il ceases at
once to have any interest in the property
whatever. II the society reirquishes its
hold upon the 9rcunds tne county COM
missioners can sell them lawfully and
give Q clean title but the money there.
from would go at once Into the general
county treasury. Here is where tho rub
comes in.
According to the laws of the state as in
terpreted to reporter by Commissioner
WearsJler Monday evening, this money
once in the treasury, would have to stay
there and could not be paid out for new
grounds. The lew governing the relation
of commissioners to county agricultural
societies provides that the county may
pay half of the sum needed IL the agricul.
tural society pays the other half in fitting
up or purchasing ground. The sericul.
tural society has no money to pay its half
and IL the old grounds were cold It would
have nothing as 1t could not pay its share
for the new grounds and the law prohibits
the commissioners from putting in any
money unless it does pay half. Commiss
sloner Wearstler stated that lie thought
the only possible plan by which new
grounds could be purchased, IL 1t were
deemed desirable at all, would be TO have
special bill passed by the legislature Civ
ing the commissioners power to act.
Ia the matter OF the court house property
the record is incomplete. There is deed
for one lot that has never been recorded
at all. While the article was beyond
doubt duly executed yet it has never been
placed on record and il therefore would
render the giving OF clear title impossible.
The document 10 probably .pigeon-holed
somewhere about the court house and an
Investigation may uuearth it when Ii can
be duly recorded. A more important
feature, however, is found in the original
deed to the county of the property donated
by Mr.. Wells. This document Ia an ironclad
affair, and II provides, in language that
cannot be misunderstood, that should the
county cease to use the ground for court
house purposes, it shall Immediately res
vert back to the original owner or bis
heirs, as the case may be, There is no
escaping the inteut OF the donor, and this
settles the fact beyond question, that the
county cannot part with the property for
a consideration and erect a court house
elsewhere. The only thing that remains
to be done now iv, either to tear
down the present structure and build
anew, OF repair and add to the building
now occupied.