The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-08-04
Too Late.


4 meeting Of representative citizens
from various sections of the County ~a4
held in this city last Thursday for tho
purpose Of taking some steps in reference
to changing the location Of the new Court
House OFF of the public square. On mo-
ton, Col. j. n. Brown was requested to
preside and C.. G. Langston to act as Sec
rotary. Col. Brown explained the object
of the meeting, and said it would require
additional legislation to change the site.
Speeches were made by Messrs. P. X.
McCully, F. G. Brown, John Eskew, J.
W. Ashley, j. c. Milford, j. A. Hall, J.
N. Vandiver, J.R Anderson and others,
all OF whom were in favor Of changing the
location. Resolutions were offered and
adopted looking to the change, provided
the city of Anderson would donate a lot
within two blocks of the public square.
On motion, a committee consisting Of
F. 7. White, J. r. Anderson, John Es-
kew, j. j. Fretwell, j. w. Ashley, J. A.
Hall, J. 9. Milford, A. T. Newell, l.. o.
Williford and 81. c. Routh, was appoint
ed. This committee was instructed to
confer with the building committee, see
if some steps could not be taken to post
pone the work and arrange for m cleo
tlOu / US Lulu I'LL LILO olSC l4eLs SuDLulI-
ting the question of changing the location
to the voters OF the County.
This committee had q conference with
the building committee, and on Monday
the latter sent them the following reply,
which no doubt ends the matter:
State of South Carolina,
County of Anderson.
To Messrs. J. A. Hall, Jos. j. Fretwell,
F. It. White, A. It. Newell, J. Bolton
Watson, Joshua W. Ashley II. G. Routh
and others;
GENTLEMEN: Replying to your verbal
request and the petition filed by you pur-
porting to be signed by citizens Of the
County and State aforesaid, asking the
undersigned Building Committee, au-
thorized by the County Board for the said
County to superintenG the erection of tho
new Court House and Jail, 'to defer far
Their action as TO the, said buildings until
an expression can be had from the people
the,ein Provided, that the Public Square
be kept open, free from any obstruction
whatever, for the use of the people of the
County, and, provided further, that the
City Of Anderson purchase a site for the
Court House, not exceeding two blocks
from the Public Square in said City, and
further p%etitioning that the question be
submitted to the qualified voters of An
derson County On the 31st day Of August,
1897" we beg to say we have considered
the matters suggested by you, and find
that it is not in our power to grant your
request for the following reasons which
we hope you will appreciate:
First. We have no authority under the
law to submit the matter you suggest
or propose to the qualified voters of the
County.
Second. By virtue Of an Act Of the Gem
1896, the matter of building a new Court
House on the present site, or to exchange
the site with the City authorities of An
derson for another site, equally valuable,
provided such exchange should be with
out additional cost to the County, the
Commissioners of Election for said Coun-
ty submitted the question to the quail
fed voters Of the County, and the meas
ure was defeated, and it was a matter of
general talk and notoriety that the said
election was defeated because the matter
Of moving the Court House was left to
the option Of the Commissioners for said
County.
Third. The demand and necessity for q
new Court House and Jail being such, at
the Session of 1897 the General Assembly
by an Act, No. 354, General Statutes, 1897,
page 61S, again authorized the question to
be submitted by the Commissioners of
Election to the qualified voters Of Ander-
son County, SCOUT House and Jail"
and section lst Of said Act, authorizes
and empowers the County Board OF Com
missioners to build by contract or con-
tracts let TO the lowest responsible bidder,
q new Court House and Jail on the pres
emit Court House and Jail sites, respect
lively. With that provision of the law in
force, the question was submitted to the
people, and their will In the matter was
expressed at the ballot box under the
provisions Of said Act.
Fourth. That will having been declared
the County Board of Commissioners had
no other alternative in the matter than
to carry into effect that will, and by vir-
tue of the power therein vested, levied
the tax therein provided for the fiscal
year 1897.
Fifth. That said Board of Commission
ers advertised for bids on the construc-
ton as directed by said Act. They have
let the contracts for building the same,
under plans and specifications for the res
pective sites, material has been contracted
for under the specifications, and debts
contracted in the furtherance Of the
work, and contracts for the furnishing Of
the money to complete the work are
about completed, and the Building
Committee is not in q position where it
can rescind, or change the contracts made
for the erection and completion of the
buildings. We hope that you will I'M
derstand that the County Board of Com
m%issioners and their Building Commit
tee are not acting In an arbitrary man.
ner in this matter. Our duties in the
premises seem ministerial, and we have
tried SO far to carry out the will Of the
people as expressed at the ballot box.
The whole matter is in the hands of this
contractors, and we are to superintend
the erection ofthese buildings and see that
the people get value received for their
money.
If q change of location were now prac-
ticable with the contractors, and the City
of Andersen wore to comply with the
provisions expressed in your petition, it
would necessitate q change in the plans
and Of material at an additional cost to
the County, and as the amount designated
by the Act of the Legislature is limited,
we have no authority to incur additional
cost.
Again you will understand that any de-
lay now would delay the completion of
the work, thereby entailing additional
cost for renting Of public offices, and in
our judgment there ought not to be any
unnecessary delay in this matter, for all
the public records of the County are not
in secure places from fire, and ought not
to bs exposed any longer than is abso-
lutely necessary.
Yours respectively,
(Signed) W. P. SNELGRovE, Chm'n.
j. d. MAXWELL,
w. D. GARRISON,
JOHN H. JONES,
Building Committee.