The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-08-09
BIRD ISLAND WINS.
Gets First Blood in the Renville
County Seat Contest.

NVOuSy swat NVnSOSSs
Bird Island won the first blood
in the Renville county seat contest
case last Thursday morning, or
rather about ten minutes after II
o'clock Wednesday night, when the
representatives of that town filed a
petition of 2,748 taxpayers of the
county praying that the county
seat be removed from Beaver Falls
to Olivia. Immediately after the
petition was filed Auditor J. T.
Brooks issued his notices to the
effect that the petition had been
filed and that the county commits
sioners would hold a meeting on
Aug 23d for the purpose of consid-
ering and determining as to the
genuineness of the signatures to
the petition, and as to the number
OF legal voters whose signatures
are attached. It only requires a
few over 1900 signatures to any
one petition to warrant the auditor
in making his call.
This is how Bird Island won
first blood. The legal advisers of
Olivia claimed that no petition could
be filed prior to midnight of last
Saturday and stated that while they
would commence securing sigma
lures to their petition on last We'd
nesday they would not think Of
Offering to file until after midnight
Friday. They directed all of their
boomers in the different townships
to bring the petitions up to Olivia,
as soon as the canvass had been
made.
Bird Island, on the other hand,
had deem advised that the petition
could be filed on the very next day
after the rustling for signatures
was commenced. This advice was
given by attorneys and appears to
have been concurred to by the
county auditor. Bird Island, too,
ordered all of it's different township
boomers to bring the petitions to
Beaver Falls. where Bird Island
had a committee waiting to receive
them Wednesday evening. These
petitions were all in before dusk,
and before midnight Bird Island S
attorneys had them in proper shape
to file with the county auditor.
Mr.. Brooks kept the court house
locked up to ten minutes after mid
night Wednesday. At that time he
stepped from his Office, opened the
door, and Bird Island committee
man, with big smile on his face,
stepped into the auditors Office,
handed the petition to Mr.. Brooks,
who filed the same and Immediately
thereafter issued his notices of
meeting of the county commission
ers, and they were published in all
Renville county papers which
issued after Thursday morning.
The Olivia committee appeared on
the scene late Thursday afternoon.
They contended that no petitions
could be received until after II
o'clock Friday night, and they will
undoubtedly apply for an injunc-
ton restraining the county CON-
missioners from issuing a call for
an election on the Bird Island
proposition, providing the commits
siouers do not strike off over 500
names from the Bird Island list,
which is extremely doubtful. This
will throw the contest in the courts
and it will probably be a year be-
fore the voters of Renville county
will be asked to pass upon the prop
osition. BY that time the Gulf &
Manitoba railroad will be in Beaver
Falls, and the county seat will re-
main there.
Olivia has 3, 1874 names to her pc
tition, about 400 more than Bird
Islans has, but the latter town COM
mittee instructed the boomers that
as soon as so many names were Sc
cured in each township to report to
Beaver Immediately, without at
tempting to secure more.