The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-24
LETTERS 10 EDITOR
About the cIeburne Court House.


To the Editor of The Age Herald:
In your issue OF April %, l notice a
communication from Edwardsyille, Ala,
relative to the removal of the court
house from Edwardsville to Helm, In
which some very erroneous statements
are made. While this matter of court
house removal in Cleburne county is not
of much interest to large number of
the readers of The. Age-Herald. yet a
large number of subscribers to The Age
Herald in Cleburne and adjoining coun-
ties are likely to gain an erroneous i'm
preston of the status of the court house
removal matter from a reading of the
communication from EdwardsVille.
1t is not true. as stated in the COM
municaton from Edwardsvlle. that 1856
petitioners had withdrawn from the pc
tition filed by those favoring the removal
of the court house, and that 400 of the
petitioners were not qualified voters.
There were several petitions circulated
IN four or five beats of the county ask
ing for an election upon the question of
court house removal. and it was supposed
that all of these petitions had been pre-
scented to the Governor at the time of the
fling with the Governor of the petition
asking for the appointment of a board
of county seat commissioners. After the
petitions had been presented 1t was dis
covered that one of said petitions, which
was circulated, and which contained more
than one hundred names-a majority of
whom were qualified eleetors-had been
inadvertently omitted from the original
petition. Those favoring court house
removal asked permission of the Governor
to file the petition which was omitted as
supplemental petition but the Cover
/ - H.
supplemental petition. There is some
doubht as to whether the original petit
ton, as filed, contained a majority OF
the qualified electors of Cleburne county:
but 1t certainly did not contain less than
forty of majority of qualified electors.
Had the supplemental petition been filed,
the Hefin people would have had on
their petition about forty petitioners more
than Is required to be presented to the
Governor in order to obtain an election on
the question of court house removal.
More than 625 of those who were on the
petition which was allowed to be filed
were qualified voters.
1t is not true that the question Is set
tied. Petitions will be circulated through
out Cleburne county asking for an cleo
ton, which will no doubt be called and
held some time during the summer, and
before any work is begun upon the new
jail for which contract has been let.
1t was the opinion of the attorneys rep
resenting the Helm people that there
was probably a majority of the quail
fed electors on the petition filed in the
Governors office, but they did not care
to go into the contest without being abso-
lutely certain that the petition contained
majority when they were sure that
a majority of the qualified electors could
easily be obtained and for that reason
withdrew the petition until they could
remove all uncertainty as TO the wishes
of the people of Cleburne county in ref
erence to said matter.
There is absolutely nothing in the
statement that 1876 petitioners had with
drawn, and the gentleman who wrote the
communication from Edwardsville was
certainly very ignorant of the ruling OF
the Governor and Capt. Sedberry. the eX-
amner with reference to any petition
ers withdrawing names from the petit
lions asking for the removal of the court
house. HUGH ID. MERhll-i-'
Admission, April %.