The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-03-23
TROUBLE IN RAwLINs COUNTY.
Court House Bond Election VIII Have
to BE Gone Over Again

Attorney General Q. Q. Coleman, in
an opinion given to County Attorney
D. o. Bye Of Rawlins county, holds
that the bond election held January
10 in Rawlins county for the purpose
Of voting bonds to build a new court
house to replace the one destroyed by
fire in December, was invalid, and will
have to be done over.
The amount OF bonds voted was
$4,000. and the sentiment was
strongly in favor Of the bonds. In
some townships not a single vote was
cast against them
Attorney General Coleman holds
that since the call for the bond ,elec-
ton provided that the bonds were for
the purpose Of purchasing a site, as
well as erecting the building, and the
ballots for the election said nothing
about the purchase Of the site, that
the whole election was invalidated.
After quoting authorities at consider
able length, Mr. Coleman says:
Il am therefore forced to the con-
clusiOn that the inclusion Of the ex-
preston purchasing site in the order
OF the county commissioners and In
the public notice upon which the cleo
ton was held is 50 important a de-
parture from the law as to iuvalidate
the election; at least that it raises so
serious a question that I would not
be wiling to advise the purchase Of
bonds based upon the election so
held"
The county commissioners of Raw
Inns county VIII at once call a new
election, and the bonds will be re-
voted.
The question Of the purchase of a
new site for the Rawlins county court
house at Atwood is one which has
stirred up much bitterness in that
county, and it was really this matter
which led to the action which fnyaIi-
dated the election The old court
house, which was destroyed by fire,
stood on a tract Of five city lots The
remainder of the block is occupied by
houses. the owner Of which could not
be induced to sell at a fair price But
the county commissioners wanted a
whole block for their new court
house, and there was a block just
north OF the old location Of the court
house which could be bought for a
reasonable sum- The county commits
siOners therefore decided to include in
their call for a bond election the nee
essary authority for buying a site.
This stirred uD so much opposition
ing the ballots, the county commits
SiOners simply omitted any reference
to the site proposition
After the election was held, the
county commissioners simply went
ahead and purchased the vacant block
which they desired, paying for il out
Of the money which had been receiv-
ed as insurance on the old court
mouse 80 the site question was set
tied, but Il now appears from the de-
cisiOn OF the attorney general that in
their efforts to be foxy" and Outwit
the people. the county commissioners
invalidated the election for voting the
bonds for the building itself
The new building viii be Of brick
and stone. and viii be one OF the
handsOmest court houses in western
Kansas It viii be provided With fire
proof vaults for the county records.
which IS a great Improvement on for
mer court houses in this part OF the
state The building itself viii cost
about $4,000 and the money which
was received as Insurance on the old
building viii be used in the purchase
Of new furniture and equipment