The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-10-09

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Tor Investigation.
The motion Of Esquire Church {,
instruct the County Attorney to pro
coed in the matter as they might deem
best for the interest OF the county
was then adopted
contract made eight years ago
between the turnpike comapny and
the county for the use Of the new
bridge was read by the clerk. The
contract provides for the use OF the
bridge by the turnpike company on
condition that it keep the same in
repair. The contract was accepted
but subsequently the turnpike com
pany withdrew its proposition and a
committee to consider the whole ques-
ton was then appointed.
Judge Gordon said that for several
years the county had been paying in
terest on the court house debt out of
the ordinary revenues without raising
the taxes; that it had suffered a
heavy loss in revenue and that in
order to meet this debt it would be
necessary 10 have larger tax levy.
Judge Gordon's report in full is pub
lished in another part of The Herald
today.
Squire Hayes moved to memorial
ize the Legislature to repeal the pres
ent special road law for this county
and put the county under the general
road law.
Squire Taylor was opposed to this
motion, but Squire Church favored it
and spoke in opposition to the present
system He said he was opposed to
taxing all the people to build roads to
be located by three persons. Squire
Church was in favor of bonding the
county at 4 per cent to pay the court
house debt so that the future genera
lions would have to share the burden
as they would use the court house.
Squire Hayes said that the three com
missioners had nothing to do with the
location of the roads, that was fixed
in the bill The members of the Leg
islature probably did not know what
they were doing, if they ever read the
law they did not understand what it
was.
Squire Lowell said he would like to
be familiar with the general road law
haforo bo voted For IL
Judge Gordon deprecated any mani
festation of feeling or acrimony in the
discussion of question of this char
acter.
Squire Ross said that the question
of public roads was one of the most
important to be considered There
was no occasion for any hurry as the
Legislature did not meet until January |
and he moved to postpone the question
until the next term so that the mem !
bers could become familiar with the !
law.
In the course of the discussion, 1t
was stated that the road commission
ers had never been properly qualified
and elected. Squire Church then
wanted to know how it was that Judge
Gordon could pay the commissioners
if they were not properly elected and
qualified. 1t was stated that the
commissioners were elected as work
house commissioners instead of as
road commissioners technical mis-
take that would invalidate the cleo
ton. The law was attacked on this
ground and that was the reason why
the suit failed. The defects were not
in the law, but were in the manner Of
the laws enforcement, said County
Whitthorne. For these rea-
sons the attorney said he had not
gone into lawsuits which he knew the
county would be sure to lose. There
was, he said, one serious defect in
he law that was whether or not the
caption was broad enough to cover
he work house, it was certainly valid
Is to the control and working Of the
public roads.
The County Attorney was directed
o draw formal resolutions curing
lefects in the election of the road
commissioners.
Squire Denton submitted his report
} fthe Poor House for the past quar-
er. The expenses were $604.36, the
verage cost per inmate per month
icing $4.371a. Inmates on hand, 46.
Squire W. E. Ballanfant was unan-
mously reelected Poor House Com
missioner.
The Court required again to the
uestion of bonding the county to pay
Or the court house and Squire Bal
lnfant was in favor of making a 20
ent levy and paying the debt in full
l five years and saving the interest.
Deniity Trustee ptIrvear nrasontpd