Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1912-11-08
AN IMPORTANT DUTY
or THE LEGISLATURE.


It is 70 be presumed that Governor
Hunt will make the required recon
mendstion which will authorize the
coming session OF the legislature to
enact a law which, will give TO the
people OF every county in the state
the right to move their seat of coun-
ty government when they so desire.
The present law is such that in sew
eraI counties in the state county seat
removal is impossible, even though
every citizen and voter in the county
may desire to do so. This is the con.
dition in Cochise county The pres
emf law provides that before a county
seat removal election may be ordered
by the board of supervisors a petition
must be fled with the board contain
ing twenty-five per cent of the quas-
fed electors of the county, represent.
ing one third of the assessed property
valuation OF the county. The courts
have decided that none other than
qualified electors" may sign such
petition, thus excluding the names of
those who represent any property
owned by corporations. In Cochise
county more than two-thirds OF the
assessed value is owned by corpora
tions and thus the required county
seat removal petition, asking for an
election, is impossible. Here is a con-
dition where the people are denied
the right to rule in the matter of
changing the location of their county
seat and we submit that such condi-
ton should not be allowed to continue
in a state which has been founded
on the progressive principles that
were popular because their theory is
to place all legislative power in the
hands of the people.
1t is safe to say that more than
threefourths OF the people of this
county favor the removal OF the
county seat from its present location
to some place nearer the heavy pop
ulation of the county. This sentiment
does not come from any feeling OF
hostility towards the good people Of
Tombstone where the seat of gov
eminent is now located. but it comes
from a desire to avoid the heavy ex
pense to the county 10 maintaining
the county government there which
would be saved to the taxpayers ant
also because of the heavy expense
now borne by the citizens of Rsbee
Lowell, Warren, Naco, Douglas, tbs
Sulphur Springs, Paradise and all tn
inhabitants of the southern and west
ern positions of the county where the!
are called to court or 10 the publ
officers OF the county seat
A bill was prepared in this count!
during the last legislative session an'
submitted to that body We believe &
was just to ali and every county il
the state, but It failed to meet tn
approval Of a majority OF the legi'
lators, but surely the measure wa
not carefully considered or it woul'
have met with more favorable consit
Grafton. This bill provided for a pos
sible county seat removal petido
petition being presented to the 81
pervisors asking for an election;
provided first for primary eieetio
in which any city or town in the coui
~ could become candidate for ben
chosen as the county seat; after III
primary this pEaposed law provided e
a second election in with only Il
two places receiving the highest vol
in the primary would go on the ba
lot. Thus tae majority vote would
cate the county seat.
That there should DC any objectic
10 such q Law is surprising; either IN
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