Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-05-30
SUPERVISORS In
LIVELY MEETING.
The Question of Authority IN Employing and
DlSGhaTging Men Causes all the Trouble
&C. A. Wagner Resigns Position
as County Engineer.

meeting by the crowd present-may be
termed, in the language of our fore
fathers, g 'dog fall" The supervisors
receded from the position that they
alone have the authority to hire and
discharge the men employed in the con-
struction of the maeadam roads now
being built in the county and 70 make
purchases therefor, but at the same
time they succeeded in forcing the res
ignation of the county engineer, C. A.
Wagner, whose action in discharging
Ragess Sluss, foreman of the force
working on the Fincastle road at the
east line of Jeffersonville district, pre-
cipitated the wrangle.
The gist of the compromise may be
found in the following order entered on
the records of the board after a conciR-
atory meeting which followed the main
meeting in the courtroom at the court
house, taken from the minutes of the
meeting of the supervisors with G. P.
Coleman, member Of the State Highway
Commission:
Resolved, That an engineer shall be
appointed for Clear Fork district.
End. Resolved, That an engineer
shall be appointed, jointly, for Jeffer-
sonville and Maiden Spring districts.
3rd. Resolved, That a committee of
three, composed of the supervisor of
the district, the engineer in charge of
the work, and man appointed by the
State Highway Commissioner, shall act
as an auditing and purchasing commit
tee; the engineer shall report to the
committee each month, as nearly as
possible, his requirements in the way of
material and supplies for the following
month, and shall deliver to the commit
tee the bills for all purchases made in
the previous month. In case of emer-
gency the engineer in charge is author
lied to purchase, or to instruct the fore
man on the work to make the neces-
sary purchases, and report to the COM
mittee at its next meeting the purchase
and the reason therefor; this auditing
committee shall report to the board of
supervisors at its regular designated
meetings.
4th. Resolved, That the engineers
in charge of the work shall have power
to appoint and discharge any or all
foremen or rsuperintendents on the work,
but the said foreman or superintendent
shall have the right OF appeal to the
committee composed as stated in the
previous resolution, of the supervisor of
the district, tie engineer in charge of
the work, sEd man appointed by the
State Highway Commissioner, whose
decision shall be final.
1t is understood that as part of the
compromise, c. A. Wagner will be en-
gineer of Clear Fork district, and new
man from outside the county, selected
by the State Highway Commissioner,
will have charge of the work in Jeffer-
sonville and Maiden Spring districts.
The meeting of the board had be-2
announced for o'clock, but it was near
two before Chairman Daniels arrived at
the courthouse grounds. Some delay
was had in securing a place to meet, as
circuit court was to meet at O'Clock in
the court room-the only room large
enough to hold the crowd which had
gathered to attend the meeting. AS
Judge Kegley had not yet appeared at
the courthouse the supervisors decided
to start the meeting in the court room
and chance the judge to suspend court
until they could finish the business be-
fore the board.
At 2:15 Chairman Daniels called the
board together and retired to the law
library with Attorneys S. D. May and
Barnes Gillespie for consultation. At
2:30 Commemorative Attorney J. W.
Harman was called into this meeting,
and at 2:45 the board and attorneys re-
entered the room. Mr.. Daniels then
called the meeting to order and stated
briefly that its object was to discuss
the question of authority between the
board. county engineer and state high
way commission.
George w. st. Clair, speaking at the
request of some of the citizens, said he
was not interested in factional fights,
but wanted to see them get together
and build roads, and said he understood
one or more members of the board
thought they were empowered TO en-
ploy men and purchase supplies. He
read from state law ss to the duties of
supervisors aad engineers, and said that
as he interpreted sections 9 and 10 of
the statute the engineer had the power
to hire and discharge and to make pUr-
chases.
Barnes Gillespie, who followed, began
by saying that he and S. d. May had
been spoken to by some of the citizens
law, to appear before the board.
At this point Judge Kegley interrupt
ed to state that court would convene at
5 o'clock, and as it was then o'clock
would give the board two hours to finish
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