The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-01-18
old ATTORNEYS ARE FIRED
Hinder Guidance of Seattle Lawyers
Attempt will be Made to Undo
Former Acts
The Commissioners Greed
"Count that day lost whose low de-
scending sun
Views from thy hand no contract
let or lawsuit begun"

The past week has been rather a
ouiet one in that no new litigation has
been started nor any of the old liti-
cation advanced, in the court house
controversy. The two hearings which
were to have been held in the superior
court Wednesday have been postponed
until January 81 and the hearing in
the supreme court set for January 10
has been postponed until January 26.
Commissioners Bash and Pratt have
not however, been loafing on the job,
and as result Zent, Powell and Da-
Wis, who framed up the court house
deal for Clements and McNeill are no
longer in the employ of Benton coun-
ty, and Donworth & Todd, of Seattle,
one of the leading law firms of the
state, have been retained as special
counsel to guide the actions of the new
board.
At the meeting this week the new
board authorized these attorneys to
take such steps as might be necessary
to have the acts of the old board set
aside. Under the direction of Mr..
Todd, who was present at the meet
ing, the board voted to notify the
Ferro Concrete company that they re-
garded the contract for building the
court house null and void, to notify
A. Warren Gould, of Seattle, that they
did not recognize him as supervising
architecht, to notify Nelson Rich that
they did not intend to complete the
purchase of his property as a court
house site, and to notify the Connec-
ticut Investment company, of Spokane
to send representative to Prosser at
the February meeting for the purpose
of renewing the lease on the present
building. ..
That there might be no misunder-
standing as to just what the new
board expects of the prosecuting at
torney Chairman Bash informed Mr..
Fristoe that the commissioners are
there for the purpose of representing
Benton county and not any one end or
section of it; that such action as they
have taken and will take will be for
the best interests of the county and
they will expect him as county attor-
ney to represent the county and not
Prosser. The chairman said that when
a majority of the old board had spok-
en- Mr.. Fristoe had recognized their
voice as the will of the county and
had endeavored to uphold their acts.
The same rule, he said, still applies
and the prosecuting attorney will be
expected to recognize the voice Of the
present board as the will of the coun-
ty and to uphold their official acts,
and to cooperate with the new special
counsel as he had co-operated with
their predecessors.
The prosecutor rather demurred to
this laying down of the law saying
that as he had already committed
himself to the other side of the case
it would be difficult for him to back up
now and reverse himself.
Both Mr.. Fristoe and Attorney E.
A. Davis filed objections in writing to
the act of the board in discharging
Zent, Powell and Davis and all of the
boards actions regarding the court
house deal were opposed by de Facto
McNeill, while de Jure Houston was
nowhere in sight.
The contract with the new attor-
neys was entered into in Seattle by
them and Chairman Bash and was lat
er approved by Judge John Truax
1t calls for the payment of $500 as a
retainer fee in each of the two actions
now pending and leaves the amount OF