The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1919-07-09
Petition Bearing 1884
Names Filed Monday
COMMISSIONERS TO SET DATE
FOR SPECIAL ELECTION ON
COUNTY SEAT REMOVAL
PETITION NOT STRONG
FRIENDS OF PRESENT LOCA-
TON OPTIMISTIC OVER OUT
COME OF ELECTION.

The petition, asking for a special
election in the matter of the suggest
ed removal of the county seat of Red
wood County from Redwood Falls to
Wabasso, was filed Monday morning
with County Auditor L. P. Larson. The
petition carried 1924 names.
The Commissioners will meet July 26
to consider the petition and to decide
upon the date of the special election
which will be held to determine the
future location of the county seat.
According to the law covering Pc
tition for county seat removal it
must be signed by sixty per cent of
the vote at the last general election
held in the county before it becomes
effective. The present petition COM
plies with this condition, the last be-
ing 3, 759. However, the last vote was
a light one, at least 800 soldier votes
being out of the county, most of which
will be back at the time of the speci-
al election. 1t is estimated that there
are more than 5000 voters in the coun-
ty Therefore at least 1000 or more
of the voters of the county refused to
sign the petition and will in all pro-
liability vote against the removal
ton would be signed by 5000 names
or more, since 60 per cent of the entire
vote of the county would be consider
ably more than 5000.
1t is also to be remembered that
many voters signed the petition. feel
ing that the matter should be brought
before the people at an election, who
are pronounced in their intention to
vote for the present location. This
detracts considerably from the
strength of the petition. 1t is also
found from a cursory survey of the
petition that there are several repeti-
tons among the names of the signers,
and also some signatures from men
who are known to lack the necessary
qualifications as voters, thus detract-
ing a possible hundred or more names
from the petition.
1t is very evident that the petition
is not a strong one and the friends
of the present location feel they may
safely be very hopeful concerning the
outcome of the election. Several sec
tions of. the county were canvassed as
many as three and four times before
any considerable number of signatures
were secured for the petition and I'M
i doubteaiy TIE petition represents the
maximum strength of the advocates
of the removal to Wabasso, plus sew
eral hundred who will eventually vote
for Redwood Falls.
The friends Of the present location
Will make no attempt to defeat the
purpose of the petition by soliciting
the withdrawal of names of those hav-
l c1r = L.
that has become almost a legend that
withdrawal of signatures shall be
sought in all "county-seat fights" the
Redwood County Taxpayers Commit
tee which is conducting the defense,
believes that the matter should be set
tied by the vote of the people and
feels that now is the proper time to
have it submitted.
There has been a change in senti-
ment during the last few weeks, in
several of the sections which were
formerly open in their preference for
the Wabasso site. Heavy and devast-
ating rains have failed during the past
few weeks and in the face of a very
probable failure of large percentage
of the crops of the county, such an ex-
penditure of money would be unwise.
Many townships realize that their
necessary repairs to roads and bridges
4 are going to cost them, as individual
townships, large sum, and that they
should not at this time burden them
selves with unnecessary expense. The
4 expense of the county seat removal to
each township In the county will be
4 between $4,000 and $4,000 and the
residents are agreed that this money
might be better spent in the improve
ment of their respective communities
and townships rather than in improv-
ing the village of Wabasso.