Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/159

 IIISToky OF GOODHUE COUNTY 113 tract, or to obtain the besl possible legal advice on the matter. The resolution was especially considered at a meeting held at 2 o'clock that afternoon. A communication having been received from the senator and representatives in the state legislature in regard to the passage of a hill, authorizing the hoard of supervisors to issue bonds for the erection of county buildings, Mr. Grow offered the following resolution: Kesolved. By the Hoard of Supervisors of Goodhue county, that onr senator and our representatives he requested to secure the passage of a hill introduced by Senator Hudson, July 0, 1858, entitled •"An ad to authorize the board of super- visors of Goodhue county to issue county bonds for the erection of county buildings." This was passed with an amendment to the effect that in making this request the board expressed no opinion as to the issuing of the bonds or the erecting of the buildings. It might here be explained that there was some oppo- sition to the erection of these buildings, but the outlying town- ships, who believed that the new buildings would give Red Wing an undue advantage over the other villages. Orrin Densmore and J. ('. Stearns were appointed on the committee to secure legal opinion, and a statement was secured from Judge D. Cooper, of St. Paul, in which he declared that in his opinion, the contract made by the previous board of county officers was binding upon the county. Efforts were then made to persuade the Messrs. Hill, Simmons & Co. to relinquish their contract. This they refused to do, saying that they had sub-let much of the work, had ordered materials, and been to other expense. They offered, how- ever, to accept for consideration a written proposition of the terms of a compromise. In the meantime, on July 15, the board found that a still more commodious room was necessary, and Harmony Hall, at the corner of Main and Fulton streets, was secured. This hall the hoard occupied July 16, and at subsequent meetings. In after years this building was destroyed by fire. Efforts at a compro- mise with the contractors failed, and it "was finally voted to assume the obligation laid on the county by the previous board, and proceed with the work on the courthouse. In passing this vote, the supervisors strongly censured the previous board for so heavily loading the county in debt, and expressed its regret that the county should be bound by such an act, and the same time declaring that there. seemed no way in which the present super- visors could legally cancel the contract of the previous county board. The second county board of supervisors was elected in April. 1859, and met in the office of the county auditor, April 18, of that year. J.' A. Thacher, of Zumbrota. was elected chairman of the