Chap. 176.—An ACT to Authorize the Qualified Voters of Halifax
County, to vote on the Question of the Purchase of the Toll-Bridge,
at South Boston, in that County, in order to Make it a Free Bridge.

Approved April 9, 1874.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
whenever the sum of three thousand dollars shall have been
subscribed for the purpose of buying the toll-bridge at South
Boston, in Halifax county, to make it a free bridge, it shall
be the duty of the county court of said county, upon the pe-
tition of fifty or more of the qualified voters of said county,
who are freeholders, to issue an order to the several officers
conducting elections in the said county, at the time and places
for holding the general election on the fourth Thursday in
May, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, to pre-
pare a separate ballot-box for each voting precinct, in which
shall be deposited the ballots of the then qualified voters who
shall desire to vote upon the question of the purchase of said
bridge. The said ballots shall be respectively as follows:
“For the purchase of bridge.” ‘Against the purchase of
bridge.” Each ballot so cast, which shall have written or
printed thereon, “For the purchase of bridge,” shall be taken
and counted as a vote for the purchase of the said bridge;
and each ballot which shall have written or printed thereon,
‘“ Against the purchase of bridge,” shall be taken and counted
as a vote against the purchase of said bridge.

2. The manner of receiving and canvassing the ballote
cast at such election on the question of the purchase of said
bridge, and making returns and abstracts of the results thereof,
shalf conform in all respects to the regulations prescribed b
the general election law of this state, except that the certifi-
cate of the judges of election shall be as follows:

‘““We hereby certify that at the election held, —— votes
were cast ‘for the purchase of the bridge,’ and —— votes
were cast ‘against the purchase of bridge.’

oh \ Clerks
“J. R.
A.B.

“C.D. >} Judges.”
OK. F.

And provided further, that the commissioners of election
shall make on a separate sheet, an abstract of said votes
against and for the purchase of said bridge; which abstract
shall be duly signed by said commissioners, and deposited in
the office of the clerk of the county court of said county.

3. If, from such returns and abstracts of votes so cast upon
the question of purchase of said bridge, it shall appear that
three-fifths of the votes were cast for the purchase of said
bridge, and that a majority of the registered voters of said
county voted at said election, it shall be the duty of the
county court of said county to appoint three commissioners,
whose duty it shall be to negotiate with the president, direc-
tors and company owning and controlling said bridge for the
purchase thereof for the use of said county; but it shall not
e lawful for the said commissioners to give more than eigh-
teen thousand dollars for the right and franchises of said
company in the bridge, or to bind the county for more than
five-sixths of the sum to be paid for said bridge: provided,
that no contract shall be binding on the said county until it
shall have been ratified by the board of supervisors, who
shall have been summoned for the purpose by order made by
the county court.
4. If a majority of the board of supervisors shall ratify

"the contract made by said commissioners with the president,
directors and company owning said bridge, it shall be lawful
in the discretion of said board to issue bonds of the said
county to bear interest at a rate not exceeding the rate of
interest allowed by law, payable annually: provided, that no
bond issued under the provisions of this act shall be for a
longer period than ten years, or the said board may, in its

, discretion, levy upon persons and property, in the manner
prescribed by law for other levies for county purposes, a sum
not exceeding one-fifth of the purchase money for said bridge
in any one year; which said levy shall be collected and ac-
counted for in the manner prescribed by law for other county
levies, and paid out by order of the board of supervisors as
other debts due by counties, &c., are now audited and paid,
in discharge of the debt due for said bridge. ,

r 5. Should a majority of the registered voters of the said
county vote at said election, and should three-fifths of those
so voting vote in favor of the purchase of said bridge, and
the provisions of this act be complied with, the bridge shall
be subject to all the rules and regulations now prescribed by
law in regard to county bridges.

, 6. In the event that the county court of Halifax county,

* shall, for any cause, fail to submit the question of the pur-

y chase of the said bridge to the qualified voters of said county,
on the fourth Thursday in May, eighteen hundred and sev-
enty-four, then it shall be lawful, upon the petition of one
hundred or more of the qualified voters of said county, being
freeholders, for the county court of said county to submit
the question of the purchase of the said bridge to the vote
of the legally qualified voters of said county, at any regular
election to be held at any time subsequent to the fourth
Thursday in May, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, in the
manner and form prescribed in this act; and in case three-
fifths of the voters voting in such election shall vote in favor
of the purchase of the said bridge, and a majority of the
legally qualified voters of the county vote in said election,
the county court of said county and the board of supervisors
of said county shall proceed to carry out the will of the peo-
ple as herein prescribed.

t 7. This act shall be in force from its passage.