Chap. 558.—An ACT to authorize the county of Madison to subscribe to the
stock of the Madison and Orange railroad company on certain conditions.

Approved February 29, 1896.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the
judge of the county court of Madison county in term time or in
vacation shall, on application of the Madison and Orange railroad
company by its president, or any two of ita directors, at any time
within two years from the passage of this act, stating the amount of
the subscription asked for, make an order requiring the sheriff ata
time designated in said order not less than thirty days from the date
thereof, to open polls and take the sense of the voters of the said
county on the question whether the said county shall subscribe to
the stock of the Madison and Orange railroad company to an
amount not exceeding fifty thousand dollars for the said county in
bonds of the said county, bearing interest at six per centum and to
be paid in the manner now provided by law for the payment of such
subscription, the principal of said bonds to be due in thirty years;
but the said subscription is subject to the condition that such bonds
shall be delivered to said company in proportion, as near as may be,
as sections of five miles of said road are constructed and completed
with rails thereon, the same having been certified by a commission
appointed by the county court of said county, the compensation of
the commission to be fixed by the court, but paid by the company,
or otherwise; the said county subscription shall be due and payable
as may be agreed upon between the board of supervisors of said
county and the board of directors of said company. There shall be
attached to said bonds coupons for the interest aforesaid, which shall
be receivable at the office of the treasurer of the said county in pay-
ment of all taxes and county levies due said county by the bearer
on and after the date of maturity of the coupons.

2. The said election shall be conducted, and the ballots cast there
at shall be counted, returned and canvassed in the manner pre-
scribed in section twelve hundred and forty-four of the code of Vir-
ginia.

3. If it shall appear by the report of the board of commissioners
appointed to count the said ballots, that three-fifths of the qualified
voters of the said county voting upon the question are in favor of
the subscription, and that said three-fifths includes a majority of
the votes cast by the freeholders at such election, the said county
court shall at its next session enter of record an order requiring the
supervisors of said county to attend on a day and ata place named
in the order to carry out the wishes of the votera as expressed at said
election.

4. This act shall be in force from its passage.