Chap. 168.—An ACT to Authorize the Qualified Voters of the County of
Prince William to Vote on the Question of Removing the County
Court-house to Manassas.

Approved March 12, 1872.

Whereas, numerous and influential citizens of Prince William
county have, by petition, memorialized the general assembly
that the sense of the people of said county should be taken
upon the change of the location of the court house of said
county: therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
it shall be the duty of the several officers conducting elections
in the county of Prince William, at the time and places for
holding the general election, on the fourth Thursday in May,
eighteen hundred and seventy-two, to prepare 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 said removal. The said ballots shall be
respectively as follows :

For Brentsville.
For Manassas.

Each ballot so cast which shall have written or printed
thereon “For Brentsville,” shall be taken and counted as a
yote against the removal of said court-house, and each ballot
50 cast which shall have written or printed thereon “ For Ma-
nassas,” shall be taken and counted as a vote for the removal
of said court-house from its present location to the village of
Manassas, in said county.

2. The manner of receiving and canvassing the ballots cast
at such election on the question of the removal of said court-
house, and making returns and abstracts of the results thereof,
shall conform in all respects to the regulations prescribed by
the general election law of this state, except that the certificate
of the judges of election shall be as follows:

We hereby certify that at the election held votes
were cast “for Brentsville,” and votes were cast “ for
Manassas.”

G. H. . A. B.
K. rt Clerks. ! C. D., Judges:
E. F.

and provided, further, that the commissioners of election shall
make, on a separate sheet, an abstract of said votes against and
for the removal of said court-house of Prince William county,
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 the removal of the court-house of Prince Wu-
liam county it shall appear that a majority of the. votes were
“for Manassas,” the said village of Manassas shall be, to all in-
tents and purposes, the place of holding courts in the said
county of Prince William, and for conducting the business
incident thereto, so soon as suitable buildings may be erected
for that purpose: provided, that the people of Manassas shall
furnish the necessary lot of ground, enclose it, and erect
thereon, without expense to the people of the county, as good
or better court-house, jail and clerk's offices, than those in pre-
sent use, and shall convey by proper legal conveyance the title
to the said lot and buildings thereon to the said county; the
funds for the purchase of said lot and the erection of said
buildings to be received by Benjamin D. Merchant, Charles L.
Hynson and William 8. Fewell, who shall constitute, in con-
nection with the board of supervisors, a building committee,
to erect the court-house and other necessary buildings; and it
shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of the county of
Prince William to sell the public buildings at Brentsville upon
such terms as they shall deem best, and appropriate the pro-
ceeds of snid sale toward the erection of the necessary public
buildings at Manassas aforesaid; and the board of supervisors
of said county shall select a lot on which said public buildings
shall be erected; and further provided, said removal of said
court-house shall not take place before the year eighteen hun-
dred and seventy-three.

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