Chap. 610.—An ACT to authorize the qualified voters of the county of Northamp-
ton to vote upon the removal of the courthouse, clerk's office, jail, and other
buildings pertaining to the court of Northampton county, from their present
location at Eastville to the town of Cape Charies, and to appropriate a part ot
the glebe fund of said county towards erecting new buildings in case of removal,
and to improve and enlarge the courthouse by appropriating two thousand dol-
lars of said glebe fund,

Approved March 1, 1898.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That an election
to be held in the county of Northampton, on the first Tuesday in Au-
gust, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, by the voters of said county
qualified to vote for the members of the general assembly, upon the ques-
tion of whether or not the courthouse, clerk’s office, jail, and all other
buildings pertaining to the court of said county, shall be changed from
their present location at Eastville to the town of Cape Charles; and, fur-
ther, that in the event it shall be determined by such election that said
buildings shall not be removed from FEastville, then also to determine
whether an appropriation of not exceeding two thousand dollars of the
glebe fund of said county or fund arising from the sale of glebe lands in
said county shall be used in improving and enlarging the present court-
house in Lastville, in said county.
2. It shall be the duty of the judge of the county court of said county,
in term time or in vacation of said court, at least thirty days prior tu
the date of said election, by order certified to the clerk of said court for
entry upon the order book of said court, to require the sheriff of said
county, at least twenty days prior to the date of said election, to post a
notice of said election at each voting precinct in said county, and it shall
be the duty of eaid sheriff to post said notices whether su ordered or not,
and also to give notice to the judges of election in said county of the
election herein provided for.

3. The ballots to be voted at said election shall have printed thereon
the words, ‘‘ For removal to Cape Charles and anappropriation of five
thousand dollars of the glebe fund,’’ and also the words, ‘‘Against re-
moval to Cape Charles and an appropriation of five thousand dollars
of the glebe fund,’’ and it shall be the duty of the elector, with a pen
or pencil, to draw a line through at least three-fourths of the words con-
taining the proposition he does not wish to vote for, leaving unscratched
the proposition he does wish to vote for, and unless so marked the ballot
shall be considered as unscratched as to a vote on the two said proposi-
tions. The said ballot shall also have printed thereon the words, ‘* For
appropriating not exceeding two thousand dollars of the glebe fund in
improving the courthouse at Eastville,’’ and also the words, ‘‘Against
appropriating not exceeding two thousand dollars of the glebe fund in
improving the courthouse at Eastville,’’ and it shall be the duty of the
elector, with a pen or pencil, to draw a line through at least three-fourths
of the words of that one of the two last-named propositions he does not
wish to vote for, leaving unscratched that one of the two last-named pro-
positions that he does wish to vote for, and unless so marked the ballot
shall be considered unscratched as to the said two last propositions.

4. The manner of conducting the said election, obtaining the ballot
from the judge of election, marking the same in the booth, receiving
and canvassing the ballot, making returns and abstracts thereof and cer-
tifying the same shall conform in all respects to the general law for the
election of members of the general assembly, so far as it can be made
applicable thereto, except that the certificate of the judges of election
shall be as follows, or in words equivalent thereto: We hereby certify
that at an election held on the first Tuesday in August, eighteen hundred
and ninety-eight, at precinct votes were cast for the re-
moval of the courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and all other buildings per-
taining to the court of said county to Cape Charles, and votes
were cast against removal of the courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and all
buildings pertaining to the court of said county to Cape Charles; and we
also certify that at said election at said precinct votes were cast
for appropriating not exceeding two thousand dollars of the glebe fund
in improving the courthouse at Eastville, and that votes were
cast against appropriating not exceeding two thousand dollars of the
glebe fund in improving the courthouse at Eastville.

A. B. } Clerks.

Cc. D. ———

Judges.

I. J.
5. The commissioners of election shall canvass the returns as herein-
before provided, and they shall certify the whole number of votes cast
in said county for removing the courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and all
buildings pertaining to the court of said county to the said town of Cape
Charles, and they shall also certify the whole number of votes cast in
said county against removing the courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and all
buildings pertaining to the court of said county to the said town of Cape
Charles, and they shall also certify the whole number of votes cast in said
county for appropriating not exceeding two thousand dollars of the said
glebe fund in improving the courthouse at Eastville, and shall also cer-
tify the whole number of votes cast in said county against appropriating
not exceeding two thousand dollars of said glebe fund in improving the
courthouse at Kastville to the county court of said county, and the said
court shall cause the vote so ascertained to be recorded on the order book
of said court.

6. If it shall appear from such certificate and returns of such commis-
sioners that a majority of the votes cast upon the two propositions first
hereinbefore mentioned, that is to say, the propositions for and against
the removal of the courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and all buildings per-
taining to the court of said county to the town of Cape Charles were cast
for the removal of said courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and all buildings
pertaining to the court of said county, then the board of supervisors of
the said county shall be authorized to take steps to carry into effect the
wishes of the people so expressed, in erecting a courthouse and other
necessary buildings in the corporate limits of the town of Cape Charles,
upon a site to be selected by said board and which in their judgment is
most suitable for said county buildings, which site shall be conveyed to
said county by deed, approved by the attorney for the commonwealth,
and the erection of said buildings shall be commenced within one year
and be completed within two vears from the passage of this act, and the
said board of supervisors shall be authorized to dispose of the present
courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and all other buildings on the present site
at Kastville in such manner as they may consider most advantageous for
said county, and appropriate the proceeds of sale towards the expense of
the erection of new buildings, and the said board of supervisors shall
expend from the principal of what is known as the glebe fund of said
county or the funds arising from the sale of glebe lands in said county,
for the erection of the said buildings together with the proceeds of the
sale of the county property at Eastville as above stated : provided, how-
ever, that if a majority of the board of supervisors of said county shall
be of the opinion that five thousand dollars of the glebe fund, together
with the sum that is likely to accrue from the sale of the grounds, court-
house, clerk’s office, jail and other buildings pertaining to the court of
said county will not be sufficient to rebuild in a satisfactory manner
said courthouse, clerk’s office and jail, and to acquire by purchase or
otherwise suitable ground on which to erect said buildings in the cor-
porate limits of Cape Charles, then no appropriation of the glebe fund
shall be made by the board of supervisors, nor shall the courthouse,
clerk’s ottice, jail and other buildings pertaining tu the court of said
county be removed. If it shall appear from the said certificate and
returns of the said commissioners that a majority of the votes cast upon
the question of removing the courthouse, clerk’s office, jail and other
buildings pertaining to the court in said county to Cape Charles were
cast against such removal, and it shall further appear from the said cer-
tificate and returns of said commissioners that a majority of the votes
cast upon the proposition of expending not exceeding the sum of two
thousand dollars of the glebe fund in improving the courthouse at East-
ville were cast for the expenditure of not exceeding two thousand dollars
of said glebe fund in making said improvements, then the board of
supervisors of said county by a majority vote of said board shall be au-
thorized to expend not exceeding the sum of two thousand dollars of the
principal of the said glebe fund, or fund arising from the sale of glebe
lands in said county, in improving and enlarging the present courthouse
at Eastville.

7. It shall be the duty of the electoral board of said county to have
printed and distributed the ballots to be used in this election in like
manner as provided by law for printing and distributing ballots in other
elections.

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