44 Kan. 186 | Kan. | 1890
The opinion of the court was delivered by
It is admitted by both parties to this action that the county seat of Atchison county is, and has been since the year 1855, located upon territory now included within the boundaries of the city of Atchison. It was first
The city of Atchison within the boundaries within which it was incorporated on February 12,1858, is known and designated, at least in this case, as “Old Atchison”; and the site for public county buildings with some additional territory has remained the same ever since such site was first selected, in August, 1858. The county commissioners are now about to change the location of the public county buildings from the place where they were first located, in 1858, to L. C. Challiss’s Addition, a distance of about one-half mile; and the principal question now presented to this court is, whether they have the power to do so, or not. It is claimed by the
We think it has already been settled by the decisions of this court, that a county seat will remain precisely where it was originally located until changed or removed under the provisions of the constitution and statutes of the state. (The State v. Harwi, 36 Kas. 588; The State v. Stevens, 40 id. 113, 119; School District v. Roach, 41 id. 513, 533.) In this present case the county seat was located on October 3,1858, at the city of Atchison. Of course it could not have been located in or upon the city of Atchison, as a governmental organization, a municipal corporation, a corporate entity, an artificial person, and all bodies politic and corporate in Kansas, are in law perons — artificial persons. (See act relating to the construction of statutes, § 1, ¶ 13; Gen. Stat. of 1889, ¶ 6687.) It was in fact located upon territory, the territory occupied by the corporate being, the artificial person, known as the city of Atchison. It is not necessary, however, in any case, that a county seat should be located within or upon territory occupied by an incorporated city, or within the territory of a city at all, or within the territory of any town, or village, or township, or school district, or road district, or any corporation or organization of any kind. County seats do not necessarily have any relation to or connection with any such things. A county seat may be located upon vacant and unoccupied land, and by any name that will sufficiently designate it or by which it may be known.
The restraining order prayed for by the plaintiff will be granted.