The auditor was ordered to advertise for bids on the construction of the proposed building on September 16, 1889. The bids were received and opened on October 17, and the contract was awarded to the firm of Wittemeir Bros., of Columbus, Ohio, at the sum of $127,666. When the time came for the approval of the contract with the above mentioned firm, Prosecuting Attorney Corwin Locke refused to sign the contract, claimnig that the building was going to cost more than was allowed by the enabling act of the state Legislature. On January 20, 1890, the commissioners revoked their award of the contract to Wittemeir Bros., dismissed the building committee and it then appeared that all hopes for a new court house were killed indefinitely.
Representative Martin of this district introduced, on February 25, 1890, a bill in the General Assembly, asking for authority to issue an additional fifty thousand dollars in bonds for the construction of the proposed new court house at London. This bill revoked the prosecuting attorney's authority over the contract. It was passed in the House, but was defeated in the Senate, by a vote of sixteen to nine. Senator Wilson, of this district, who opposed Representative Martin's bill, introduced another bill, the provisions of which were intended to take the control of the construction of the edifice out of the hands of the commissioners and place it with four citizens of the county, to be appointed by the governor of the state, who, as trustees, should be invested with like powers as the county commissioners in the premises. The bill went to committee, where it "died a-bornin'."
It becoming apparent that Senator Wilson's bill would never pass the House, a compromise was proposed by amending the Martin bill with the additional appropriation left in and the Wittemeir contract knocked out. This bill passed the Senate and went to the House, where the amendments were concurred in. All thought that the matter had been brought to a definite head, until Senator Wallace, of Franklin county, moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill had passed the Senate, and the motion was declared carried. This opened up the whole afifair once more. This was on Friday, but on the following Monday Senator Wilson let himself loose. There was no quorum in the Senate, and the introduction of a few bills was followed by an immediate adjournment. However, immediately after the reading of the journal the senator from Madison arose to speak on a question of privilege. He supported the motion by stating that Senator Wallace was one of the five senators who voted against the bill on its passage, and therefore, under the rules, could not make a motion to reconsider. He charged that Wallace had exceeded the bounds of his duty in trying to legislate for Madison county, and thought there was something queer in the position the senator from Franklin assumed on the question. Senator Wallace angrily retorted that he did not have to plead his honesty; his actions spoke for him, and that he had a perfect right to come to the defense of the persons opposed to the bill when the senator from Madison represented the other side. He made the point of order that the question as to his right to move the reconsideration should have been brought up and determined at the time the motion was made, and that if the journal correctly reported the day's proceeding it could not be corrected. The chair ruled against the point of order, and Mr. Wilson's motion carried, and the matter was stricken from the journal. This disposed of the question and the court house bill became law.
New bids were advertised for and were promptly received, being opened on May 15, 1890. The contract was let to the lowest bidder-Doerzbeck & Decker, of Sandusky, Ohio, for $127,000. These people had built the court houses and jails at Circleville and St. Clairsville and the sheriffs residences and jails at Ashland and Norwalk, and a few of the buildings at Oberlin College. The contract was approved on May 1, 1890. County Engineer Clint Morse was appointed to represent the county as superintendent of construction. The contractors sublet the brickwork to James Self, of London, who had received from the commissioners the contract for taking down and removing parts of the old court house.
On April 9. following, the commissioners had purchased the west half of lot No. 40, of Mrs. Sarah J. Dresback, for fifteen hundred dollars, and on April 19, the northeast portion of lot No. 40 from William Gamlin and Mrs. Catharine Hardman, for five thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars. Work on the construction of the new building began on June 5, and progressed nicely, although the contractors had a little trouble with striking stone-cutters and stone-masons in early July.