Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-05-30

The SQuARE AND CoURT HOUSE QUESTION
The City Council meets to-day to determine
the vexed question in relation TO accepting the
proposition Of the County Court in rebuilding
the Court House and improving the Public
Square. Our position upon this subject is well
known, and the more we have csnvassed the
matter the frmer have become our conviction
that the proposition should be accepted. Our
readers have heretofore, here and elsewhere,
been advised of the necessity and Importance Of
the proposed step, and the reasons for rsrnov-
ing, and eventually doing away with the Mar
ket House, aud it would be work of superer-
rogation to repeat them now. We propose at
present only TO notice some of the objections
of those who oppose the proposition.
II is said, in the first place, that this scheme
will cost the corporation about $40, 600. With
al due respect for the opinions of gentlemen,
we submit that if 1927 900, at least, were de-
ducted from that amount, it would be some
thing in the vicinity of the real amount which
would be required, aud even the remaining
sum is nearly double what some of our scien-
tifc calculators have set down rs the sum nee
out with the assumption that it viii be ne nee
essary to buy immediately two sites for mar
or else one for general market as at present,
ket houses 10 opposite portions OF the city,
prepare the grounds and erect suitable build
ings Such a thing is not contemplated in the
plan proposed The removal of the present
market house, Immediately, is not required.
This may be the work of one, two or three
years, when ample time has elapsed to give
the new system for marketing time to develop
itself That public opinion in the cities of
this country is undergoing a radical and bene-
fetal change upon this subject, is not to be con
troverted, and now is the most propitious
time for Nashville, also, to profit by the same
progressive spirit of improvement. Thus it
will be seen that the objections in this partic-
ular fall TO the ground.
1t is then argued that a vast outlay Of money
will be necessary to improve the square. Let
Us see. If the proposition Of the county should
be accepted, an open space 100 feet wide is TO
left upon every side of the square for a street
The buildings will cover quite a large space
of ground, so that scarcely more than one
third Of the whole area, and perhaps not that
much, will be left to be improved. A large
quantity of stone will be necessary for the su-
perstructure of the contemplated buildings and
fence, and when it is recollected that the whole
square is bu, a fine quarry Of rock, it will be
seen at once that a great portion Of the ex-
pense necessary to the carrying out of the pro-
posed plan will be saved. This, with Il ex-
pense proposed for rebuilding the City Hall,
will doubtless be more than sufficient TO pc
the work of improving the square. On the
score of economy, then, the proposed plan is
by far the most preferable.
Let it be remembered that if the court
house is erected upon the old site, al'the pro-
liabilities or hopes for the accomplishment Of
this desirable object are perhaps at an end for
years to come.
We desire to remark here, that public opin-
ion is, upon this subject, hardly divided. We
have met with but very few who did not favor
the proposition, while its friends may be de-
nominated "the masses of the people" and
among them the most Influential of our cti
zens, as we'll as many outside Of the city whose
interests are identified with her prosperity.
Will this wish of the people of Nashville be
reflected to-day by those who represent her
in the City Council2 We shall see.