Wabash express. [volume] (Terre-Haute, Vigo Co[unty], Ind.) 1841-186?, 1860-01-25
The Court House Improvement.

On next Saturday the County Commis /
sioners of this county propose letting the
contract for repairing the Court House, to |
the lowest bidder. We have examined the |
plan for this improvement, and find that
it is contemplated to increase the height of
the walls about four feet-to tear out the
entire inside of the house and remoddle II,
that the county offices will hereafter be be-
low, and the court room and the jury rooms
above-there is to be new roof and new
cupola built. In truth the whole house IS
to be remoddled. at an expense of between
Ave and seven Thousand dollars.
Ought the County Commissioners to
make this improvement, Is question ex-
citing much interest. 1t is evident that
the demands of this people require more
eommodious Court House, one sufficiently
large to contain all the county Offices and
an ample room in which can De held the
different county courts.
At the present time the county is not
able to build such an one. The times nop
are too hard and the finances of the coun-
~ are too low. Ills not advisable then to
undertake such a work at this time, but
ths time is not far distant when the embar-
easements Of the county will have ended,
and q work eff this kind can then be COM
mencsd and finished without being bur-
den to the people. In FIVE years, at the far
Ihest, q Court House can be built in this
city which will be a credit to the county
add much to The beauty of the city, and
the means necessary to do it can be raised
without being felt by the taxpayer.
The improvement now proposed ~, IN oul
Judgment, ill-advised. In the FIRST place, th'
Offices proposed to be made. will all be toe
small-,he court room which is too small
now, will be much smaller then. The out
side appearance of the house, which i
now in almost exact proportion. will 5s
then Just four feet too high for its base. i
will be out Of all proportion, and an eye
sore TO every man of taste.
Secondly, The walls are old, very muci
cracked. and in our judgment. not sufficien
70 support the additional weight intend
ed to be placed upon tbem--in this we arr
sustained by some of the best mechanic
Of the city. We ask the Commissioners II
look Of this matter car-fully-those wall
sill not sustain the contemplated improve
ment.
But aside from every consideration. tn
Court House as it now is, will answer yer
we'll for Ave or six years, when the count
will certainly be able to build new one
Indeed the court room, which is the prin
cipal room 10 the house, is better now an
more commodious than it will be when i'm
proved as contemplated. The fact is,
will then be too small for all, but the mos
common purposes.
In short, we hope this improvement will
not be made. We hope the Commissioned
will expend a few hundred dollars in re
pairing the "old SHE'LL" SO that it may an
swer the purpose for few years, and the
house can te built that every citizen
The county will be proud Of. We hope tn
Commissioners will have the Square prop
erly graded, and this spring, will have
planted with beautiful forest trees, SO tina
when the time comes for the building of
new Court House, the Square may be sha
led and present pleasing prospect to th
eye.
The feeling SO far as We have been abl
so learn 10 universal against the above con
contemplated improvement, and in behal
Of the people we ask the County Comm:s
.iouers not to have it made. The Coul
House will do, with very little expense
for some years yet, and then the seve
thousand dollars now expended, will ASST
much in building a new one.