The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1869-12-18
Re,uoyoI Of the Court House.

There is quite an earnest movement on loot In
Baltimore county in favor OF the removal OF the
county seat from Towsontown to the Ola Aims
house property running west from Franklin road.
This property, which exceeds IN extent one nun
dred and fifty acres, has been for eight or ten
years past dead weight on the county, and it
is estimated that by removing the county seat to
this locality il would net to the county lmmedi-
ately couple of million of dollars. The Com
missioners of the county forbidden to sell the
fifty acres on which the Almshouse buildings are
located for less than So 500 per acre, but the
purchase of the water power by Col. j. Summer
field Berry has rendered it useless for manufac-
turing purposes, and consequently it has been
found impossible to obtain this price. With a
railroad running out Townsend street and
through Lafayette avenue, which viii! pass over
light grades directly through the heart of this
finely located property, there can be no doubt
that large population would soon be concen-
trated there, and that property would rapidly
advance The opposition in the county to the
extension of the city limits one mile beyond the
present boundary has given strength to this
movement, and meetings have been called in the
county to take the matter into consideration.
We take the above from the Baltimore Ameri-
can of Wednesday last, and give it for what it
is worth, only setting it down as important U
"true." But then, we do not believe that the
"earnest movement" in regard to this removal
exists anywhere else but in the mind of the
american reporter. Mr.. Fulton, senior proprie-
tor of the american, owns property in the vicin-
ity of the alms-house, and doubtless he would be
very gland to see the comfy 60 to an expense OF
perhaps $500, 900 or 100000 in removing the
county seat to this out-of-the-way locality, as he
would be greatly benefited thereby. But the lu-
cid individual who sees this movement so
plainly should inform himself better as TO facts
The almshouse property contains about one hun
bred and fifty acres, about forty-six of which
we are prohibited from selling at less than
So 500 per acre, and accrued interest which
would now make that portion of il worth nearly
S., 900 per acre, if the county can get IL. But
the balance OF it they can sell at any price. lfthe
IAaaertcan's version of this is right, how hap
pens it that COL Berry purchased that "valua-
able water power'' at $500 per acre ? That sale,
to be sure, was ruinous to the property, for man.
ufacturiug purposes, but $500 per acre was what
| it was sold for.
We told the people of the county before the
election, that an earnest movement was on foot
TO extend the city limits, but the project we were
told by our opponents, was one not to lie feared
| at all. and would never be consummated. Now,
however, it is admitted that the scheme is freely
talked Of and will be urged before the next Leg
islature If such extension takes place land il
will at some future day, if not now,) the aims
house property sciH be scithin The city limits Here
is strong argument in opposition to our max.
| ing any extensive improvements there for the
people OF The county will never agree that their
seat OF Justice shall be within the limits Of anoth-
er jurisdiction.
The people have settled this question OF q
county seat long ago. The claims of rival To-
calites were ably presented and strongly urged,
and Towsontown, after fair contest and re-
peated trials, was selected. Towsontown is CEN
trally located and there are convenience of &C
cess to it unsurpassed by any other locality in
the county The citizens of the county fully
realize all this, and will never consent that the
seat of justice shall be removed to one corner Of
our jurisdiction, merely to use property we
should never have owned, Or owning, should
have sold long ago.
We have treated this matter rather seriously,
but still believe that this project has no other
foundation than the wish of the American's pro.
pretors, perhaps backed up by the interested
opinions of certain subordinate officer of our
court, and by those of a few "played.out' poll
ticiaus