, 1872-11-22
What Will the Owners Take, and
How Can The Money Be
Raised?
Another Meeting to Be Held To.
Day.
Letter from NIr. Louis D. Hoard.

1oN|J NA@~AA11o41s AEa4AC4b flkL0 LII LIZ
chair. Present, Messrs- Jones, Ashton, Har
rison, Sicily, stearns, Lonergan, Herting, PAIL
man, Crawford, and Roeue.
MesErs. Galloway and Miller, elected respec
lively to fill the vacancies caused By the resig
nation of Aressrs. Wahl and Talcott, qualified
and took their seats.
Ihe special order was then taken up, beint
The report Of the Special Committee on the Res
toration OF the Records, With q resolution at
taohed, for the purchase Of the abstract books
the BUM being left blank.
Mr. Crawford moved the Board to 20 intt
COMMITTEES Of the Whole on the resolution.
It WAS SO ordered, and the Board went intf
Committee, Commissioner Crawford in tht
chair.
General White eaid the report presented twe
questions one whether it was expedient to buy
these books to partly replace the old records,
the ether, the price. He VAS disappointed tha.
the COMMITTEES had obtained no opinion from the
Judges as to the utility of the books. Theyhad
given an opinion On nothing. They say it any
thing IVES bought, all should be, and then con-
dtioned on the power Of the county to ply fol
them. What they had said gave him no Light.
II they had said the county should or should not
buy the books, he would be far more ready to
vote. To legislate at guess as to what the
Judges would approve, he did not like. Still,
the Law did not require them to say more than
they had He suggested that the Board take up
first the question whether it was necessary OF
expedient to make the purchase at all.
Mr.. Harrison asked 11r. Ashton what the
Judges meant BY saying they should buy every
thing-did they mean to buy duplicates?
Mr. Ashton said yes-to break up monopoly,
and since one set might have what another did
not.
MI. Harrison said the law authorized the pur-
chase OF copies or originals. There was no rea-
son Tor having the latter, except from the poesi-
bility Of copy errors. Gould not they buy one
set Of books and correct it from the others, and
be as well of as il all we're bought. OF some
books there we're even triplcates. The county
need not so into the purchase Of these books at
80 grest enm, when it could get the same in
formation for half as much The amount de-
mandad for the whole WEB about $3.50, 900. They
:had already sold bonds to the amount
of s75o,o0o. II they rnised the valuation Of the
county to s100, ZOO, they could raise annu-
ally but $3.50, 600 for current expenses, which
could not be diminished, owing to pauperism
etc. The interest On bonds already issued, and
the amount for sinking fund, had also to be
conaide red, which waB to be deducted from the
annual ta1. Therefore, before buying the
books and issuing more bonds, they had better
submit the thing to popular vote. Nor did he
zee zny necessity for the purchase. 4 1eB rea1
estate frms hsd suffered, bnt the Gales in the
last six months had been immense. Where was
the imperative necessity2
Mr. Crawford eald the Judges declined to con-
cider the plan OF compilation.
Mr. Ashton moved that 80 much Of the reso1u-
tion as related to the purchase Of the books
be taken up.
The motion Vas agreed to.
M1. Ashton had. after much reflection, come to
ehe conclusion that something ahould be done
10 restore the records, and had voted for the
proposition to pay 100000. That was dssp-
snything Of an original nature. Why they did
70 he could not tell except for the tWo reasons
rated, that some books corrected others, and
hat 1t Was absolutely necessary to break up the
monopoly The abstract men did not want to
leu everything. and did not think it needfnl for
The county to buy it, nor did he; but he did
rot Like to Get himself up against the eight
Judges. They had come to the conclusion they
would approve no plan which did, not buy
sverything. Then the Committee had nothing
eft to do but to ind what the books could be
had for. he thought they could get on easily
with leas than all the books, but there was the
decision OF the Judges. He had now no question
Of the necessity OF some action by the Board to
do something to replace the records. A large
mslority Of -property-owners favored the pur-
chase Of the books, to some extent at least. He
WIS willing to vote the county should make q
purchase, but, II not hedged in by the law, they
could proceed more easily than now, Nov Al
they could do Tas to cay that they would or would
not buy all. Then the question came as to the
amount.
Mr. Miller asked it the Judges said explicitly
the books were really necessary, and should be
purchased.
Mr.. Crawford said the majority Of The Judges
had go expressed themselves to the Committee.
Three often said SO. One Judge said he had
bean opposed, but was recently Convinced.
Mr. Ashton said there was nothing in the law
calling On the Judges for an opinion as to the
necessity OF the books. 4 majority Of the
Judges, however, did indicate to the Committee
that there VAS necessity for the purchase.
One or TWO seemed to think there was no ne
eeEsity.
- General = White said be had been Of The opinion
that the county as corporate body VAS guilty OF
neglect IN the way in which the records had been
kept. It was hard to find parallel. They were
accessible to any who chose to 1nutilate them,
and, in case OF fire, their destruction WAS certain
Cook County owed it to each individual to replace
the record OF his land II it could. Would
the abstracts do it2 The Judges said thew
tended-to Hhow title, and that the county should
buy them for price within its means. He
knew Of no more important thing for the county
W oo Inaa to IestVle tnes6 leculob' II IL Gid
not every 1ea1 estate owner must go into court
and prove his title. He had nothing to prove
title to an inch Of land except what Was in the
abstract books, which Bere now liable to loss, or
removal. It was true, much property had been
sold, but that simply proved the mutual con-
hdence Of nen-it did not prove that it conld be
.at11ed On indefinitely. He did not think the I
soan1g unable to nake the purchase. Il he
voted to buy the books, he would want q propo- |
sltlon adopted to sell the Reform School |
grounds to cover the cost,-or as |
never rote for s75o,0dO Under anv c;ron1n.
stances. Half million was ample. Tbe means |
to buy could be procured without interferinp
with any other great county interest. he hai /
generally found people wanted the books boucht |
1t reasonable price; bankers, lawyers and reai
Estate men thought so. Therefore be was ura- %