, 1873-05-21


In tho State Insurance Company.
-
THE COURTHOUSE PLANS.
At lust, gloam of common senso appears In
tho action of tho Common Council with refer
enco to tho now Court House plans, or at least,
one member Of tho Council has had tho good
aonso to suggest reasonable method Of arriy-
ing at aomo definite result. What haa boon
dono hitherto Inns beon tho merost ohilds play.
the result Of which has only shown tho inability
Of the several Committees to decide upon plan,
as might havo been known at tho outset. Tor
ty-1line plans woro originally submitted, good,
bad, and Indifferent. Theso forty-nino plans
wero Immediately reduced to eighteen, in hap
hazard way; these eighteen to nino, tho niuo
to six. Tho Committee thon took the ax plans
and began thoir search for the bost ono which
resulted in bringing tho whole forty-l,ino in
competition again. Another sitting procoss
commenced, which had similar ending, leaving
tho Committee with specified number Of plans
on hand, and with tho samo consum1nato inabl-
ity to decide upon what they wanted. As every
Rchomo which tloy have tried leaves them in
tic Bamo quandary, and aa tho pooplo arc anx-
ious to have q decision aomoti,no before
tho close Of tho nineteenth century,
thp brilliant proposition has now been
made by tic Joint Committee to
SOLICIT eighteen or twenty OF the local architects,
who have submitted plans, give thom an audience
ono by ono, and lot thom explain tho various
pl1ns. Tho public will object to this actomo in
foto for tho reeson that by tho &in,e tho oisLtvuu
architects got through showing tho defects in
oach others plans, the Committee will havo
lnpsed into state Of uttor idooy, md DO unablo
to toll q plan Of Court-House from ulan of q
windmill. The Court-uouao plans aud the Com
mittoe are already sufficiently mudd1od, without
letting o'ghtcon interested architects loose
among thom to eat each other up, aud throw
dust in the oyos Of the already half. blind Com
mitteo. Tho opinions Of auch witnossoB wouldn't
bo worth tho paper tloy woro written ou.
There is only ono thing certain in this wilder
ness of uncertainties, aud that is TINT tho Com
mittoes of tile county and city aro as ignorant Of
architecture rs they arc OF tho Targun,, and ns
incapable of deciding upon tho merits Of tho
plans as they woud DO Of making revision of
tho Bible. It would bo tho part of mod
esty for them to Say go ut onco, and
lot out the job to competent parties, and not
continue tho Kontucky Block FARGO any longer.
It would not bo to their discrcdit to make such
IN acknowledgment frankly and oponly. Mon
who hayo mover made architecture study, fur
ther thnn it enters into tho construction of au
ordinary dwelling house, cannot bo expected to
judge Of the moritB of IN immense and involved
edlilco, like tho proposed Court-Houso to cost
some millions Of dollars, with it's innurnorablo
details Of elaboration, it's intricate divisions
and Hubdiyisions, its relations to light, hoat.
and ventilation, it's adaptation to public uBo.
tbs strength and permanonce Of materials, aud
tho union Of all these features in one harmoui-
ous, symmetrical whole. To tako d committee
at random from the Common Council, who may
bo good browora, ehocmakors, talors, haber-
dasherB, orlawycra, and expect them to be able to
rendor competent decision In case involving
tho most technical as we'll as tho most general
lava of architecture, is about as Sensible as 1t
would bo to expect q brokor to bo d Judge OF
numismatics or nan who never stulied matle-
mntics to make astronomical calculations,
Pending the Ignorance md maHtorly inactivity
OF tho Commtteos, all opportunity hua beon
offered for tho formation of rings III tho inter-
osts of cortain plans. Meritorious plans l,aye
boon thrust aaido. Incompetoncy and humbug
hayo como to tile front. Sleoyo-buttons hayo
put i'll an appearance, md Blirt-studs hayo boon
atrewn about All sorts of critics hayo indulecd
In oil Horta of apoculations, wiso aud otherwise,
on architecture. All this time, the Commttecy
have gone through tho plana, with au appear
atce OF much wiadom and aolf-conyiction
Of profound ignorance, and they aro
to-day where they wore when they
first atartod, and where they will continue to bo
from now to doomaday, IT thoy are expected to
mako doclsion upon tho genuine morits Of tho
plans.
AID Mcdrath, at tho last meoting of the Coun-
ell, suggested plan which will relieve tho Com
misteeH from tho dllcmma in whicl. they arc
placed, and which presents the only feasible
method OF arriving at an Intelligent decIsiou.
His suggestion Is to placo tho matter iu tho |
hanas of exports, and, to accomplish, this.
ho proposos that the hTayor engage
throo architects, ono from New York.
ono from Baltimore, and ono from Philadelphia,
and thht they shall aooct the tlreo bost plans
out of tho wholo number, which sl.all DO ontitlod
to tho prizos. Tho only conditions governing
the action Of those exports arc, that thoy shall
affirm upon oath that they know mono OF tho |