, 1875-01-10
THE COURTHOUSE AND CITY-HALL.

| Lie conference between the DOaTQ OF EuD
| lie Works and committee Of the County
| Commissioners On Friday was an important
one, and the spirit Of the discussion va:
creditab1e. There is no well founded obiec,
ton to the rebuilding Of the Courthouse an1
City-Hall, except that the means Of so doing
| have not been available without resort to
taxation, and extra taxation is grievous
burden to q community that, in the midst of
fiscal depression, within the short space OF
two-and-a-half years, have been compelled to
rebuild the city, resorting in part for
| the means to do SO to loans at high
| rate Of interest This objection, which
is altogether reasonable one, has been
supplemented by the apparent effort to make
the construction of the tbuilding q corrupt
speculation and a swinding job-by which
the handling of q large sun Of public money
might be committed with great profit to Ger
tain parties and factions. This attempt BY
particular rings to GET possession Of this
costly work has been properly grave objec-
ton to any action towards beginning the
work
The objection to raising the means to build
the Courthouse by taxation at this time is
conclusive. Itwould be an oppression Of the
severest character. Thnt being out Of the
question, what other means are within the
reach Of the city,
BY the act Of the Legislature refunding to
the city the amount expended On the camel,
one~dfth of the whole sum, say some $3.50, 900,
was required to be Kept as fund ap-
plicab1o exclusively to the rebuild
ing of such City-HaIl buildings as had
been destroyed by the fire. This $780,
600 is nominally in The City Treasury,
but it is in fact not there. Over half mill
ion Of dollars of that Gum is included IN the
GAGE defalcation, and the rest has been other
wise temporarily used. That money, there
fore, is no more available at present than if
it had never existed. Until the financial mar
ket becomes more settled, and dealings in
real estate are agnin brisk, GAoE's property
cannot ba sold with any promise of refund
ing the loss to the City Treasury. It is now
generally considered that proper building
in every way can be constructed at cost of
So,5oo,oo0 or less, as labor and materials are
city will be S1,25o, 600, which will have
to- be paid in instalments covering a
period Of three Or four years. The city
has q large amount Of real estate for which
it has no use, and from which it has no in
come. The railroads four years ago offered
(and actually paid the first instalment) $780,
600 for that portion Of the Lake Park north
Of Monroe street. The changes in the busi-
ness districts Of the city made by the fire |
hive removed the objections which were
then urged against the acceptance OF that
Offer. Its sale now should meet with no OBJ |
lection; on the contrary, the conversion Of |
that unproductive property into cash, and its
addition to the taxable property oe the city,
IS most desirable policy. Assuming that it |
:an be sold for the sum Of $500, 900, .:... 2o1-
aaps little more, there will be imncd-.;ely
available two-thirds Of the share OF the city
n tbs cos. Of building the Court-House and
;ity-Han. That sum would be nkaly -