Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-06-01
To the Justices of the County
Court.
UID u NlIVf
F. p. GRACEY.

II. L. GRACEY.
To the Justices of the County
Court.
One of the duties imposed upon
the Commissioners lately created by
a portion of your honorable body,
was the selection of a suitable site
for the Court House. The wish, and
the intention to consult the public
good, and that only, in the execu-
ton of this duty, is cheerfully ac-
corded to the gentlemen acting as
Commissioners. But they are like
the rest of us, not infallible in
matters of taste and sound iudg-
ment, and quite a large number of
most respectable citizens concur,
and that not at all in a factious
spirit, in saying that in this instance
they have not attained the end
sought, so fully as they might have
done. We therefore appeal to you
to annul their action in this partic-
ular, and to, more carefully than
they have done, weigh the merits
of other lots which have been, and
are still offered you. For good and
substantial reasons, we urge you to
do this, some of which are as fol-
lows: the vast superiority in every
particular of another lot, the dam
age wrought to many of our most
worthy tOwnsmen, theextravagance
displayed in the present selection,
and the utter illegality of all the
proceedings leading to it.
Briefly, as possible, we only state
the foundation for the reasons men,
toned, and respectfully ask you to
consider them. We assert that the
Commissioners have failed to do the
best for the public, because, if the
Court House be placed in the center
of the lot selected (the johnson LOTT
it will still be but a few feet from
either of three of our principal
thOroughfares, each of which is
constantly traversed by numbering
wagons and drays, the sounds from
which would render it as impracti-
cable to satisfactorily transact the |
business of the courts here as it GER
tainly was in the old house, and be-
sides, from early spring until win
ter, it would be befogged with dust,
and the meaneSt kind of dust at |
that, viz, powdered limestone, in
timately mixed with whatever is
purged from all sorts of animals. 1t
is admitted that this lot is pretty
one, and that it is convenient of ac-
cess, but this is all that can be pos
sibly said in favor of it. We insist
that the northern end of the public
square is infinitely superior to 1t,
because it is equally accessible to all
persons, and offers a far more pic
tureSque and commanding position,
while it is entirely exempt from
noise and dust-because the Court
House located there, would not
damage, in the slightest degree, any
individual WhOmsoever, but ON the
johnson lot it would despoil the
many pleasant homes in the vicini-
ty of their present quiet ana prlVa-
CIV; and still more when its COM
panion, the County Jail, (Which
ought always to be near the Court
Housed shall be placed hard by it,
say on Third or Commerce streets,
while it would sacrifice all who
have invested large sums in bust
ness property, long ago adjusted to
the Court House down town-to
many of these it would prove Ut
terIy ruinous,
They have failed because in pay
ing over fifteen thousand dollars for
a lot something more than two
hundred feet square, when they
could have obtained one on the pub
lie square-not so large, it is true
cost to the county, or the .
Southern Hotel lot, much larger
han either, for less than one-third
he cost of the Johnson lot, and in
his their extravaganza is estab- .
ished.
Finally, they have failed because
Every step, from the beginning of
his movement to the present mo-
nent, has been clearly in violation
If law, both in letter and in spirit, i
md this will be demonstrated to q
your Honors at the proper time and !
place, and, although you seem to be i
committed by the act of the Com /
we beg that you withhold +
he final decision unit; you your !
elf, as a truly legal body, shall have
deliberately canvassed the claims E
If the several lots offered, and also
nguired into the extremely precip- :
fate haste with which they have
sought to consummate their pur-
,hase. - i1-'--''7'