Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-01-24
A COURT HOUSE WANTED.

= The following petition IL being circulated
n throughout the county:
= Commissioners Of Gallatin county. Mon
+. ''tana Territory:
''WHEREAs, Galiatin county has no build
z ''ing in which the courts can be held, nc
''rooms for the county officers, and nc
protection for the county books; We
: ''yoar petitioners, citizens and tux payers
q ''of Gallatin county, hereby petition your
''honorable body to take such action as
o E''will secure us, without unnecessary de-
''lay, Court House adapted to the needs
$ f''of tile county. y t-1,I >H
".And as in duty bound VIC will ever
pray
The Commissioners not being willing to
, build Court House without the express
sion Of approval, on the part OF the ma
jority Of the tax payers Of the county. this
petition is being circulated to save the
county the trouble and expense Of an cleo
Ition.
1t is hoped that this petition will meet
with the approval and signatures of the
citizens throughout the entire county. We
believe Gallatin county is The only county
in the Territory that has not Court
House or accommodations of some kind
for its county officers. In regard to the
latter. we are certainly behind the newly
organized county Of Custer, which has its
county officers comfortably located in
buildings belonging to the county.
The present building rented to Gallatin ,
county for county offices does not meet
ton to this it is necessary to rent one of
two halls in town during District Court :
session, either one of which. or both, may
be occupied when needed by the county. {,
Again, although the building now occu- .
pied by the county offices is 4 brick build
ing. it does not afford the protection to the
books and papers that should be given.
On the contrary, it leaves open the oppor-
tunity for the preparation of the grossesl
kind offrauds, especially in the Treasurer's q
and Recorders offices. The protection of L
the county records and accounts is duty
the county owes to every tax payer inside VI
is limits; and the manner of keeping them ~
n fiail wooden desk in room where a !"
ight conflagration would destroy them, is }"
the county should be ashamed al
If, and take steps to remedy as soon as o.
possible. Such state of affairs naturally LII
eads stranger to think that we are here al
ut for few days, with the intention of ~
deciding the country Of a few paltry dol ~
lrs and then leaving it. instead of being al
ornament settlers imbued with the deter
,inatiOn of making our homes here and
Ilding to our natural attractions the COM
,rts and necessities of older settled COM w
lunities. ."i
A building Of the most substantial char ~" -
.tar sbo,li J.. o,u..o,, tho ,o,,;,,. aft
or. with vaults connected with each of "Pl
e officers rooms capable of affording the IL, lea
fest and surest protection to all books, q
lpers. etc. III"
The present annual expense Of the coun-
Il wa ,re ,v.aro tha, y, ~ '..;' jos
iect to entailing an additional expense VIZ
the county in the shape of interest on
= amount Of bonds necessary to erect a
urt House. 10 such persons VIC need n
ly refer to the fact that the buildings at ~
'sent occupied do not meet the necessi-
OF the county. either in size or protec- ,,,on
n from fire or burglary. Again, the s.u,
sent building being on Main street, and ho.
cry desirable location 70: business pur- ~
'es, it is not at all likely that it can be o, e
in rented at the present rate, and it is of :,
sible that it could not be again obtained ,,ho,
the county, in which case it would be g.,
essary to erect a Court House in the vino.
d of winter, as there is no building in ;ntar
n that could be obtained. ,,raa
Court House is a necessity to the
nty and will have to be built inside of
next three years, and why not now? Cu
fact Of our having Court House will .nt ,
uch an induccment to emigrants as will II;,,s
&c many to settle among lis that would FROM
'rwisc 90 to other portions of the Ter tnro
ry. The extra expense to the county ,.st =
the next five years will be more than ..oa
pensated by the increase in our popu- NOR
N and wealth. The money expended md
building the Court House will be paid afL;.
At home; the most Of it to the laborine ,.st :
SEES, the ones who need it most, and tho,,
lot help being benefit to the entire Aro
nty.
On the petition-you will never regret II
the u