The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-10-09

presented to the board ana 10 the country mat we
deem II unnecessary to mention II now. In view OF
all the facts and crcums stances, your committee
would most respectfully represent unto your honor
able body that hey believe this good time to com.
rncnce the building of court house and jail. And
your committee, after mature consideration, having
obtained the best legal opinions (as We Think on
the situation Of the present court house site and 10.
cation for u new court house. believe there is no
other place available, under the present statutes,
where the board can legally locate and bui!d court
| house. In view OF these Facts your committee
| would recommend the location and erection of a
| good and substantial court house on the present
! silc. Aud your committee would further recon-.
mend that the board locate and erect county jail
! on what II known n the county property and de-
sCrbed n lots l. 2 and g. in block No So State ad-
ditiOn, Your committee would further represent
unto your honorable body that, after consultation
| with competent architects, they are satisfied that
both substantial court house and jail can be built,
| completed and furnished ready for occupancy at a
! total cost not to exceed $50 90 and your commit
tee believe that sum could be extended on the tax
list for the next three years without especial hard
ship upon the tax payers OF the county whose taxa
! bic basis for this year is S24lO6A levy of about
mills would provide tina necessary amount of
Sj0ioJ for the first year, and an extension of $4,000
per annum for the next two years would complete
the contemplated buildings. Therefore, yonr com
mttec would recommend that you proceed to ap
point seven members of your board to be known "a
the court house and Jail building committee, and
that they De authorized to receive plans, speciaca-
tiOns, &C. from architects or builders III regard 10
costs plans materials, &c, &c..and report the same
to u called or adjourned session of this board
am further instructed to present the following
resolutions: Resoiyed That there be a committee
of seven members of this board, 10 be called the
court hou-e aud jail building committee, whose
duties shall be to take charge Of the building and
construction of the contemplated court house and
Jail, subject to such restrictions and limitations
the board -hall deem best for the interest of said
county and shal report To this board from time to
time
Resolred, That there he levied upon the tax list
for the wear lsSO the sum of $1,000 to be known IA
the house and Jail fund and that the clerk II
this board extend such rate per cent a. will produce
said amount.
In all of which am instructed to ask the concur
renee of the board.
All of which II respectfully submitted,
GEO. ". Armstrong, Chairman
Supervisor BellinghauSen, from the
special committee on courthouse and
jail, presented the following minority re-
port:
Hr. chairman ard gentlemen critic 1oard OF sup.
6rCisOrS:
The undersigned member OF your special com
mittee on court house and jail respectfully submits
the following minority report | can not for "a
moment dis putc the fact that the building of court
house at an early day is necessity, and would be
willing TO vote in accordance with this view II the
question did not present so many difficulties out
side the cost of the building itself. Representing
u town having large debt incurred for local i'm
provements, u debt which IL being rapidly reduced
feel as though would be justified in voting to
postpone the building OF the court,h house for num-
Der of years, for, while the lack of court house fn
cities rIay be an Inconvenience to some, the cree
ton of u new one at present would add large tax
TO the already ycr,burdcncd tax payers Of the
town |, in part, represent thus causing a serious
inconvenience to a great many people.
Yet, rs have before stated, recognizing the fact
that new courthouse is needed and, 80 lar as the
county a. a whole l. concerned, the time has come
when it is practicable to build, would feel inclin
ed to concur in the views of decided majority of
the committee If the question of location could be
settled to the satisfaction of not only the citizens of
Ottawa, but also to the citizens of the county ut
large.
The question now presents itself to whether
in THE trst place we have suitable location on
which to build, and if not, how can we obtain one:
Now in my opinion. 1t Is clearly demonstrated that
II we build now we will have to build on the site on
which the old courthouse Is situated. and 1t Is
equally clear to me that ii is not practicable TO
build on this site, and can not believe that ma
ority of the citizens of the county are in favor of
building on this ground, |, for my part, am OPP
posed to erecting public buildings at cost of say
Sl50OcD few feet of ground, and opposed to the
building of court. house on site which offers no
advantages, but Is open to great many objections
believing that such action would meet the just crit
cism OF the generations to come. III we build
courthouse 1t should be one in which we can tran
aact the business of the county tor the next two
hundred years or more, and in my opiniOnit should
be built where the business Of the county can be
transacted to the best advantage. We all know that
if the old courthouse had been built in a manner
that it would meet the wants OF the county at
the present day, the most of us would lament over
the fact that Il il situated where 1t IL, and can not
conceive why with all the light before u, we
should repeat a mistake made many years ago. IL
is true the courthouse for this county Is by law on
strip of ground 81 feet wide and 300 feet long, and
right in the business center of Ottawa, where the
noise from the street must necessarily interfere
materially with the transaction of business in the
offices and courtroom, but hold that such law,
detrimental to the interests of the people of this
county can and ought to be repealed, and | am in
favor of and recommend that this board ask the
representatives of the people Of this county TO use
their influence for the passage of an act of the egls
laturc by virtue of which it will be in the power of
this board to build courthouse where in their
opinion the interests OF the people require II TO be
built
Now in corclusionit IL my opinion that we will be
amply repaid for the inconvenience connected with
the Of the old court house for few years more,
il, bv 80 doing. we obtain good site for new one.
Andso far a. the jail concerned, would say that
we started out several years ago to build one and
am in favor of such action now, believing that hu-
mainly demands and the public interests require
It. see reason why jail can not be built in
dependent of \ COurt-hO especially when good,
If not the best authorities agree that they should
be separated Respectfully submitted,
H. BELLLSGHAusEN.
The undersigned, member of your special com
mittcc agrees with the conclusions arrived at in
the above minority report.
The question now recurring upon the
adoption of the minority report, the ayes
and noes being demanded, supervisors
ConertOn, Dresser, Fades,
Ferguson, Fischer, Fox, Helmig, Lauf,
Miner, Palmer, Pool, Read, Reynolds,
Stevenson, Stormont and Wylie I'D, vot-
ed in the affirmative, and supervisors
ATulSlrOHS, DaIlOu, DcdCh, Dui-
CESS, Center. Drackley, Flaherty, Gray,
HodgsOn, Hoffman, Hoge. klove, Low
man, McIntire "a. CO., Mcintyre (N:l.
Metzger, Miller, Nelson, ODonnell,
Parr, Singer, White and Mr.. Chairman
'2il, voted in the negative. Lost,
Supervisor McIntire "a. Co. moved
that this board go into a committee OF
the whole to consider questions upon the
report. Carried.
The committee of the whole, upon be-
ing in session for some time, arose and
reported recommending that the report
be adopted.
Supervisor Armstrong moved that the
blank spaces in the majority report be
filed with the number seven. Carried.
Supervisor Ferguson presented the fol-
lowing rs an amendment to the majority
report: Provided, the question of built
ing courthouse and Jail shall be sub
,;t,aI IN IN unta of rho alpptprS nG the