Daily Republican., 1881-02-17
Aims HOUSE esnOVak.

Eucu uthSeu Wy t0e HeVeNA IcpJI w
ths grand jury, the trustees OF tn
poor will no doubt make another AM
perhaps successful effort to enlarge tn
Old AIMS house on the hill that stand
flstly in the way, and is a perfect bar
rier in the march OF Improvements TO
ward the western boundary OF the city
The people should watch WITH q jesI
GUS eva any movement which woul,
tend to iangthen the tenure Of I'd
aims house, small pox hospital aud in
sane asylum in sha present ioo2tiOn
1t is admitted by all that tbs section o
the city in which tle county buildings
stand is the mos besusiful sud healthy
within the city, and wers tbs buildings
not located there ths piace would soor
be covered With beautiful and costly
private residences which would assist
materially IN bearing the ourtheus OF
city taxation. The insinuation In the
report of tbs grand jury that only the
land SPECIAL stOts wanted the county
buildings renewed for selfish and aor-
did purposes can only be accounted for
from the natural innate desire Of thaS
body to find fault with everything es-
pscially Of progressive character.
The grounds, ii sold, need not neces
sarily fal! into the hands of land spec
ulators unless others decline to pur-
chase, but We suppose that everybody
who would buy q lot would be called
land speculator by the grand jury.
These land spectators, by the way,
who have become 80 obnoxious TO the
grand jury, we have only TO say, have
been the life OF our city, and have 10
sin to answer for. The Improvements
contemplated by the grand jury would
involve an outlay Of not lsss than from
$15, 900 to $40, 600, about One-tAird the
value OF the property ~ it now stands.
This would be useless expenditure of
money and wO1id increase the bur
shens Of taxation. We're the county
buildings located beyond the city lin
its such an ontlay Of money might be
reasonably borne with, but in view OF
ths generally recognized fact that they
cannot remain where they are, suoh
an outlay would increase the debt and
taxation Of the county for no good pur-
pose.
The Improvements in the city are
pushing their way out Eighth aid
Ninth streets and also out Chestnut and
Linden streets towards the Bayard's
the Bush's and tae BanniDg's on the
hill, but between those streets where
the county buildings are located, i'm
provemeut5 stop almost short at Harri-
sOn and VanBuren streets. These
streets are several squares from the
eounty buildings, but such is the dread
of coming in close contact with them
shat splendid building lots oauuot be
sold for half their real value, without
some stipulations looking to removal
of the county buildings. We mean nc
Offense when we compare them to the
deadly upas tree around which nothing
that has life Osn live.
If the Trustees of the Poor did not
own tie property on which the build
ings are located, and which is worth at
least SEQ, 900 the case would be quite
different. $50, 900 would be sufficient
for tbs purchase Of IN eligible farm in
the country On the line OF one OF the
railroads leading from the CITY and
would erect large airy buildings adapt
ed for ths purpose without any addi-
ticnal expense to the county. The
county would then be much better
served, the inmates hav5 better accom-
modations, and PooD the hill where the
buildings now stand would be covered
with beautiful private residences, stores
and manufactures.
Owing to the increase of taxation
consequent upon the building of the
new court house it may possibly be
prudent to postpone the removal OF the
county building couple Of years more.
The old buildings which have answer
ed their purpose could with very little
expense be made to bridge over shorj
slime until the county will be fully pre-
pared for the change, but any attempt
of the Board of Trustees Of the Poor tC
make permanent improvements az sue.
gested BY .he grand Jury, with view
of continuing the county buildings
where obey nov are should be met
with the indignant protest OF the ci.i-
zsns generally Of Wilmington.