The Huntington argus. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1872-1905, 1883-04-12
city Buildings.


voter in this corporation, that the
city wac then the owner Of three eli
aib1e lots, and that the loan was to
be authorized for the purpose Of
building a suitable Hall, Police Court
Room, Engine room, &c, on those lots,
and not for the purpose Of parchas-
ing other lots anywhere.
Il was also understood by the pee
pie, and never denied by any voter,
that the lots purchased and paid for
and now owned by the city, were
procured with the sole object of hav-
ing a location in possession and for
use when the time came to begin the
erection of the necessary city build
ings. No one will dispute this state
ment.
The vote in tacor'of a loan of fif-
teen thousand dollars could never
have been carried at all, had it been
suspected for moment that the City
Council would tribe with this subject,
rs was the case for weeks, or that the
members would attempt to defeat the
viii Of the poopleas they did through
out, thereby leaving the public to in
Ter that we had a Council in which
individual interests were everything,
and the general Interests of the city
nothing.
But it seems that at the last hsur
the late Council was forced to wake
up, and pay some attention to the
expression Of public sentiment. The
ARGUS was the only paper which de-
Tended the whole interests Of the city
~ this question, and its position has
been endorsed by nearly every voter
in the city. The Council took heed
and hence we find the following
among its resolves at the last meet
ing;
"That it is the unanimous sense of
this Council, that should the city de-
sire to erect a building for fire engine
house and City Hall alone, it should
be lscated on the lots now owned by
The city on Fourth avenue; but sho'd
iJ be deemed expedieut to attempt to
remove the court house at the next
general election, this Council would
recommend that said building be To-
Gated on the corner of Fifth avenue
and Ninth street, or some equally
eligible corner lot, and its use ten
dered the county for court house pur-
poses
This resolution is a peculiar one,
aud liable to objection, but is so
much better than we had right to
expect from the late Council, that we
accept the same, and trust the day is
near at hand when the city will not
be paying seven per cent interest,
annually, upon its money lying idle
a the Bank, to carry out the selfish
schemes Of any person.
It's, however, argued by the i'd
vocates Of erecting the city building
On other lois than these now owned
1y the city, that the present location
eas not purchased for the express
purpose OF erecting city buildings
.aereon. TO satisfy ourself, through
The courtesy of Gen. Obey, we exam
iled the records, and found that on
April 90, 1872, Councilmen Enslow
aud Hagen were appointed a com
nit,ec ito purchase lots for prison
e1d Council Chamber. not less than
SIXTY iee,' At the meeting held
May z, 1872, this committee report
I'd they had selected lots s, 9 and
TO- block o. Che present locat.an,)
and on the DIST Of the same month,
This committee "was instructed 10
purchase said lots for Mayors office,
city prison, and all necessary uses CT
ho city,"
This being the facts in the case,
ve viii merely say TO the gentlemen
comprising lie new Council, carry