Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-02-12
LETTERS FROM TINE PEOPLE.
The Court House site.


EDITOR HrRALD-A Court House, with
its Offices. is designed to be place in
which the public shall transact its busi-
ness, and should be so located as to best
accomplish this object. No perfect
place can be had, aud because an objec-
tion of some merit is raised to one loca-
tion it does not follow that the location
is not the best. Now, the following
facts as to the present location cannot
be denied:
The business men Of the city can with
less loss Of time 60 to and from the
selected site than any other that can be
had.
The banks and all of their customers
must have daily access to the public re-
cords, and daily transact large money
business with the various public Offices.
In tax-paying time people from all parts
of the county come for the double pur-
pose Of buying at the stores and attend
ing to taxes. So jurors, witnesses and
litigants come from abroad and transact
business at tine stores. take meals and
lodgings at the hotels and restaurants,
and without loss of time pass to and
from the selected site.
The attorneys should have their
offices in the business center of the
city so that their clients, who
are the merchants and others doing busi-
ness, can at any moment consult them;
also, the country population stop in the
business center for buying purposes and
fol. consulting their attorneys. II the
Court House is moved to more distant
location the loss of time will amount to
tens Of thousands of dollars per annum,
because 1t will be the time Of our busiest
men that will be wasted in travelling the
extra distance. 1t may be safely said
that no man Of business passes through
the year without transacting business
directly at the Court House and with the
attorneys relating 10 matters conducted
in the Court House.
The question Of erecting the Court
House in an inconvenient place for the
sake Of ornament, either in Court House
yard or of elevated site, is small COM
pared with the business uses Of the
building. To locate the Court House at
. more distant place means building up
business at that place and leaving vacant
Offices, stores, hotels and other business
places in the present cePter Of the town.
Why damage present invested capital in
order to give speculation to outside
property? Those who have built up the
present business center at time when
uncertainties existed should not now
be damaged TO benefit those
who held outside property unimproved.
especially when. the loss Of time to the
public amounts to such vast sum per
year.
The statement that the present loca-
tion is dangerous from fire is not sus-
tanned by the facts. In its present cen
tral location, the police force and others
are at all hours of the day and night
around the building. No FIRE could oc-
cur without its instant discovery, and
immediate extinguishment. Located ut
distance. persons interested in the de-
slruction Of the records could have fire
so far under headway before discovered,
that great loss would occur before the
fire could be extinguished. Nearly all
court houses yet burnt in California
were located at distance from the bus
mess centers, aud the fires were the
work Of incendiari,s. As to having the
jail in the basement, that is not objec-
tionable. Perfect ventilation and isola-
tion, heat and dryness, can be had in
the basement How many Easements
are occupied for business purposes in
this city, and no complaint. Our
present jail is separate build
ing, and it has all the evils com
planned of. Some Of the plans pre-
sented to the Board had the most per-
feet arrangement for jail in the base
ment isolation, heat, ventilation, and
safety. The Jail located as on the pres
ent site gives the strength and safety of
two banks of earth against jail breaking,
leaving only two sides to guard. A Jail
as separate building will reqnire great
or cost and is no better when done.
We admit that it would be specula-
| tion to the owners of outside property
to change the site to, or near their prop
erty, but the loss of time and damage to
others would be far greater than their
gain.
We respectfully submit these facts to
the careful consideration of the Board Of
Supervisors. as fully justifying their
wisdom and business foresight in select
ing and keeping the present site.
| r. NJ. WIDNEY.
|