Helena weekly herald., 1885-02-26
SHALL WE HAVE A NEW COURT
HOUSE.

and dingy, little, prison-like court house
stands undisturbed To mock at our
wishes and ambition. This court house
was considered insufficient ten years ago,
when the business and wealth of Lewis
and Clarke county were not one-third
as much as they are to-day. We ven-
ture TO say that no resident of our city or
county has had occasion To point out
our court house with any feelings of
pride to strangers visiting Helena, or
has ever felt like showing its interior
That We have borne with its inconven-
fence and insufficiency so long, is only
proof of the forbearance of which human
nature is capable. When our people
lived generally in log cabins and money
was worth 3 per cent month, our court
house was built and eorresponded fairly
well with the times. A court
house that would now cost $780,
600 would be less piece OF ex-
travagance to-day than this old one was
]
report that the money was borrowed Of
| Mr.. Thomas Tutt at three per cent.
month TO build this court house. We
can now get money readily at six per
/ cent, or one-siXth of the rate then
/ paid. For the same amount of annual
interest We can now build conrt house
that will cost six times a. much and
give us more than twenty times as much
room. II we had no greater wealth and
population than we had in 1866 we
could jus, as well afford hundred
thousand dollar coIrt house, but our
assessed wealth is more than six times
as great a. at that time, SO that the rela-
tive burden of such "A court house a we
want and a. would do our people service
and credit, would not be one-sixth as
great as it Wa when our present one was
built.
Within the past three years the
assessment of our county has more than
doubled. Probably within the next
two years, within which the court house
expenditures would be made, our assess
ment will reach to ten millions. And
If the bonds were to run for ten years il
would not be unreasonable to expect
that by the end of that time our prop
erty would he worth twenty millions
and more likely twenty-five millions.
We believe the fullness of time has
come when we should set about resolute-
ly and unitedly the construction of just
as good a court house as we could pOssi-
bly, secure for 100000. This would be
little more than some of the court
houses have cost in some other counties,
whose abilities and necessities were not
one quarter of our own. But with this
amount of cash in hand we are quite
sure that we could erect finer building
than any in the Territory, one that
would furnish safe, healthy and conven-
lent rooms for every county officer, Terri
torial officer, and if needed, for all United
States officers stationed here, with court
rooms that could serve for all courts, and
that could easily be temporarily con-
verted into legislative halls. We all
know that but small part of our county
officers are at present accommodated
with offices in the court house. Rooms
are rented outside. Instead of paying
rent we could rent enough in the new
building to pay a large share of the
annual interest charge. The new build
ing could furnish rooms for all the IL
braries in the city, where they would be
safe and convenient. There would be a
vast amount of room in the three full
stories of such a building, and possibly
enough room might be spared to supply
the wants of the City Council and all
city offices.
At any rate, whether this plan of pro-
viding for the city is included or not. it
is evident that we could find profitable
use for the whole of such a building as
soon as completed. We do not believe
there are dozen men in the county
who will say that it is not wise and
wise and necessary after the fullest
consideration.
1t could almost or quite be shown that
it would save money instead of costing
it. If we add the amounts now paid for
rents outside to those that we could get
for portions that might be rented to
Others, we believe the annual interest
charge of six thousand dollars on its en-
tire cost would be more than saved.
While our Legislature is now in ses-
son an enabling act should be applied
for to issue court house bonds to the
amount of 100000, so that we could
proceed at once to mature plans by
which the structure might be completed
within two years.
According to the Territorial Auditors
report our net county Indebtedness is re-
duced to S76, ,0l0.23, but little more than
half as much as it was one year ago.
Before the new debt would be incur
red, it would not be too much to expect |
that the entire balance of our debt will |
be paid off. The money in the sinking
funl IN redeem the preSenf hopds MIGHT /