The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-05-22
WILLOW FARM. SALEM, Mayl7. ,s5.

WILLOW FARM, SALEM, May17, 's5.
Eds. Regtster:-In reply 20 your cir
cular asking to know the views of the
people down this way about repairing
the old court house and Jail and build
ing new one, we have taken some
pains to find out the opinions of differ
ent ones on the subject. The first one
interviewed was P. w. Jury, of Elm,
who thought it would be good plan
if the old buildings would not do, to
build new ones near the center of the
county, at LaHarpe. If that could not
be done, and 5000 would make the
Jail and court house good for Is or 20
years, they had better fix them; but if
in a few years they must spend four or
five thousand dollars more on them, it
would be better to sell the old ones for
what they would bring and build new
ones. Mr.. Yocum, of Salem, ON being
asked his opinion said that that was.
his opinion. that if fixing the old ones
as proposed would do for quite num-
Der of years, it was better to do that !;
but if we must keep spending money
on the old ones it was better to build
a new one and have done with it. The
next one your scribe raked in for an in
terview was j. F. Flynn, of Salem,
who thought that if we had to spend a
lot more money in few years on the
old building, we would better build
new instead of "monkeying" with the
old one. All the men interviewed
were tax payers and men who under
stand the value of dollar. Our own
opinion is that if the money asked to
fix the Jail will make it permanent,
safe and healthy, and if the estimated
$1,000 will build the walls, floor and
roof of the old court house and make it
safe and permanent, that would better
be done; the flooring and roofing could
be put off for year or two at least.
But if we have got to repeat the s., 400
or near that amount, in four or five
years we had better build new and set
fire to the old court house; for if some
thing is not done with it before long, it
will fall down of itself. While on the
jury last June term of court, great
wind and dust storm came up. Such
was the feeling that the court house
was not safe that the Judge dismissed
court, and Mr.. Pine, one of the present
commissioners, went down stairs and
stood clear of the building, and took
the wind rain and dust in preference to
having the court house as monument
ruin over his body. During the storm
while talking with Judge Stillwell, a
gust, heavier than usual, struck the
building and caused it to shake so vio-
lently that both of us were startled,
and made us think perhaps we had
better follow Mr.. Pines example. 1t
would be far better to blow the old
house up than that one life should be
lost by neglect to thoroughly repair
The old or build a new one. The ques-
ion of the removal of the county seat
s talked of in discussing this matter,
put this Is about the way it looks to
is: The west part of the county would
lot consent to have it go east of lola
he north would not consent to have it
20 to Humboldt. When the Wichita
Dad blew its whistle for lola the first
lime it settled the county seat ques-
ion for good many years-and per-
laps forever, is the way it looks to
your scribe. Our own opinion is that
he location of a county seat in town,
Is rule, is a damage to it, for usually
he citizens thereof depend on that to
make the place, instead of their own
Energy and push. Yours truly.
L.B. PEARSON.