Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1885-03-05
For the Journal.
THE NEW COURT HOUSE QUESTION.


THE NEW COURT HOUSE QNESAAON.
Mr.. Editor:-
III you could give an
old patron little space in your paper
on a subject of great Importance to ev-
cry taxpayer IN the county, you would
confer not only u personal favor but do
the public in general a service as well.
At the January session of our court
our brand new Judge urged upon the
grand jury with much ability and force,
the building of u new, and presumably
! very costly court house. The grand
jury passed on the question Affirmative
ly, and it is only necessary for the next
grand jury ut the coming April term,t
| follow suit, and the new court house,
with an addition to the county debt of
about a hundred thousand dollars, will
be fixed fact. That projects CT such
magnitude and Importance should be
so easily saddled upon the people with
out their consent but proves the weak
ness and defects of system inherited
| from our British cousins, but not at all
in harmony with modern, progressive,
American ideas. 1t is "taXation with
out representation" as much rs that
suffered by the colonies under George
Ill. For in no sense can grand jury
be said to be a Legislative body. They
are not elected by the people but select
ed by few minor county officers and
without the least reference to questions
| of this class. In some of the western
states, where the people had an uppor-
tunity to avoid the old, rusty builders
! in the organic laws of most old states,
| no such enterprise as the one proposed
can be carried out except by.a majority
vote of the people concerned. This is
as it should be, and hope will yet be,
in old conservative Pennsylvania.
The building of new court house
now, would be entirely unnecessary,
untimely and lavish, useless eXtrava-
gance. The present court house is very
substantial, well arranged, and has an
swered its purpose admirably for some
thirty years, although not so imposing
externally as some of our wealthy law
yers, bankers and other wealthy citi-
zens of Bellefonte would wish-and
there's the rub The court hall proper
is one of the best, most spacious and
most beautiful in the interior Of the
state-superior to those ofLock Haven,
Williamsport, Lewisburg, Middleburg
or Lewistown, and compares very fa-
vorably with those of Harrisburg, Read
ing and York. But the vaults, oh, the
vaults, with all the valuable records
THESE, it is discovered all of a sudden
are not fireproof, highly unsafe and un-
fit generally. Whether the allegation
has more of preteXt or of truth, | do
not pretend to know but if strictly
true, can they not be made secure with
out building a new court house ? Or
could lot one or even two watchmen
be employed to patrol every part of the
court house, day and night, and thus
almost literally prevent the possibility
of contlagration 1t seems to me
that either plan would be feasible ana
serve the purpose well.
The building of new court house
would be most untimely. There never
was time within the memory of the
present generation, when the people of
the county were less prepared and less
able for such an additional heavy bur-
den as the building of magnificent
new court house would involve. Prob.
ably never before did business men have
smaller margines, land owners smaller
rentals tenant farmers smaller earnings
and mechanics and laborers less employ
ment than now. and for the past year.
Never were agricultural manufacturing
and mechanical pursuits so utterly
PROSTATE as now-and just at this se-
we're plnchiug juncture, when the com
ing question with the great majority of
our people is-not how to "make money
and grow rich-but how TO support
families decently-how to make ends
meet-the project Of building a new
800 900 court house is suddenly and
Unexpectedly sprung upon the people,
WlJIOuI pIcNlUuS tlOllCC VI "ttuibS.
II sickens the very heart to see the
lavish extravaganza of the day. 1t is
discouraging in the highest degree to
the working classes of the county to see
that, after our citizens and efficient
board of County Commissioners have
Jointly labored so hard and successfully
to reduce the county debt to bearable
dimensions, a scheme is sprung to pile
up another huge debt, probably twice
as large as it was when the present
board of Commissioners came into of
fee.
The people of this part of the county
are universally opposed to the new
court house project and it is but fair
to presume that the same is true OF
other sections Of the county, excepting
probably Bellefonte and its immediate
neighborhood. And if the grand jury
at the coming April court but measur-
ably reflect the sentiment and wishes of
the people there will be no new court
house. JOHN PLOWMAN.
Brush Valley. Feb. 2Sth 1885.