Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-03-04
To Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Blanchard and

To Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Blanchard and
others
The signers to the above petition
asking for the use of the Court House
for an indefinite length and number Of
times, consist Of about 500 voters, rep
resenting only about oue-SiXteenth Of
the whole number Of voters in The
county. You haYe not given any spec
of the Court House to the w. &. Il. u.
to the exclusion of all other societies.
You infer that your society has been
organized for The suppression Of crime,
and that you haye societies all oyer the
county, and therefore we should throw
open the doors of the Court House to
the use of the w. U. G. Il. for public
meetings.
Now, if we were to adopt this line of
argument as II good and sufficient rea-
son for granting your request, then we
could not consistently refuse the Court
House to any other organization. The
Methodists, the PresbyterianS, the Odd
Fellows, the Free MaSonS, the Y. NJ.
&. A, all might make the same demand
of US TO throw open the doors OF the
Court House whenever they want it for
public meetings, as all are societies for
the suppression of EVIL and for the ele-
Yation of mankind.
1t is true, We did grant the Court
House to the Teachers Institute, be-
cause We recognized it as acounty insti-
tuition, authorised and created by the
Legislature of the State, and most of
the expenses for holding the same are
paid out OF the county treasury, and,
therefore, we believe they had legal
right to Its use AS cuStodianS of the
county property, built and kept in re-
pair at the expense of the tax PAYERS,
we cannot see the consistency of giving
the Court House to one society and eX-
Guiding others.
We know there is often personal
abuse heaped upon us because we dared
to do what we believed TO be
right, but sense OF duty compes us
in this instance to refuse the Court
House to the w. G. T. u, believing
that our action will be sustained by Il
majority of the voters in the county
assuring you that it is not iI any spirit
of antagonlsm to the temperance cause
that We have taken this stand.
In addition tn the above we beg
the opinion Of Judge Yerkes recently
given before the court at DoyleStown,
Pa, which In our mind is convincing
evidence that we have no right to make
town hall of the Court House. Judge
Yerkes said 1T is difficult to un-
derstand by what aatholity tie County
Commissioners permit the public build
ings to be constantly occupied, let for
term of years and used tor the gov
ernment poStotfice at Doylestown bor-
Ough, or for any other purpose not con-
nected with the pnblic business of the
county. These buildings were erected
for the use Of the people of Bucks coun-
ty to conduct their public business in,
and neither the general government nor
the people of any borough or district of
the county, nor any association, Socie-
y, or corporation, however cOmnenda.
BILE, useful and worthy, has any special
or peculiar privilege therein, especially
to the exclusion and detriment of the
convenient, economical conduct Of the
public business of the county. The
Commissioners nave no power or right
to use these grounds TO erect on them
large and unnecessary buildings, and
to rent them or any part OF them out
for any purpose to concede that they
may do so in one case IS paving the
road for further abuses. Other build
ings might be constructed thereon for
different purposes, and next we may
expect these rooms to be occupied for
lawyers offices, Or even shops or sa-
looms by some favorite or relative OF
the COmmis isSionerS.
All of which is respectfully submit
ted. We are, respectfully,
JOHN WOLF,
/ ERlEST