Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-18
THE NEW COURT HOUSE AND NEW
JAIL AND THE BONDS.


idly: in short, paying this year nearl.
two-thirds of the entire tax of tn
county, it was concluded, and rightly
that the city's continued growth and de
velopment was the most important con
sideration to every taxpayer IN tn
county. Among a number of other val
liable improvements. and for which TIT
city Is to pay, rame the conviction tina
nothing would add more to the substan
tial character and more favorably i'm
press people with the permanency ant
stability of the city and the county than
a county building commensurate will
the greatness of both. Such an i'm
provement, it was argued, should bt
the finest and costlieSt county edlflc'
in the state. and for the reasons stated
Petitions were circulated i'll all parts Of
the county and in pursuance Of the voice
of the people a proposition was SUD
mitted for the erection of court house
and jail in the court hOhlse square. The
proposition was carried with wonder
full unanimity. So little opposition was
found that half of the vote of the city
was not polled.
That no mistake might be made in the
character and plan of the building pro-
posed and no failure or blunder IL
architectural design and proportions, foI
after criticisms and after regrets, the
commissioners, wisely, went and eX-
amined a number of county buildings OF
cities and counties of from one hundred
to two hundred thousand people, a popu-
lation reasonably counted upon by this
city and county within the next few
years. Dimensions were taken, faults
and criticisms of arrangements and OF
| construction noted and materials and
plans carefully studied. When they had
got all of the best points and convenieuces
together they Were given to an
Architect with instructions to draw the
plans and details of a building which
should comprehend all the necessary
room and cover all Of the more excellent
points and desirable ideas which had
been found in the various buildings eX-
amined. and further to provide and spec
ify throughout for fireproof structure,
the cost to come within the amount
voted.
1t was the wish and the expectation of
nearly everybody, including the county
commissioners, that as to the Jail very
plain, but safe and substantial structure
Shout be erected on some by street in
which the material and iron and cages
of the old Jail should be utilized as far as
possible, which would leave them $115,-
900 to 1885, 600 for the new county
building, leaving the present county
building, which is worth $4,000 to S15,-
| 900 unsold and unincumbered. The
plans of the new court house We're ac-
cordingly drawn and the specifications
all made up, consuming two or three
months of continuous labor. In the
meantime the commissioners found to
their regret, that according to the judg-
ment of some of the best legal talent IN
the county, that under the terms of the
vote tie jail could only be built
upon the public square-that
is, legally built. OF course no
plain or unsightly building could be
placed in iuxtaposition to a fine archi
tectural structure. There was therefore
no alternative but to build the jail on
the square and to build such an edifice
as would not detract from the county
building proper. If the old Jail had
| been OF such dimensions and had not
| been in the way of the new building
| the entire matter might have been post
poned until the fall election, when q
distinct proposition for building a jail
| elsewhere would have been submitted,
| but that would have carried the whole
matter over till next year, which was
not only against the Judgment of al but
which would have rendered it necessary
/ to have had large number of the pris-
oners transferred and kept elsewhere at
a big expense during the winter.
The new jail is up and occupied at this
writing and the building will be all COM
plete within q few days.
Now, when it came to letting the con-
tract for the new court house-and there
were a number OF builders of reputation
who figured upon tit was found that
it could not be built as specified, that IS,
as substantial, of stone, with brick parti-
tons, etc, and with iron and mortar
throughout, that is, perfectly solid
and fire proof, from the bal
ance remaining of the original fund
voted, To build as proposed and as de-
sired, that is to maintain and to provide
commodious court rooms, jury rooms
and official rooms and ar the same time
not cut down the architectural proper
tons of the elevation, and TO keep within
! the balance of the sum voted, would
necessitate cheaper partitions, wood in
stead Of iron joists, thinner walls and.
! in fact, building which would be sus-
/ ceptible to destruction. The commits
sionerS concluded and concluded wisely.
that such a course would be foolish and
narrow, and that under the circum-
stances they would submit the matter to
the county at the general election. This
conclusion was endorsed by the city
council and by the board of trade-two
hundred of Wichita's heaviest tax pay
ers. If the proposition should be de-
feated the building will be simply cut
down in value about twenty-five per
cent. In other words, Sedgwick county
will not get what she started out TO get.
For our own part we don't think there
can be two sides to this question. 1t
would be better for the city and county
to defer building for the present alto