St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-03-07


Daniel Carpenter, for the selectmen,
stated that only one or two of the
present guide boards could be read
and began to read report where
new ones should be located. Hewas
interrupted by motion that the Sc
lectmen should erect guide posts ac-
cording to their report and this mo-
| tion was carried
Article s, ''to see if the town will
sell its interest in the court house
building" etc, elected more debate
than any of the articles and after
much discussion was finally dismiss
| ed.
Judge Ross appeared in behalf of
the county and said that the land
was originally given by the proprie-
tors for burial ground. In 1856
when the matter of building a court
| house came up the question was ask
ed whether the county could use this
land. Gov. Erastus Fairbanks gave
a guarantee to the county that if
they built there they would never be
disturbed A building costing $14,-
| 900 was built by the Messrs. Fair
banks, the county contributing $1O,-
900, the town $4,000 and individuals
| $1,000. The county had two propo-
sitions to make to the town, either
to pay the town $4,000 for the hall
or $25OO and give them lot on the
east side of the court house lot BY
the contract the town must pay one
| fourth of the expense of the repairs
on the court house as long as they
| held their interest in it The county
did not think it was fair to pay the
town any more than they put in.
Rev. Henry Fairbanks asked if the
county could be ted by
charging their building and leaving
the towns interest in the court house
Judge Ross said the county would
get along some way and were not
here begging for the towns share in
the building but simply offered to
pay them just what they had put in.
DIR. Bullard thought the town ought
not to sell its interest in the court
house for less than $4,000 and made
a motion to that effect.
Lawyer Dunnett said that the pre-
sent building neither supplied the
wants of the town nor the county.
The county was not asking them to
put any money into a new enterprise
but simply take it out so that both
town and county could be better ac-
commodated.
George w. Cook thought the coun-
| ty now owned as good a court house
as the average in the state and fa-
vOred adding so feet to the present
building, thus giving the county more
offices and vaults and the town a
larger hall. If they accepted the prop
osition of the county they could not
get new hall for less than $40, 900
E. P. Allen thought the town would
be very foolish to relinquish the hall
for $4,000, and John Mcdonald want
ed the county to build a town hall
before they asked the town to sell the
present hall and urged the voters not
to be deceived by these learned men
who had laid awake nights to devise
plans to get the hall for county pur-
poses. His remark, "let'S not have
so much law but a little common
sense" brought down the house.
The question then arose as to
whether Daniel Carpenters motion
to dismiss the article was under dis
cussion or the motion of DR.. Bullard
not to sell the hall unless the county
offered $4,000 for it After some
sharp debating the chair ruled that
Mr.. Carpenter's motion was in order
and it was promptly voted down,
and SO the matter was disposed of
Harry Blodgett moved that the su-
perintendent of schools be paid $50
for her services last year in addition
to what was provided by law. The
motion was carried and the meeting
adjourned at few minutes after 1
o'clock.