Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-02-28

BETHEL, Me-, Feb. q, 1893.

BETHEL, Me-, req. -, loS5.
Editor Democrat:
II you have the space that you can
spare should like an opportunity TO gay
q very few words on tho all-absorbing
topic Of buildlng new county buildings
In this county.
when . petition was handed TO mo
some time ago TO sligo for the removal
Of the county buildings 10 South Paris !
said no, and after reading nearly all that
has been said, pro and CON, can zee no
reason TO change the opinion then held.
I think when this controversy. was nrst
started many were misled with the Idea
that the present buildings could Dc
moved to South Paris and the county
not lose them entirely, or, II not moved.
the county could dispose OF them for
something where they now are. But
the fact 10, 40 every one now knows,
that n the county builds new buildings
on the line Of the railroad, they must
pay for the new ones and give away the
old ones.
Now the question for the taxpayers
of Oxford County to decide IL, does there
at the present time q sufficient reason
exist to warrant all this outlayf What
IL to be saved to the county, In the new
aud expensive undertakings The only
thing L have been able to discover, from
all the arguments put forth, Is that those
who attend court and 20 by way OF
South Paris, win save their hack fare
from South Paris to Paris Hill. The
number OF these am sure Il not large,
and they are Of all that attend court the
best able to put out dollar, or at least
twenty-five cents which Ii charged for
hack fare.
When the court Il once convened at
Paris Hill, every one knows that the &C
commodations, not only 90 TAR ~ the
court building IL concerned, are good,
but that the hotel accommodations are
unsurpassed by any village In Oxford
County. Two as orderly and well-kept
hotels as can be found, and In neither Is
intoxicating liquor sold. This ! consider
worth something. And besides, at Paris
Hill the hotels are within one minutes
walk of the court room. Would not the
Inconvenience occasloned by hotel ac-
Communications at South Paris be az great
or greater than the Inconvenience OF get
ting from the railroad to Paris HIP IL
was attending court at South Paris,
which never expect to, should feel 1t
quite q task to be Obliged TO 60 to Nor
way to get hotel accommodations.
but supposing We lay aside all the
conyeniences and Inconvenience as re-
CARDS both places, and admit that there
exists Q good and sufficient reason why
the county should build new county
buildings, and that they should be erect.
ed on the line Of railroad, who would
ever think they should be located at
South Paris for any other reason than
that they had been asking for them for
the past ten yearsf or course no one
blames the people Of South Paris and
Norway for wanting the county build
ings located there, especially II they are
to be built mostly for ornament. as has
been suggested by some one who has
written In favor Of new buildings.
When we remember that the geograph-
ical centre Of the county Is a good way
north of South Paris, and that the cen.
tire of population 10 tending that way, j
think to build new county buildings
there, would be a great mistake which
thrce-fourths Of the people would IN
time discover and regret. Unless am
very much mistaken as to what time
will bring forth, Bethel Hill isa much
more central and convenient place to
locate county buildings, when the time
comes that they are really needed, than
any other point on the line of railroad
When the growing place Of Rumford
Falls becomes city, which 1t will be
fore many years, and when q railroad ],
extended up the north bank OF the An
droscoggin River to make an outlet for
the immense quantities Of hard wood
timber In the section OF county all the
way from Rumford to Bethel, and taps
the Grand Trunk at Bethel Hill, any one
can see that there IL no point on the line
of any railroad In Oxford County where
the county would be SO well accommo-
dated as ut Bethel Hill. Besides, not
only the land, as Is offered at South
Paris, but several thousand dollars would
be donated toward erecting buildings
that would be an honor to the county,
really hope that the voters OF Ok
ford County will look we'll into TIL.
matter and not act In manner that will
bring regrets In later years.
j. II. BARROws.