Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-04-25
ABSOLUTELY PURE

have been of doubtful legality. Mark
you, also, that $4,000 was to be taken
out of the county treasury and GIVEN,
not TO supply a public necessity, but to
procure luxury for Marshfeld.
In the News of April I1th the state
ment is made that 'Waukesha County.
one of the wealthiest and most denseiv
populated counties in the state has Just
built a jail costing S12000.' Investiga-
-tion, however, develops the fact that
this statement is wide of the truth. The
county Jail of Waukesha County was
built IN 1885 of stone and iron and cost
So, 900, and it has not just built one.
AS to the charge that the cost will
exceed the appropriation by $4,000 or
more, it is probably only necessary to
say that the Building Committee is
composed of men of some degree of
sense, business experience and honor,
and ought not thus to be slurred. What
have they done that entities them to
the charge that they are not to be trust
ed to observe the instructions of the
Board? That committee is composed
of five members, majority of whom
reside far beyond the boundary lines of
Philips Sl Of ldS; Rudolph Mr. Ir''"E smith 5 Of
Sherry and Mr. Coon of Auburndale
cannot be charged with an intent so
rash and unbusinesslike as is made by
the News.
And by all means"-says the News
the Jail should be located on the
Court House grounds" Why so? No
reason is given and yet the one which
prompted that expression is apparent
and may be readily gathered from this
and other issues Of the News. A desire
to snub Grand Rapids for petty spite is
of doubtful propriety in a business
matter of this magnitude. Grand
Rapids has purchased at an expense of
100000 and decided to the county
one-half acre tract of land for this jail
site. The Building Committee of the
County Board unanimously selected
this piece of ground on which to locate
the Jail, and, under prior Instructions
purchased it at the expense of the
county had not the city purchased it for
them. The Committee have accepted
this donation. Perhaps the County
Board will not approve of their action,
and yet at the meeting in February this
location was freely discussed and the
Building Committee were by the Board
unanimously authorized ito procure
more land adjoining the Court House
square, if it could in their Judgment be
procured at q reasonable price, upon
which the new building is to be located"
The reason why the building should
not in the minds of the committee be
located on the Court House grounds
are numerous and among others that
may be mentioned are: 1st. The
smallness of the grounds for two large
buildings. 2nd. The increase of fire
l. nd Of O,,1
pense Of rock excavation for cellar. 4th
Difficulty and expense of obtaining
adequate water supply and sewerage
9th. Difficulty in heating both build
ings with the same system in case it
should be later decided so to do. 9th.
Want of isolation Of the jail proper.
The jail windows would be on line of
the street and access to the same and
communication from outsiders easy.
The tract selected and gwen by
Grand Rapids meets all of these
objections and many more, and is i'll
the opinion of the architect II. &. Koch
of Milwaukee, who was here and looked
the grounds over, d superior location,
and by all odds to be preferred to the
Court House grounds.
A call originating at Marshfield for a
meeting of the county board on May 1st
The aYoWed purpose Of the parties
instrumental in getting out this call is to
attempt to undo what has been done, to
throw away the moneys expended for
plans and specifications, advertising etc,
to spurn with contempt the gift of
Grand Rapids and to delay a matter
which must be done this year or next.
And for what? Simply to satisfy the
spirit Of revenge on the part of a few
people at Marshfeld against the
balance of the county for aiding in
defeating a dlsmemberment of the
county and the formation of the county
of Rivers.
From the time the matter Of building
a jail was first presented to the county
board, up to about the date Marshtield's
scheme for a new county was knocked
out in the legislature in March, not
lisp was heard against the necessity Of
a jail building or the amount of the
line with the threats which Marsh
felders freely made when the delegation
came to Centralia on the 10Th of
February to get the people of this
section to allow the northwest part Of
the county to be separated from Wood
county. These threats were to the
effect that they would, if we insisted on
their remaining in Wood county, i'll due
time demand a change of the county
seat to Marshfeld, make things
mighty uncomfortable for US, and would
generally be very disagreeabe neigh
bors.-so much SO, in fact, and in spirit,
that we would wish we had let them 90.
! According to theirideas, they being the
children of Israel, we must consent to
let them go or suffer a visitation Of
many plaques. Tie present move is