The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1895-12-12

Mr.. j. Mavhew left this morning fol
Sank Centre where he will spend a few
days circulating petition to the hoard
0fcounty commissioners requesting that
body to take immediate actiouin regard
to the building ola new court house
The matter has heen discussed a great
deal in the papers of the county and
among the people. The necessity Of q
new court house isnnt questioned except
by few and these are mostly residents
OF the western part of the county. 1t is
tor this reason that the petition will be
started in that end oithe county so that
the board may see what the opinion oil
the people really is even in a part OF the
county which has always oeen set down
as opposed to the undertaking. The
petition will be submitted at the next
meeting OF the board and will be OF such
nature that the board will feel the
necessity OF taking some action. u
course the law presciibes the method to
be pursued and upon receipt OF the petit
ton the board will probably call spe-
cial election at which the question will
be submitted to the people.-Times.
MIR. Mayhem arrived in the city with
his petition on Monday. and worked
diligently, persuasively and almost tear
fully. and with really better results than
the HERALD anticipated He secured
FIVE signatures, three ofthose signing not
being in favor of building new court
oouse, but only signifying willingness
to have the question of bonding the
county submitted to the voters. withiull
confidence that it will be defeated at the
polls.
The St. Cloud papers assume to be-
lieve-perhaps they do believe-that
western Stearns is not practically a
unit against the building of a new court
house at this time, The HERALD has
been chat ed with misrepresenting the
sentiment OF the people. 1t may not
have fully represented the sentiment in
all It's intensity-it c~r.ainlv has not
dared to quote the language used by
representative farmers and business men
in discussing the subject, because it
would not read well in print.
Commissioner Smith has taken con-
siderable pains to ascertain the,views OF
the tax payers in this, the fifth district.
and he has tailed to find any expression
in favor of the new court house scheme.
The universal opinion as expressed is
that the pre- sent structure is quite suffi-
Gent for years to come. The business OF
the county does not demand the expend-
ltEre OF 50 large sum as would be re-
CURED TO build new court house and
Jail: The jail may be at times crowded,
but that is due to the TACT hat St.
Cloud city uses it for city lock up and
house OF detention. Tramps and vaga-
bonds, drunkards and dsorderlv per-
sons, are clapped into the county Jail as
SOON as arrested-and St. Cloud, under
faithful police administration. is quite
prisoners, and those awaiting court
action, feel that their accommc dations
are both limited and uncomfortable. II
st. Cloud will erect a suitable lookup
for the accommodation of its petty
offenders there will be no reasonable
cause OF complaint so far as jail accom-
modations are concerned.
A court house such as would meet the
ambitious desires of our st. Cloud
friends would cost as much more than
100000 as they could influence the
county to expend. and their influence
is of that persuasive kind that is so
often effective.
Stearns county is an expensive corpoi-
alton as its affairs are at present ad-
ministered, suffering in this respect bv
comparison with many. if not most, OF
the counties Of the stale When + e
considered that it pays no interest. as it
it has no bonded indebtedness, and that
it experds practically nothing tor the
care of the poor-the towns assuming
that burden, the per capita charge for
county is.large. New county buildings,
even though erected bv means OF the
proceeds OF lohg-tim bonds. will in
volve increased cost tor care, besides the
interest on the bonds.
The HERALD does not blame st. Cloud
for desiring new county buildings. 1t is
an expression OF local loyalty which is
commendable. The citizens are Justly
proud OF their fair CITY, and would be
only too glad to see II, still further en-
bellisbed with d magnificent structure
such asis contemplated. But the county
at large is not prepared to assume tn
burden at this time. Not this year
some future year.