The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-02-01

preserving the records of these several
courts, and of the title deeds to all the
property in the county, as required by
statute, was built, shelved and furnished
at great cost, probably fifteen or twenty
thousand dollars.
The solid stone fence with iron railing
fence on top of same on all four sides of
this square, with facilities for hitching
horses single or attached to wagons
and carriages on the south and west
sides thereof, must have cost the county
q large sum OF money running up into
the thousands. Besides all these there
is a ~cistern, closets, coal houses, &C., on
this square erected by the county. The
ground embraced or this court house
square, is now, at a moderate estimate,
worth one hundred dollars a front foot
on Main street and fifty a front foot on
Franklin street, aggregating fifty
thousand dollars for the ground alone,
aside from the buildings thereon.
making such public square and the i'm
provements on the same worth at least
n hundred and twenty-five thousand
dollars. And this valuable property, in
which every. man, woman and child
in IN county has al interest and of
which they should be justly proud, the
intelligent voters and taxpayers OF
Lafayette county are now asked to
abandon n sacrifice in consideration
of a promise, called ia bond" to be
given the citizens of Higginsville and,
vicinity in the sum of sixty thousand
dollars on the express condition" that
the county seat be removed from Lex
ington to Higginsville and located on a
block there designated by themselves,
for which they want eight thousand
dollars taken and deducted from said
sixty thousand dollars, leaving ffty-two
thousand of the paper premise with
which to build a court house, jail and
JallOrs residences; Offices for the circuit
and county courts, recorder and probate
judge. with fire proof vaults, beside
fencing, cisterns, closets, coal houses, !
&C.. and that toe, only secured by a bond
unauthorized by law, the consideration
for which being to influence the voters
of the county, is against public policy
and such bond necessarily void and
uDcollectable. Neither the county court
nor any officer of the county is author
lied to except or approve any such bond.
Are The voters and taxpayers of
Lafayette county prepared to make
such a venture and make such a
sacrifice of their present court house,
Jail and necessary Offices OIL such a
visionary scheme, and all 10 boom Hig-
%ginsville and corner lots therein, to the
prejudice OF the time honored and
historic city of Lexington and county
OF their county. which most of the
men, women and children of the county
have learned from their infancy to
respect and honor?.
Besides, Lexington is situated on two
ines of railroad traversing the whole
county from east to west, with a fair
prospect for another to run from north
% south. Lexington is also the seat of
earning, religion and refinement. She
nay well boast of her five colleges
he Baptist, the Presbyterian, and
Methodist a Military College for boys
md a Commercial College for educating
md preparing young men for CONNER
ial and other business pursuits-all
veil attended and prosperous Besides
hese Lexington has threee eommodious
.ublic school buildings, q of which
thousand dollars. Almost every prin-
ipal street IS adorned with a church
where citizens, students and
lsltors can worship God according to
he dictates of their own cOnsciences :
ii denominations having their own
hurch buildings, and all nationalities,
American, German and African.
Her coal fields are illimitable and
of laboring men are given
Employment In her coal mines at remu-1
wages, whereby they support
themselves and their families. To these
1ight be added its manufactures, its
forks, its stores, its offices, its shops,
numerous to mention, as we'll as its
rejected bridge to span the Missouri
lver, inviting railroads, capital and
from all directions. But why
we'll longer on the advantages and
ttractlons OF Lexington, so well known
all the citizens of the county,
I'M nn0CfInn 10 q OF n Mo A~A . NF.I A. -
eople, voters and Taxpayers of Lafay- Z
tie county sacrifice the large interests
hey have in such a city as Lexington,
possessing the attractions above enumer-
IN addition to its paved streets and :
dewalks and venture upon the hazard
rs experiment of changing their county :
with the certain prospect before
lem that the county by increased and
eavy taxation for years, added to its
resent Indebtedness would be COM
elled to erect at its own cost a new
,urt house, Jail. clerks offices and other
ecessary buildings, which would in the
I'd amount to nor than a hundred
Iousand dollars, compared with which
70 proposed repairs to the court house
Lexington would be as a drop in the
Modern court houses are very costly.
he court house at Independence was
anu dIlClOu dllCl Tic Wal at u
st probably of five times as much as
at proposed ON the court house at
sxington and besides this, a new
urt house has been built ut Kansas
ty costing several hundred Thousand
liars. The lot alone ON which it was
ected costing over two hundred
dollars. PettiS county has a
house erected within a few years
st costing something like two hundred
dollars. To complain of the
and insignificant repairs and i'm
ovements proposed to the court house
Lexington is astonishing in view of
3 wealth of Lafayette county, ten or
wen millions i'll assessible Values.
lis can only be accounted for by reason
the fact that certain persons interest
in building upAD0booming their own
yn at the expense of Lexington, are
ming the flames Of Excitement, spite
d jealousy tor their own ~aggrandise- =
Round ZIP to EfPaso. Texas.