The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-04-14
No Such Project.

Item signed taxpayer, a0VoSaunS putiios
down toe Court House and building a new
cne on the site of The old Haynsworth lot
opposite the Baptist Church, on the grounds
briefly that the sale Of the Court House
square in lots for stores, and lots 10 rear CT
tie new court house for lawyers offices, to-.
gether with the SIS, ,000-to be in expended,
additions will build Court House Of modern
ct, lie and an ornament to the city, and avoid
the noise from the street. Please let one
who has had much to do for over 80 years
with the present Cour. House both inside and
outside, say a few words in reply. 'Ta1-
PAYERS assumes that there is a necessity and
demand for new building. 1n this lie ls
clearly wrong it is neither necessary Dor
desired The present Court house is mass
sive building Of the best material, with deep
and broad foundations, such are not con-
structed in !hese days of one aud half brick
walls and iathed cornices. He also errs IN
thinking that the cost could be met by the
sale of lots and Eve thousand dollars of tax
atioo. BE forgets shat the Haynsworth lot
would have to be paid for, held by Mr. VIII
son at $4,000. If the acre at the corner OF
Liberty ana Harvin Streets were appropriated
TO the new building, and this would be ample
TOSCls tUS ISudtbtuR tuASO oStCS "OotN W
unsaleatle. They would not Of course, be
bought for residences, and lawyers would not
give up their Offices in the centre of business
already lxed up, and if deserted could not
be sold, simply to migrate down Liberty
Street, to be few hundred feet nearer the
public Offices so loar acres would be bought
when only one was needed. The Court
House square could not be sold off in lots for
stores 10 20 years The time was, when the
loom was on, that they might have been solo,
but booms are "like angels, visits, few cod far
between ;" and there is bnt one more pros
pective railroad to boom us, (of this / pro-
pose to say something in the. near future),
nor do we need more open room for stores,
for Sumter is as Washington once was ga
city of magnificent distances The burnt
Jervey block, and the skeleton OF the old
Tuomey House are standing object lessons.
The present site is the best in the city the
most convenient for officers of court aud
county, lawyers and clients, persons visiting
10 examine rcords, particularly for grand aud
petit Jurors aud Witnesses solicitor and his
fellow citizens in Jail. If carried down Lib
erty Street, old Jim White will have to 6awl
Oh! Yes, louder than he does now to notify
absentees in the stores and law Offices that
they are wanted in court, so that both time
and the judges patience would be lost.
The Court House is now spacious enough
for the county with its present limits There
will be much room to spare when Salem coun-
ty tops off its additional Is square miles and
.be Shiiohtes slice of its eastern corner for
'ter new county. Wooder if Stateburg is
beginning to think Of locating Court House
i,;l IN tuo of ito hirh ktt1o
The noise from the street is 'tempest in a
staole or City dollars expeuiture. But the
present sheriff can be relied TO keep silence. !"
The people of the couoty ought not be
taxed in these times of depression for any
thing that is not absolutly necessary; and If
the city wishes oruamentatiou let tie city
council levy the tax which would be paid by
it's citizens for the new Court House, buy the
HayDsworth lot and convert it into park.
i am opposed to any large expenditure
even for addition TO the Court House. Let
all proper repairs be made, steel blinds te put
to the windows. With bydrants 10 the Offices
and no fires at night it is amply safe. Make
the addition 10 the rear if more room be de-
sired, but let economy be the order of the
day.
may be wasting my own time aud your
space; for no such project as Taxpayer sug-
ges,s can be entered upon without Legisla-
tive action; and such action will not be
taken without majority vote of the coun-
ty, and the people should and would vote
against IL
Such are, the hasiy thoughts of ooe who
may style himself.
SENIOR TLy2AYER