Omaha daily bee., 1897-06-12
BUY The COOK FARM OR NONE
Proposition Of the Board of Supervisors to
the Voters Of the County.
PECULIAR OPTION IS FORMALLY ENDORSED
Resolution to submit the Issue OF
BOnJs for the Purchase of
County Farm at the Next
Election.

The Board OF County Supervisors has de-
cidcd that the poor farm shall be located
near Eight Mile Grove in Norwalk township,
or no farm will be purchased during the next
year The board has passed resolution ap-
proving the option by which the county
agrees to take the Cook farm at the fixed
price OF SIS $50 and submitting the question
OF issuing bonds to pay for 1t to the vote OF
the people at the general election next No
yember When the board came to look at
the option the members discovered that they
were legally obligated to submit the question
to the voters. and they did so. They, how
ever dispute the assertion that the farm is
sixteen miles from Council Bluffs and six
miles from the nearest railway station. They
assert that 1t can be reached after travelling
fourteen miles from Council Bluffs and the
house lies within three and half miles
from Underwood, on the Rock Island and
Milwaukee railroads.
One of the members in discussing the mat
ter yesterday said: 1T is one of the finest
farms in the country. II there is any OBJ
lection to 1t at all it Is to its size. We may
not need 500 acres but we could not buy a
portion OF It, We offered $40 an acre for all
but two of the eighty-acre tracts, but the
| offer was refused. We can sell the two
| eighties for $27 an acre and still have the
| remainder at $40 an acre. We certainly can
| have no trouble in getting some farmer to
take the 16O acres at that price when land
| all around is worth more. The property is
| certainly worth all that is asked for 1t and
| the improvements are just what is wanted
! for poor farm purposes. The farm house Is
| 50x50 feet and two stories high. 1t contains
| twenty-three rooms, has two stairways, a
| cellar 2OX50 feet connecting with an arched
| cyclone cellar constructed outside. a wide
porch extends around one side and end OF
hn I'm nd si ts a
| covered with cedar and fruit trees. Mr.. Cook
| assured me that the material and work In
! the building outside of all that he did him
| self cost over $1,000. 1t seems to have been
| built especially for the purpose for which
| we desire it. One thing that largely inhu-
| enced us in making the selection was the
location so near the center of the county.
We realized that 1t would be an utter i'm
possibility to carry the bonds at an election
unless the people of the east end of the
county were fully satisfied. The cry through
out the county among the farmers is that
everything must go to Council Bluffs, and
If we attempt to locate a farm near the city
the farmer vote will be cast soldly against
the proposition to vote bonds to pay for it.
We used our best judgment and did the best
we could. The land is in a high state of
cultivation and it is a modern, up-to-date
farm"
Leonard Everett was present and watched
the proceedings of the board with good deal
of interest. Asked for his opinion, he de-
Clared that the farm was valuable one, we'll
worth the price asked, but thought it was
entirely too large for the purpose designed
and likewise too far from the city. what
is needed in my opinion" said he, "is farm
not exceeding 200 acres in extent, of first
class land that could be maio a model farm
in all respects. / know it Is impossible to
get such farm in the hills near Council
Bluffs, but there are c number of fine farms
near town that lie in the river bottoms be-
yond the reach of any overflow. every foot OF
which can be cultivated. The best of every
thing should be raised upon it. 1t should
turn upon the market annually a lot OF
blooded stock, that could be used to improve
the quality of the stock throughout the
county. The state runs a model farm that
is paying investment, considered finan-
cialy, and why should not the county do the
same? Such a farm would eliminate many
| of the Objectionable charitable features, and
| instead of encouraging mendicancy, 1t could
| be made to have just the opposite tendency