Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-09-01
FOR A NEW COURT HOUSE.
Prominent Citizens In Advocacy
Of the Movement.

Prominent Citizens In Advocac,
Of the Movement.
| Under the caption of s'Shall We Hav
a New Court House?" the Staunto
Daily News of the oath instant contain
the following communication
"Being in Lexington recently, Wen
to see the new courthouse of Rock
bridge county. 1 wish every citizen o
Augusta could see it. The outside i
not specially attractive, but the interi
or arrangements are complete and, i
Iseemed TO me, properly adapted to thei
purposes.
''At the front entrance is a spaciOu
hall, which affords ample shelter in in
element weather. on court days, for {
large number of people. The two clerks
loffices are on the first floor, and eacl
has adjacent to it large, well Lighted
land fire proof room in which the records
iare kept. The Office of the county treas
urer is on the same floor, and is a com
fmodious apartment. There appeared
to be several other rooms on the floor
which, however, did not enter.
1.-THE court room is on the second
floor, and is reached by broad stairway
of so easy ascent that it was almost 9
pleasure to go up it. The landing is OF
another hall where many people may
lgather for gossip or trade, If they wish
1.-THE hall of justice is delightful
room.-the judges, juries and officers
are amply provided for; and, not only
so, but ample accommodations are
provided for spectators. There are
many rows of seats so arranged that
persons occupying them can see and
hear to their satisfaction. There are
two jury rooms. in rear of the bench,
and one for the judge to retire to when
necessary. The jury does not have tG
pass through crowd of spectators and
climb steep stairway, when ready s'tC
consider of their verdict" but pass
without obstruction into room imme
diately at hand. Other apartments are
on the same floor; but what pleased me
most was q spacious room for the ex-
elusive use of the women of the county.
when attending court. or in town fol-
any purpose. Among other articles
of furniture was looking glass The
building had third story, which seem
ed to be unused. I was told that the
total cost of the house and furniture
was only $4,000.
Now to the point-I could not but
contrast the courthouse at Lexington
with the courthouse at Staunton.
| Here we have substantial and some
what imposing building, it is true, but
ours, in all its appointments, utterly
unadapted to the purpose for which it
was erected-the court room is small
and in the highest degree inconvenient
and uncomfOrtable-badl lighted and
ventilated; and it is wonder that
judges and jurors who have to sit there
many days in succession, do not con-
tract fatal diseases. Possibly they do.
The people have right to witness the
proceedings in court, but no provision,
worth speaking Of, is made for their ac-
commodition. The condition of the
room On almost every court day re-
minds one of the "Black Hole of Cal
cutta." There is no suitable arrange
ment for court, bar, officers or juries.
In inclement weather people attending
court are compelled to crowd into the
small and overcrowded clerks offics OF
the county court, where no one can be
comfortable and no business can be sat.
isfactorily transacted. We have two
dark and contracted apartments called
vaults in which to keep the county
archives, but both of them full to over.
flowing and otherwise unsuitable.
There is positively no place for anothe,
deed or will book. Above all, when
ladies from the country come to town,
often summoned as witnesses, there il
no place where they can find chair OF
bench to rest on. A few winters age
many women we're brought to town as
witnesses-the weather was inclement
and day after day they huddled about
the stoves in the clerks Office, in the
midst of crowd of men. Their suf
ferings must have been very great
With all the love bear to my native
county, I did feel ashamed of it then
"The small county of Rockbrldge
oppressed as it is by large debt, has
built new courthouse. Can't the
large county of Augusta, without any
debt, do likewise7 Rockingham has
one which is the pride of the county
although it, too, is saddled with large
debt.
"At any reasonable cost, let us have
a new courthouse. The work can be
accomplished without any tax payer
being conscious of an additional bur
den. If the people will authorize tn,
issuing of county bonds, as provided
by law, the money will be raised in I
few weeks; and, by an increase o
probably not more than two cents OF
ch hundred dollars of taxable prop
erty, the bonds may be paid off il
comparatively few years.
ITO people who know me 1 need no
say am not 'boomer," that hav
no lake to grind" in connection witt
this matter. and that am habituall,
cautious about incurring debt, publi
as well as private.
JOSEPH A. WADDELL u