The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-02-18
PREFERS FACTORIES TO COURT HOUSE.
d. M. Estey thinks Present County Build
ings will do for present--The Masses
should be cared for.

should be cared for.
read with some interest DR.. Wards
article in a recent issue of The TIMES on
the court house question. The subject is
cretainly of great importance TO the people
of this county. hope many will freely
express their views. / believe at this time
it is a useless expense for the masses,
largely to the will and pleasure of few
suppose the bar unanimously prefer a
little more stylish workshop. l believe
we should do more for the masses and
make our expenditures light for the attor.
neys. They are, / think, an awful expen.
sive luxury, and as whole, an extrava-
CANT expense TO the county. The county
court house expenses have been from $16,.
600 90 to SEC. 100000 a year. am told.
As rule, the less law suits man has
The better he is off, even If he wins. He
may crafty his will, but he is money out,
and the county has to bear a large amount
of the burden. 1t has been said that a
certain case that was recently tried twice,
that the first trial cost the county $500
and the second 5000. We have good
Jail and safe Register of Deeds office,
and the court house can at small ex-
pense be made good enough for some
years 10 come. 1t is in better condition
now than at any time during the last Is
years. think. Let us wait until some of
our people have recovered from the last
four years of depression. Let us lend our
efforts to tighten the burden of taxation.
We had better spend the money for better
school buildings throughout the county,
more months of schooling, and try and
educate the rising generation to live with
out law suits, grow wiser and better; have
less use for the court room, or build good
roads throughout the county. This is a
subject far more necessary than a new
court house. Or, better still, build sever
al Gaming factories in the county, con.
densed milk factories, cheese and butter
factories, or sugar beet factory. / think
much less than $40 900 would be sufficient
capital to secure sugar beet factory in
tins county. What sweeping benefit
this would be. Investments on this line
would interest the masses. enrich them
and bring to the earnest tiller of the soil
better reward for his labor. What this
county needs and needs it now. we should
at once take some united action for the
benefit of the farmers of Shiawassee Co.
Developments along this line we could all
work and vote for. 1t would soon double
the value of property throughout the
county. Every garden spot in our cities
and villages would flourish. We could
soon make our county the banner county
of the state. This investment would con.
iinue to bring returns. The farmer would
have ready cash market for his produce
1T home. This would enrich the merch-
ant and increase the bank deposits. Money
invested In court house Is planted for
ever for the benefit of few and will soon
commence to decrease in value.
I think we could spend money that
would pay liberal interest. to properly sur
vey and build reservoirs to save and carry
all the streams in the county to suitable
bitches about for irrigation. This would
bring about wonderful increase in every
acre of dry ground reached. Water is a
wonderful fertilizer, and millions upon
millions are being expended for this pur-
pose and the progress of irrigation is in its
infancy. The produce Of this county,
this state. and this nation, would be in
creased almost beyond comprehension by
The proper use of water so bountifully
supplied by the Creator. passed through
section of country short time ago
where some enterprlsing men had built
some reservoirs and sold the water readily