The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-29

the ADMINISTRATION OI JUSTICE. COLI
graduate you that in this service we have
varied gifts to perform this service.
There is no one, to my knowledge, in the
State better qualified by education and
culture, aided by natural ability, to per
form this service than the JndS4 of the
| first Circuit, Hon. w. c. Benet, Presiding
Judge. He needs no introduction in An
| dersOn.
Mr.. Tribble was followed by j. E
Breazeale, E.q., who, in delivering the
keys of the now Court House. in behal fol
the Building Committee, to the Presiding
Judge, spoke as follows:
May it please your Honor: In behalf
of the County Board of Commissioners
of Anderson county desire to turn over
to you the keys to this building, to be
| nv YOU turned over to the officer who by
law will be the custodian thereof.
The County Board of Commissioners
congratulate themselves that they have
been enabled to construct building adj
eouate to the demands of the business OF
the county and which affords reasonable
protection to all the records which will
| be contained within its walls, as we'll as
one which will assure some accommoda.
tions to those having business in court.
1t has long been felt that the old build
ING which occupied this site was not only
inadequate for the transaction OF the
business of our courts and of the differ
ent county officers and for the protection
of the records of the county, but was not
| in keeping with the prosperity and
| dignity of the best county in the State.
| The Grand Juries of the county have,
almost every year, for more than ten
wears. made recommendations looking to
| the erection of new court house and
iail. and the County Board of Commits
sioners have several times asked the
General Assembly of the State for some
legislation enabling them to provide the
means for the building of a new court
house and jail
1.-Two or three efforts were made to Sc
cure such legislation, but not until the
session of the Legislature in 1896 was
such legislation enacted. An Act was
then passed levying tax of one mill
upon the dollar each year for six years,
the funds raised thereby to be used for
the erection of court house and Jail,
provided the voters of the county voted
| in favor thereof. This Act was defeated
by vote at an election held at the reg
lar election in 1896.
At the session of the General Assembly
of 1897, similar Act was passed with
the difference that the Act of 1896 gave
the discretion to the County Board Of
Commissioners to build the court house
on this site or. to exchange it for more
suitable one, while the Act of 1897 re-
quired the County Board of Commits
sioners to build on the same site and
limited the amount to be raised to $780,
coo. The vote on the last Act was in
favor of the new court house and Jail,
thus showing preference of the voters
of the county for the present location.
By virtue of the said Act the building
committee Of the County Board of Com-
missioners, elected by said Boari and
consisting of w. P. Snelgrove, County
Supervisor as chairman, j. D. Maxwell,
]. F. Clardy, W. D. Garrison and j. b.
Jones went to work to secure the erec-
ton of the court house and Jail as con-
templated by said Act
Plans were invited, and the plans sub
mitted by Mr.. Frank P. Milburn of Char
lotte, N. c., were selected, and after
duly advertising for bids for the con-
struction of said buildings as per the
plans and specifications, Messrs. K. r.
Williams & Co. of Augusta, Ga, were
awarded the contracts.
MIR. Milburn mas not only demonstrated
his competency as an architect, and
shown himself master of every detail
connected with the building, but in
experimenting the erection OF the build
ings has shown as much interest IN hay
ing the work properly done as the build
ing committee themselves, and has been
at all times ready and willing to render
any help to the committee during the
progress of the work.
The committee also desire to say in
behalf of the contractors that they have
done all in their power to comply with
the terms of their contract, and have
done the work we'll.
The committee were limited under the
Act to the expenditure of $50, ,OOO Tor the
court house ana Jail, the amount to be
raised by tax of one mill on the dollar
each year until said amount was raised,
with the power to borrow the amount IN
advance of the collection of the tax upon
a pledge of tine tax to secure the pay
ment, at rate of interest not to exceed
seven per cent. per annum.
One years tax amounting to about
81. 900 has been collected, and the COM
mittee have borrowed from the Sinking
Fund Commission of the State S28, 8,OOO
under special Act of the General AS
sembly at five per cent. interest.
Notwithstanding the predictions OF
many that the buildings would not be
erected for the amount of money 'utnor-
lied to be used for that purpose, the
committee are glad to report that tney
have been built for sum within the
limit.
Not only have they accomplished this,
but they believe they have the best court
house in the State for the amount OF
money expended, the court house alone
costing about $4,000. In addition TO
this the Committee, through the accom-
modations of the banks of the city, were
enabled to borrow money only as IL was
needed in the construction OF the build
ings until a special Act of the Legislature
could be obtained to enable them 10 DOT
row the remaining amount to DO coliecl,
ed to.wit: S2S, 900, from the Sinking funo
Commission ut the low rate OF tive per
cent. per annum, whereby they were en-
abled to save to the county S2,503 IN IN
terest alone, being the amount less the
county will have to pay in interest than
they would have had to pay had they
borro wed the full amountat first att per
cent The committee desire to express