Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-03-22
COURT HOUSE PROPOSITION.

COURT HOUSE PROPOSlTION.
The following article from the De-
cornh Posten outlines our position on
the Court House question from the
first so thoroughly that we reprint it
1t is clincher, and we hope our read
ers will read it carefully:
No good can come from any
further discussion Of the law that
governs the title to the public
square. The conclusion viii be
found to be just as the PosTEN
has stated it, i. e., that the county
can use the square for court house
purposes, and that cannot be right
fully denied by Decorah's people
or by any one e.se. The county
cannot sell the public square nor
can the city. Newspaper trial OF
this issue has gone as far as 1t
should GO. Reqniscat IN Pace.
! However, The question will
never be tested in the courts.
Only an inconsiderable minority
really wants the county capital TO
be at Calmar. That is not the
place for it, and everyone, be he
Calmar boomer or otherwise,
knows it. Calmar does not ex-
pect the court house, neither does
anyone dream for a moment that
she will ever get it. Not that Cal
mar does not wont it. The fever
: OF acquisition is in the veins OF
, her people. but even in their de
= llrium they are rational enough &c
know that they can offer no real
incentive to lead the people OF
J Winnesheik to do business on
!, Calmars proposition"
> Calmar, not being able to get
: anything for herself, is consumed
by an itch to do something vici-
! Gus. She trickles with venom
but even Calmar is SO ashamed Of
: her part that her Counter comes
out in denial of the accusation
: that her motive is to mulct Deco
rah. Here it is, read it:
"Calmar is not trying to do he no {
y up" act to DEBORAH as they intimate, bu
: is making an earnest fort to be recog
!, nized as an aspirant for county sea
1 honors."
How does that statement Jibt
:, with what the circulators of the
! petition tell you on the quiet wher
they solicit your signature? Dom
they whisper in your ears tina
Calmar cannot hope to get the
county seat away from the north
;, but that they want your assistance
that they may stick DEBORAH for ;
court house?
!, Calmar's organ has been on boil
! sides of this proposition. Thu
truth escapes the Courier by &C
I cident, but that is not binding, ant
= every admission of this truth i
followed shortly afterwards by
: denial.
If the Courier is ashamed of tn
truth, there must be somethin.
: indecent in the proposition, ant
y it may be that the situation is sucl
), that everybody should be ashame'
of it.
:. When one man undertakes t
y coerce another by threats of in
! jury or pecuniary loss the attemp
. is called extortion. When how
. ever, Calmar's adherents seek t
: extort from DEBORAH business me
: fifty or seventy FIVE thousand do
lars, that is chuckled over a
: being an honorable business enter
" prise. Does it look HONORABLE
: and decent to you? Don't yo
:. think it has it's inception in a di.
:. honest instinct3 Does an hone:
!. !, intention usually manifest itself b
= seeking to attain money or good
with the idea of shutting off witt
Al out rendering an adequate retur
es therefore, IAN eye for an eye,
IS tooth for a tooth" is the law. Me
y. " innumerable have sought to evad
ne that law. but do you know of an
es one that succeeded in doing il
is "As We sow, so shall we also reap,
q. If you think that law is emasc'
o. o. lated, don't stop with holding d.
a. corah up for new court hous
er Just glue yourself to anything va
y. happen to want. You wont HAY
- to pay for it. If that is not Ri
underlying tenet of this Calh;
proposition. we are frank to adm
that the true status of the sitp'