Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1899-01-06

the article, ID untrue. 1t says: THE
building OF the new court house Wal
largely increase Polk county'S debt and
the taxes OF all the people. The build
Ing OF the court house on the present
site will largely increase the countys
debt, forit will necessitate the expend-
iture Of large amounts for rent 81
county offices and jail during the time
the court house IL being constructed.
Can the Register truthfully deny this!
The expenditures for the care OF pris-
oners in other jaus and for the trans
portation Of the guards and prisoners
be very large. Can the Register truth
fully deny this? The rents for vaults
for the safe keeping Of the county rec
Oris during the four years the building
lis in progress Of construction will pc
very large. Can the Register denv
this truthfully? The fitting up Of the
Offices for the various county officials
and the court rooms will be very ex-
pensive. Can the Register truthfully
deny this?
Fl There is no source Of income for the
payment of this Indebtedness, except
from '.the taxes Of all the people" Can
the Register truthfully deny this?
The present site can be sold for much
more than the amount necessary for the
purchase of new grounds; the offer is in
the hands of the river front site COM
mittee. Can the Register truthfully de-
ny this?
4 The park commissioners stand ready
to take the present site and pay more
for it than q new location will cost.
Can the Register truthfully deny this?
These things being true, is not the
Register mistaken when 1t says the
success of the effort to locate the
building on the river front will increase
the taxation Of the county 100000? An
increase of receipts cannot be termed
an increase of expenditure.
The building Of the court house on
the river front will be cheaper than if 1t
should be built on the old location for
the reason that the present structure
can be occupied while the new one is
being constructed. while the other plan
will require the renting of large num-
Der Of expensive rooms for offices and
the use Of the courts and also large
expenditures for keeping and trans
porting county prisoners to foreign
jails. These are facts that all men
must admit. no matter which location
they prefer.
BE truthful in your discussions with
your neighbor Of the proposition to re-
move the court house site. 1t is neither
wise nor creditable to tell falsehoods.
When such reputable men as compose
the committee of friends of the river
site say that they have bona tide Of
fer. secured by bond. of 100000 for the
present court house square, and When
the letters Of the board OF park COM
missioners Offering to take the property
for very much more than the proposed
new site would cost. are before you,
YOU are bound to accept their state
ments or to consider them untrutht9l
men. When the site is sold. in accord
ance with either Of these offers and the
money credited to the court house fund.
will there be any increase Of indebted
ness? Will there not rather be an in
crease of resources and a consequent
decrease Of taxation? When the coun-
ty is paying large rentals for offices
and Jail during the time Of the con-
struction of the court house on the pres
ent site. will there not be an increase Of
expenditures over what would be ne
cessary If the building was being con-
structed on the river front and the
present court house occupied? Is there
any source from which these expendtt-
ures are to be collected except from
taxes? If the present site was sold for
$1VV,VUV dAu d uCW OIAC pNASA6kSSN Ava
$50, 900, would there be any loss to the
taxpayers of the county in having $4O,-
900 added to the building fund.
The total taxation valuation of the
property OF Polk county is $22,3 200 90.
"A tax Of 90 mills for one year woud
raise $49,216.OO, while tax of 2.3 mills
for one year would raise $51, 453.00.
b The farm land of Polk county is as
sessed at from $500 to $14.00per aver
age, 81 per acre being the average,
making the assessed value on an aver
age S0-acre farm $3.50, we will call it
$500 for convenience, which makes the
total assessment to raise $4,000 on an
average 80-acre farm in Polk county
81; so that the total expense to farm
er owning an average 8O-acre farm In
Polk county. If paid in spot cash for
purchasing a new site for the court
house, would not exceed 81.
Dividing this sum into 20 installments
as proposed by the proposition before
the people, it would make the annual
payment on an sO-acre farm in Polk
of the sum Of 10 cents with in
terest thereon. In other words, one
dozen eggs a year for the SO-acre farm
err would buy new court house site.
It will take the same number of eggs
to pay the $4,000 expense If the court
house is built on the old site. Why
not invest our eggs in land instead OF
A man owns a homestead and sells
it, using the proceeds to purchase
another homestead. The law gives him
permission to do so. Pix county has
lot for court house, owning it just
as the man owns his homestead. and
sells it for the purpose of building
another court house. The law is as
plain in one case as in the other.
The question of the right of the coun-
ty to sell the grounds where the pres
ent court house is located was voted
on in 1884, after the board of supervis-
ors had thoroughly Investigated the
matter, and after they had been advised
by their attorney that they had the
power to sell. The proposition was
submitted in the following form: Shall
the board of supervisors be empowered
to issue bonds of the county in the sum
of $150,OOO. to run not more than ten
years, and to draw interest at the
rate of not to exceed 5 per cent per
lne pIOceeuS oL WHicn ~ VIC
used for purchasing and building
thereon new court house and Jail for
the use of the county; such ground to
be situated in Des Moines. not more
than two squares from the Des Moines
river, in the original town Of Fort Des
Afoines, and to levy q tax, etc" What
have the board of supervisors or the
done since that time to impair
the right of the county to sell the pres
emit site and build somewhere else?
The resolution of the board Of super
visors in 1884, submitting to a vote the
question Of selling the present site and
using the proceeds in purchasing other
grounds and building anew court house
was prepared by County Attorney
Sherman, in accordance with the in