The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-05-21
MAY DEFER ACTION
UNTIL LALATER DATE
Court House Project To Be Taken
Up at Specia! Meeting of
Board in August.
TROUBLE OVER REPORTNOW SUBMITTED
Special Committee and District Attorney
lIOugen in COntrOyersy-Senti'
ment For a Sl50,000 Building.

Indications are that action by the
County Board relative to the proposed
new Court House building will be de-
ferred for several months and that
nothing definite will result until next
year. Trouble has arisen over the re-
port of the special committee appointed
at the Fall session of the Board and the
controversy will undoubtedly lead TO
delay until further investigation can be
made and it is not improbable that the
Board will advertise for new plans and
sketches. The sentiment among Board
members is strongly in favor Of new
Court House, but deliberate and care
full consideration is deman ed Anoth-
er matter that weighs with the Board
is as to the cost of the building, an ex-
penditure of from $4,000 to $3.50, 900
being deemed conservative
Much attention is being given to the
Court House question at the meeting
of the Board in session this week and
some action will be taken at this time.
The report of the special committee
was submitted at Tuesdays session and
was sensational in character because of
the attacks made upon District Attor-
ney Hougen and others, a aquestson of
veracity between members of the COM
mittee and Mr.. Hougeu being raised.
The contract in which the committee
binds the county to pay $35O0 for draw
ings of the proposed building made by
Minneapolis architects, which the dis
trict attorney has declared void and not
binding on the County, was attached
and this is the source OF the trouble.
The committee reviewed its work in de-
tail and devoted considerable portion
of the report to defense from the criti
cisms that have been directed against
the action taken. 1t is claimed that
the resolution provided for the secur-
ing of plans and specifications and that
this gave the Committee authority for
the contract of $500
Consideration of the committees s re-
port at the session today precipitated a
warm debate. District Attorney
Hougen presented a statement in which
he challenged the comUittee's state
ments and in the discussion that fol-
lowed the lie WAS passed between Sups.
Watt and Schmidt and the Attorney.
A committee appointed by the City
Council to confer with the Board ap-
peared, Fred Schuette, Thomas Iorri-
son, Henry Wits and l.. j. Nash each
addressing the meeting. Mr.. Nash was
the principal speaker and in his address
suggested that the County acquire the
property adjoining the present site of
the Court house and use the entire block
He urged great deliberation by the
Board bt fore final action was taken
and gave his views as to the require
ments of a new County building. In
his opinion an expenditure of $1O 600 TO
$25, 600 more or less would not be OBJ
iected to by the people if a satisfactory
building was secured. Another sugges-
ton offered was that all provisions for
the raising of funds should be complet-
ed by the Board before the contract for
building was entered upon. Mr..
Nash's remarks were we'll received and
will be considered by the Supervisors.
Other speakers assured the Board that
the City was des irous of assisting the
project for new Court House.
While nothing definite has as yet re-
suited. u resolution introduced at the
session today will probably be adopted
to dispose of the matter for the present
time. The resolution provides that the
plans and entire question be referred to
the Committee on Public improvements
and that a special meeting of the Board
be called August to decide the fate
of The project. If this plan is adopted
the new committee may again adver-
tise for sketches and open competition
for architects from all sections. This
suggestion was offered by sev.ra
speakers at the M citing today and u
favored, because of belief that theI
competition before the original com
mittee was too limited. But six plans
were submitted to the special committee
although inquiries were received from
more than thirty architects. There is
n suspicion that one member Of that
committee, Schmidt. acted on his own
responsibility in limiting the competi-
ton. The resolution to refer the ques
tion will be acted upon tomorrow and
tie matter will then rest until later.