Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1905-06-01
The New Court House.
Editor Journal.

the court house question | beg leave
to use part of the same for reply
to Mr.. A. Tax Payer. His admission
in last weeks paper to the effect that
the board OF supervisors are acting in
good faith and that the new $1,000
vault is necessary, would indicate that
Mr.. A. Tax Payer is literal and fair
minded man or perhaps woman with
whom it would be pleasure to dis
cuss the matter, but his latter utter
ances somewhat destroy this impress
sion. | want to discuss this question
in all reasonableness and fairness, and
want to say that I have not the
slightest personal interest in the
building of new court house, any
more than every other tax payer in
the county and that if it is not TO the
the best interest of the people TO erect
y new building,I want to see the
measure defeated. but when MIR. A.
Tax Payer makes the statement that
the present court house with the adj
dition of new vault. is beyond
question all sufficient, he directly re-
flutes his previous assertion in the
same article that there are two sides
to every question. The condition of
the court house, suppose, is known
to every voter in the county, its ap-
pearance inside and outside is known,
the necessity for new vault is admit
ted, and the safety of the present
vaults, which will still be needed, is
very much questioned, it being stated
on good authority that they are not
lire proof. and never have been, and
that it is only because we have never
had fire, that the county's almost
invaluble records and documents have
not been destroyed. I admitted in my
former article that from q point Of
strict necessity We could probably get
along with the present court house for
few years, by adding q new vault
and other repairs and running the risk
of fire, and l attempted to show that
the people of this county are not &C.
customed to confine themselves to
strict necessities in private life, as pro-
gressive citizens, keeping step with
civilization, we take pride in our
public institutions, our schools and
colleges, and should see to it that our
public buildings compare reasonably
well with our private buildings and
improvements. The writer of thus has
visited a number of court houses in
this state, as we'll rs some in other
states, but has not seen one in as di.
lapidated condition as the one be-
longing to this county. And yet Audu-
bon county has the reputation of be-
ing as wealthy in proportion to size
and population, as any of the rural
counties in the state. OF course in
every community there are always
some pessimistic mossbacks, doing
the watch dog of the treasury act,
who will doeverything in their power
to block the Wheels of progress, it was
ever thus, history, profane or sacred,
ls full of SUCH instances, yet the world
has progressed in spite of them, or
perhaps; because Of them. But sup
posing, for the sake ofargument, that
the court house, after building new
vault is all that it ought to be for the
present, is it not practically throwing
$4,000, the cost of the new vault, to the
birds. | think every fairminded per-
son will admit that q new court house
must and will be built within few
years, and when such time arrives
this new vault will be practically
worthless and besides | am informed
on good authority that new roof will
be needed within q year or two 30
from standpoint of expediency and
sound business principles submit to
the taxpayers of Audubon county
whether or not this expenditure ought
to be saved, therefor Mr.. A. Tax Pay
er's solicitude for the tax payers of
Audubon County, seems to me to be
very much of the penny wise and
pound foolish idea. TO summarize, I
am in favor of building a new court
house because it will in effect be saw
ing to the county Of the cost of q new
vault and possibly of new roof, ~
because the records and documents OF
| the county are exposed to destruction
in case of fire and 81 because the old
court house is disgraceto the coun.
ty. Mr. A Tax Payers chief objection
to the building of a new court house
after all seems to be the fact that the
town of Audubon is going to be bene-
fitted by it more than the outlying
districts, which is undoubtedly the
case to some extent. If there is any
way of compelling Audubon to share
those benefited ] would be in favor OF
doing SO, but the suggestion that Au.
dubon contribute $50, 600 to $4,000 to-
ward the building of new court
house, suppose is viewed with about
the same degree of seriousness that a
suggestion that the City of Des Moines
contribute two thirds of the sum
100000 that the last legislature ap
propriated for the repair of the state
capitol and historical building, would
be viewed. Now Mr.. A. Tax Payer you
take the Journal into some quiet re
treat, put yourself into state of minG
as near unprejudiclal as is possible TO-
you, fix in your mind the old adagt
that none are so blind as those wht
won't see and then study the question
from the articles in the JOURNAL o.
from any other source you like and
venture to say you will at least arriv,
at your former conclusion, viz: tina
there are two sides to every question
A CITIZEN
For Sale.
| i have about a dozen head of high
grade Hereford bulls which / viii
dispose of at very reasonabl,
| prices. Time will be given to re