The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-09-14
A new COURT HOUSE
Special Election will be held Tues
day, New. 9TH to Vote on the
Proposition to Issue Bonds.

The voters of Decatur comfy will
once more have an opportunity to de-
cide at the polls whether this county
shall continue to use the dilapidated
old structure called court house, or
whether new modern building which
will be credit to the county shall be
built. The board of supervisors on last
Saturday in response to a numerously
signed petition asking that the ques-
tion of issuing bonds to build new
court house be submitted at special
election this fall, decided to call a
special election to be held on the date Of
the general election if the biennial cleo
tion law had not done away with state
election in Iowa this year, which is on
Tuesday, Nov. 9TH. The resolution
which was adopted by the unanimous
vote Of the board is that the question
Of issuing bonds in the sum of $4,000,
drawing interest at the rate of 4 per
cent per annun, shall be submitted at
the special election, and providing that
the judges and clerks who o!ficiated at
the last general election shall act at the
special election.
The board did wise act in deciding
to submit the question for the matter
has been talked great deal, and there
is no question but what the voters and
taxpayers of the county are anxious to
settle the matter this year. Decatur
county is away behind the times in tae
matter OF providing modern county
building where the records of the
county can be kept with some degree OF
safety, which is not>the case with the
old court house, which is entirely in
adequate to the present need, and many
valuable records are at the mercy of the
flames in case the building should be
destroyed by fire, as it was once before,
and every man who has ever bought or
sold foot of land in this county since
that time knows what trouble has been
caused when it came to securing a title
to his land. The amount asked for
$4,000 is sufficient to build fine brick
or stone building which will answer the
needs of the county for the next hun.
dred years, and the burden of taxation
to do so will not fall very heavy on any
individual, as the levy does NOT come
all in one year, but is scattered over a
period of years SO that the additiona
tax will not be noticed. A few years
ago a new court house was built al
Osceola in Clarke county, and the bonds
were all paid without increasing the
tax levy over what it had been before
Decatur county is the only county il
southern Iowa which has not built g
modern conrt house, and there is nc
county in the state which is better able
or more entitled to fine modern fire
proof court house.
Now that the matter will be sub
mitted to the voters this fall, let every
one who is interested in building III
Decatur county, and increasing tht
value of every acre of farm land in the
county, go to work and see that tn
proposition is carried by a good bis
majority, and you will never regre
your action. Talk the matter over will
your ncighbor, and ask him to make
personal inspection Of the old rattl
trap we now have. Any county officia
will be glad to show you through tn
court house and an examination viii
convince any fair minded man that W
need new court house and need
badly.