The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-04-07
The Cours House.

Ae' W NhiOOASAA L4HIo IllUuldl vi
few weeks ago, waves real sarcastic
over the court hqlse question and
rubs it in with theHollowing. Since
then, the range commissioners have
decided to help ouG the popular de-
mand for court h4hse in the down
town district. TherIibunal said:
"We have heretofore explained
that the county commissioners from
the ranges could b9aepended upon to
vote in favor of buAaing the proposed
new court house on4bhe cid site--not
because they real89 thought it the
best site that coulE be chosen, or be-
cause they really Ia cared after be-
ing put to the inceE4yience, delay and
unnecessary expenA Of trip away up
the hill, wheneyIex shey have occasion
to visit the cour 5il3lse for any pur-
pose--but simply heause, when the
proper time comes They want to use
the inconyenient ut ion Of our court
house as an arguI ~ with their own
people in favor Of d vision OF the
county -
There is an IsAedly quite a
IIssrvas ernopseses'
the range towns III fivor OF countY
division; bnt still chat sentiment
lacks great deal of Being unanimous
Should the county be divided, the
strong probability is that either Hib-
bling, Eveleth or Virginia would be
chosen as the county seat Of the new
county, but there is so much rivalry
between those three towns, that a
great many people in each town,
would rather that the county should
not be divided for the next quarter Of
century, than that either one OF
their rivals should be made the coun-
ty seat and thus be given a prestige
and advantage oyer the others for all
times to come, There is as we have
said, a strong sentiment up on the
ranges in favor Of county division. but
it will have to be 'swOrked up" rather
skillfully. and in no other way could
the "long heads" UP there work up
that sentiment more skillfully than
by making the rank and file Of the
people in the range towns believe
that they are being imposed upon
and mistreated by "the old county,"
or by the Duluth end of the old coun-
ty. On both of the occasions when
the county division question was up,
it may be remembered that one Of the
strong arguments used by the range
papers and the range orators in favor
of county division, was the loss OF
time inconvenience and expense that
all the thousands of the range people
were put to every time they have oc-
casion to visit the court house as
many Of them have occasion to do
several times each year.
"Attention was called to the fact
that the range citizen, when coming
to- Duluth to pay his taxes for in
stance, instead of being able to do so
by stepping into some centrally locat-
ed building, had to spend from 5 to Is
minutes at third avenue West wait
ing for car to go up the hill; that
then he had to pay five cents into the
paw of the street railway company;
that then he had to spend from eight
to ten minutes of valuable time in
reaching his destination; that then
after transacting his business and
being ready to return. he usually had
to wait from five to ten minutes for
car to take him down again, and
that finally after spending an hour or
more of time and 10 cents in cash; he
finally reached his starting point,
having lost so much time on the trip
that he could not attend to his other
In the stores in time to take the next
train home, and that he was compel
led to incur hotel bill and take a
later train home.
"Of course, the long heads up on
the ranges, among whom are the
county commissioners from that sect-
ion of the county, want toutilize that