The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1905-08-31
The Jail Discussion

The Jail Discussion.
or course there 10 considerable dis
eussion of tire acts of tie county COM
missioners In making the contract for
che building Of a Jail at Beaver. II
would have made no difference what
,ort OF action the board might have
taken, that action would not have
pleased everybody, and there is no
doubt that the people In this free aud
easy coanty OF Beaver will exerctze
their law given priv ilege of free speech
upon all subjects that interest them
financially. And it isproper and right
that they should do SO.
The most plausible reason for criti-
eism Of the action of the board is that
the building and cells could have been
put in for less money IL IL had been
built by the county, and have been
the property of the county from the
start, instead OF having il built by pri-
yate parties and the county leasing 1t
for two years, paying the full value OF
the building and cells in the form OF
rent, when the Jail becomes the prop
erty Of the county. Now we do not
know whether this assertion is true
or not. II the county had built the
bail il would have been done by con-
sract on bids. In that case there
might have have been competition in
bids, while under the method adopted
by the board. that body simply accept
I'd the proposition Of one set or firm OF
cousrsctors. However, after examin-
ir,g shs specifications Of the contract
entered ip%e by the board, we doubt
is any contractsr and builder would
have put in bid to do the job for less
money. When we take into consider
alton that fact That that costs about
ten dollars per thousand feet to freight
lumber from the railroad to this point
we can readily understand that $500
will not pay for very large building.
But there's one thing about the
building Of this Jail that We are not
At all pleased with, and that is the
location. II the board had hunted
the Territory over 1t could not have
found location where such a struc-
ture could have been eifectlslly hidden
f.om sight ~ the location selected for
the Jail. 1t ~ an unsanitary location,
back among private stables, pig pens,
cow sheds, and other things Of the
sort, and next to gully or draw
which is the main drain of ths town.
Even II the location were otherwise
all right. the Jail building (Which, We
presume, is also intended for jailor''
residence) will be stuck out Of sigh
behind that old rnttletrap of a court
house, which in itself is an .eyesore &c
anyone who ever saw house any bet
ter than pig pen. Besides being nr
nnsightly old shell, it is as uncomfort
able hole ~ 10 permitted to stand oil
the face of the earth. The old bat
nest IL unfit to hold court in, unfit fo
county officers quarters, or anything
else.
That old COW shed, which some peo
PIE call n court house, has cost thu
county more money for repairs in th'
last fifteen years than it would have
cost the county to build aud equip
good commodious court house 1t ha
been blown down twice, and "recon
.struc,ed" at big expens to the pc 'pl
1t is hoped that the next cyclone tina
strikes it will take out even the foun
dation stones and carry every vertig
of it clean out Of the Territory an
lose it, because, IL il should blow dow
again and splintered board Of
could be found, some county commii
Isioner would insist ON "repairing"
again.
And this condition OF affairs is force
sn the county simply because tn
is "a very large county, and some da
will be divided and made into frol
Two to half dozen counties A larp
majority OF the people in the count
xsra il divided and new counties o
gtnized; when this is done, they ca
they will want new court houses
nll the counties, and in that case Be,
ver City may not be county sea
Such thing might happen, of courl
bat that does not alter the fac, tn,
Beaver City Is TIL. COUNTY sEAr--mat
So by acs af ,Congress-and that Il
county seat will not he removed fro
here as long as Oklahoma remains
,erritory. and ,herc is no prospect M
for Oklahoma to be- admitted as
state for the next decade.
There is only one thing that we q
soe that will cause beaver county
be- siisided and new counties organiz,
out Of her territOry, and thai is tn &
railrova bniIt through the covn
east and vest. II you fellows vi
nre so ANXIOUS TO have this coun
divided will quit lighting Beaver ci
Ssause il happens Ia he the conn
sat, and go to work and help get su
railrond. you win soon get your d
ireg rat Sh..d and caia.,uild court hou,
IN your own counties To your hrui
@,nient Beaver City will do her shs
Dwnrds division any time. because u
dor present circumstances slle can
aotkiag IN tile way of pabIie JInpro'