The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-05-04


planatory letter was received the past
week by Senator Stookey:
ANDREW CARNEGIE
East 91st Street
New York
April 20, 1905.
MARION F. sTooKEY,
Leon, Iowa.
DEAR SIR,
Responding to your communica-
tions on behalf of Leon-If the City
agree by Resolution of Councils to main
tain a Free Public Library at cost of
not less than Six Hundred Dollars a
year, and provide suitable site for the
building, Mr.. Carnegie will be pleased
to furnish Six Thousand Dollars to erect
Free Public Library Building for Leon.
Respectfully yours,
JAS. BERTRAM,
P. Secretary.
At meeting of the library board
Monday evening it was decided to ac-
cept the offer of Mr.. Carnegie and plans
were laid at once to provide means for
securing site, Judge j. W. Harvey,
Geo. E. Hurst and S. Varga being ap-
pointed a committee to select a site,
and several properties are under con-
sideration, among them being the prop
erty at the corner of Commercial and
Church streets, just across the street
north of the M. E. church, owned
by Mrs. S. j. Roger. The j. F.
Penniwell lots on Commercial street
now occupied by his carpenter shop,
the north part of the residence property
owned by Lafe Mitchell on Main Street,
across the street east of Bowsher &
Bowsher's store and several others.
The intention is to secure centrally
located site, within short distance of
the square and one which will prove
satisfactory to all the people of the town
for the library is public enterprise in
which every citizen of the town is in
, terested.
The library tax having been voted by
a large majority of the people when the
matter was submitted to them, there
will be no opposition to the town coun-
Gil complying with Mr.. Carnegie's re-
quirements to levy the two mill tax for
the support of the library, and the only
thing left to be done is to raise the nee
essary money to buy the site, as Mr..
Carnegie requires that the site be do
mated for the building which he will
erect. This will probably require
81 900 to $1,000, but we have no fears
but what the public spirited citizens
of Leon will cheerfully subscribe this
amount, and that the new library build
ing will be built the coming summer.
The Leon Free Public Library is now
on firm footing, and has been OF in
calculable benefit to the people of the
community. The library has now on it's
shelves more than 1900 volumes of
good books, not counting the govern
ment reports and books which have
been placed there for r ference. Dur
ing the past year over 5000 books were
loaned from the library and read by the
people of Leon and vicinity. New books
are being constantly added to the libra
ry and the value of the free library to
the people of the community can scarce
ly be estimated.
The chance to secure the gift of a
building from Mr. Carnegie is one
which we cannot afford to pass up. 1t
has taken considerable work and in
fnence to secure his liberal offer and we
must make up our minds to take advan-
tage of itat once. The site committee
is hard at work securing prices from
different parties for a site, aud when
this is settled the next thing is to raise
the money to pay for it. Every citizen
in the town should feel that they have
an interest in the library whether they
are book borrower or not, and when
you are waited on by the committee
have your mind made up in advance to
put down liberal subscription. And
it is not necessary for you to wait until
you are asked to contribute. 1t will
help matters along if you will volun-
tarily stepup to any of the committee
and tell how much you will give fol-
this commendable enterprise.