Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-05-25
The New Court House.

The question of erecting new court
house is now squarely before the peo-
pie OF this county, and in view OF its
Importance all other considerations
should be laid aside and the question
decided upon it's merits. Now is the
time to discuss the question and any
one who has In view the welfare of the
county should feel free to express his
opinions upon it. The principal OBJ
lection seems to be the matter of ex-
pense to the already heavy burdens of
the taxpayers. We all realize that
the taxes are high and economy could
and should be exercised in some direc-
tions, but then there is some danger
in being too economical. The cheap
est is liable to be the most expensive
in the long run. Wildcat insurance
is costly even If the rates are low. 1t
is realized full well that in the con-
sideration of this magnitude there is
room for honest difference of opinion,
but that opinion should be free from
bias in the beginning.
Is it not questionable economy to
risk all the valuable records of the
county in a building which is not and
cannot be made fireproof? The writer
can state from personal examination
that the vault in the recorders office
is defective, being able to see daylight
with the doors closed. The wooden
ilOOrs constitute another dangerous
defect. Every person in the county
has vital interest in the preservation
OF the county records, for in them is
to be found the evidence and proof of
his property rights, and their de-
struction would cast a cloud upon the
title to all the real estate in the county
and anyone who has had to clear up
the title to land can testify to the
trouble and expense. But it has been
said that ii the county records We're to
be destroyed there are other records
in the county. True it is that there
are three firms of abstracters in the
county but their books are their pri
vate property and when the county
came to buying they would be in po-
sition to dictate prices and the people
would soon find that they were up
against monopoly, which for direct
results, would make the oil trust sink
into insignificance. These abstracters
do not pretend to copy all the county
records and what they do copy would
not be accepted in the absence of var
iOus proofs. The destruction of the
records and the consequent difficulty
in establishing title would impair the
selling price of land in amount sutfi-
cient to build two or three court
houses. But it has been said that as
the present building has been sufficient
there is no good reason why it will
not do for the future. Mere assertion
is not argument and anyone familiar
with the facts in the case would make
none From the time of Father Adam
progress and Improvement has had
to meet such opposition. According
to the auditors report for 1904 the
taxable value of all property in the
county is 81. 2l0, 0lS. 90 and a tax of II
mills for ten years would be ample for
the building. AS the cost is to be dis
tributed through ten years it is safe
in saying that the additional tax will
hardly be mott ceable. The additional
tax would be annually but 374c on
$1,000. We should all take pride
enough in the affairs of our county to
see to it that we have a building that
will stand comparison and criticism.
The writer has visited one-ffth of the
court houses in the state and in but
one instance did he find building in
ferior to that of Audubon county and
since that time that one county has
built anew. There is no better county
in the state than ours, therefore let US
not be behind the times.
TT Il Ma NTZ