The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-06-15
THE new COURT HOUSE
Decatur County is Badly in Need of
a Modern StruCture--ShdlI We
Build One!

WUuClu SlIuClulCssSndlI We
Build One?
The question of again submitting
proposition to the voters of the county
to provide for the building of new
court house is being agitated and
it is more than probable that the ques-
tion will be submitted at a special cleo
tion to be held some time this fall.
Decatur county is one of. the best
counties in the state of Iowa, and Iowa
is one of the richest states in one of the
richest. counties on the globe. The
present structure is not in any way ad
equate to the present needs of the
county, and there is but one other
county in the state which has not pro-
vided for modern court house in recent
years. the other county being Van Buren
and it is now agitating a new court
house. The building now used as the
Decatur county court house is old and
nearly ready to fall down, the vaults and
Offices are not near large enough to ac-
commodate the valuable books and pa
pers which go to make up public records.
1t makes every wide-awake and pro-
gressive man feel instinctively mean to
look at it. And yet the question of
looks is but one of the least consider
alton. The question of necessity is over
shadowing. We must have a new court
house and we ought to have one that will
be appropriate not only for the present
time but one that will be of use and
credit to the county for the next half
century that it will stand. In 1874 the
Decatur county court house was des-
troyed by fire together with all the
public records and it has cost the
people of this county hundreds of thou
sands of dollars in perfecting titles to
their land. The vaults at the old court
house are filled to the top now with
records and many of them are stored
in the attic of the old shack without any
protection whatever from fire. Just
think what it We u mean at this age if we
should again have the records destroyed
by fire. The present court house has
been on fire several times, and it was on
ly by the fortunate discovery of the fires
before they had made much headway
that the building was saved.
A new court house would have ten
dency to increase the value of every acre
OF farm land in the county. When peo-
pie come here from other states and
look on the crumbling old ruin called
court house it cannot help but create
very unfavorable impression on them
and tend to lower the real value of the
county, for the reason that if this is as
good county as it claims to be
the people could well afford to build
modern court house. There is moth
ing that speaks as we'll for community
as good public buildings.
Another reason why new court
~ r,h< l,<> &1o& No s,,I1
of the district court have threatened to
structure and have contemplated order
suitable room in which to hold court.
rent rooms for the grand and trial jurors.
Offices for the county superintendent
and county attorney, there being no
room for them in the court house. The
saving each year if we had new build
ing would be considerable.
The indications now are that we are
going to have good old time crop this
year There will be no general election
held this year, and it would be an ideal
time to submit the question at an elect
ion in October or November when the
farmers are not rushed with work so that
ever voter in the county would have an
opportunity to express his idea about
it. The last time the question was sub
mitted it was only defeated by small
majority and had it been desired to take
advantage of technicalities the PROPOSE
tion could have been declared carried but
the good citizens of the county had no
desire to take any such advantage and
when we do build a new court house it
must be when majority of the people
of the county are in favor of so doing.
Since the last election many of those
who were opposed to the new court house
have changed their minds and say they
are now ready to vote for the PROPOSE
tion. We need it badly.
Let every one who has the best inter
ests of the county at heart think seriously
over this question. Talk it over with
your neighbor and if he is not in favor
of it try and convince him that it is to
his interest to have new court house
just as much as it is to yours.
The court house could be built by issll.
ing twenty year bonds so that the bur.
den would lie a very light one on the tax.
payers, as they would not pay for it all
in one year, but it would be carried
along and a small part of it paid each
year and the taxpayers would never
notice it. The railroads in this county
would be compelled to pay more than a
fifth of the court house tax, and to the
average farmer it would mean but few
cents each year.
In our neighboring county of Clarke
they built a new court house at Osceola
few years ago and within few years
paid off the entire bond issue and that
too without increasing the tax levy ovel
what they had been previously paying.
The time is ripe to submit the PROPOSE
tion and we believe the board of super
visors will call special election at any
time the matter is presented to them by
the proper petition as provided for by
law. Won't you do your part toward
securing new court house?
Advertised Letters.
Remaining uncalled for in the pos
Office at Leon, Iowa, for the week end
ing June 6, 1905:
Mrs Fred Marshall Green Rear,