The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-11-01
VOTE FOR COURT HOUSE

LNOay uUuO Op1tISCu OlllICN III luC
County Should Vote in Favor of
Building a New Court House.
The question of whether Decatur
county should move out of the rut and
build a new modern court house is one
in which every resident of Decatur
county, no matter in what part of the
county they reside, is vitality interested
in. The demand from part of the tax
payers residing in the county that
Leon should contribute something to-
ward a new court house has been met,
and the citizens of Leon have donated
$1,000, one-tenth of the cost of the
proposed new building, in addition
to paying their full share of the tax.
This amount has been deposited with
the Farmers and Traders State Bank, of
Leon, in the shape of regular promissory
notes, made payable to Decatur county,
and Fred Teale, cashier Of the bank,
certities that the notes are good bank
able notes and can all be collected.
This donation should satisfy the people,
and from expressions from all parts of
the county it has met with the approval
of the taxpayers, and many persons who
have heretofore voted against a new
court house now say they are willing
and anxious to vote for it.
The cost, as has been explained here
tofore, would be so small to the indi-
vidual taxpayer that they can scarcely
notice it when figured in with their
other taxes. The levy would only be
two mills each year for ten years, and
TO fo lx,S +c
worth of property given in for taxation.
The past week a statement has been
mailed to every taxpayer in the county
tax would be, based on their assessment
the past year. Two mills is not two
per cent, but only one fifth of one per
cent year. Taxpayers should not con-
found this small levy with the railroad
tax which they voted on themselves of
five and ten per cent which was all pay
able the first year. The total court house
tax paid in the entire ten years would
only be two per cent tax.
1t is conceded by every fair minded
person who has been inside of the old
court house within the past few years
, that the building is in a deplorable con-
dition, and that the public records are
not kept in fire proof vaults, for the
present vaults are filled to overfiowing
and many valuable records are now
stored in the garrett of the building at
the mercy of fire should the building be
burned. Every property owner in De-
catur county knows what the destruc-
tion of the records cost when the old
court house burned number of years
ago. For a great many years it
was almost impossible for a farmer to
secure a loan on his land on account of
the records being defective, and for
many years none of the eastern loan
companies would place any loans in De-
catur county on this account. To this
day every time piece of property is
transferred an expensive abstract must
be secured, and property owners know
what abstracts have cost them. The
former loss would be very small one
compared with what would be the re-
suit should the present records be des-
troyed. 1t is to the interest of every
taxpayer to provide safe and suitable
place where the records of the county
can be securely kept and preserved, and
court house is used not exclusively by
the people who reside in the city where
it is located, but by the people of every
nook and corner of the entire county.
A new court house would result in
considerable saving to the county
each year in the way of expenses which
they now pay for rent for the county
attorneys Office, county superinten-
dents office, grand jury and trial jury
rooms whenever court is in session, and
the amount thus saved to the contin-
gent fund would permit the general tax
levy to be reduced just that much, and
the chances are that if new court
house was built that the total tax levy
of the county would not be Increased at
all. For several years the bridge levy
has been pretty heavy, four mills a
year, but things are now shaping them
selves so that the levy can be reduce
the coming year. Leon has always
paid her share of the bridge tax cheer.
fully although all the bridge money
has been spent outside of Leon. The
taxpayers should remember this when
it comes to voting on the court house
question.
Many farmer knows that when
Illinois and other farmers have come
into this county seeking land, the ap
pearance of the old court house has
caused them to ask why it was if De.
catur county was such good county
that it had such dilapidated court
house. A new court house would add
to the value of every acre of land ir
Decatur county it it was placed on the
market.
:; The finances of the county are ir
splendid shape, the county having nc
outstanding bonds or warrants, and
there are amply funds in the treasury
for all current needs. There never was
time when court house could be
built with less hardship on the taxpay
ers of the county.
The question of whether Decatur
county is to advance and take he,
place in the ranks of the progressive
counties of the state is up to the voters
and they will decide the question al
the polls next Tuesday. We ask eact
and every voter to think this matter
over carefully and considerably ant
see if it is not to your interest to assis
in carrying the proposition. Look vi
your tax receipt and see just how mucl
a new court house would cost YOU