The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-04-19
STRAIGHTENS HISTORY

vi NINuOun ulOl UNI
W. t. Cannon, one of the Pioneers,
Tells Some Facts About the
County Seat Controversy.
EDITOR REPORTER AS an early set
tier in Decatur county, March II, 1851,
at that time there had not been any
town site located for the county seat.
Bnt i'll the spring of 1852, there was
proposition made to take vote at the
April election and a location was to be
made as near the geographical center
OF the county as the lay of the ground
would admit, which was about 1 ! miles
was known as the Tash farm and called
Greencastle. Another site was at the
present town of Decatur City, located
there by two men who lived in Garden
Grove at that time, and had claim on
a part of the land where Decatur City
now stands. There was no legal call
for the vote, but it was intended to
ascertain the feeling of the settlers of
the county as to where the county seat
should be. The April election was to
elect the township officers, but the gen
eral election was the first Monday in
August for all state and national Off
GERS. When the vote was counted
Greencastle had the majority of the
votes cast, although Garden Grove gave
several votes for Decatur City. At the
August election in 1852, Decatur and
Wayne counties had to elect repre-
sentative to the legislature. o. N.
Kellogg, of Garden Grove, was a candi-
date and Harvey Duncan, of Wayne
county, was candidate for the same
Office. MIR. Kellogg was in favor of a
commission to be appointed by the leg
islature of Iowa to locate the county
seat OF Decatur county, while Mr.. Dun
can was in favor of the voters
OF the county locating the county
seat by vote of the electors, and said if
he was elected he would use his in
tluence to have a special act of the
legislature allowing the voters of the
county to locate by vote at the April
election in 1S53 and at that election a
large majority of the votes were cast
in favor of Leon. And had the citizens
OF Decatur City encouraged the build
ing up of Leon instead of trying to dis
courage strangers from settling in the
county seat at Leon, and the result was
that these strangers did not settle in
either place for more than 25 years, but
: went to other counties where there was
no factional fight over the county seat
AS the result of that factional fight
there were hundreds of men who came
to Decatur county and would have set.
tied here but did not from that very
cause. Do the voters of the county
want to repeat that factional fight
. again? think not.
In trying to keep Leon from building
up they not only injured Decatur City
just as bad, but the whole county suffer.
ed in the price of every acre of land
from So to S15. That was the condition
of our county before the railroad came
to Leon. AS have stated the price Of
all land was from So to S15 an acre less
than in adjoining counties, and until
the c. B. & @. railroad was built to Leon
and the Narrow Gauge from Des Moines
to Leon, and in a year or two the price
of land began to raise in value, because
there was a feeling that the county
seat question was settled. There is but
one question for every voter to ask him
self, and that is is there one reason
, why the county seat should be removed
to Decatur City after being 50 years at
| Leon. say there is not one single
reason. But there are many reasons
why Leon should remain as the county
seat and one reason is Leon is very
close to the center of the county. But
the greatest reason is the price of land
would not depreciate if it remains the
, county seat as at present. Another
reason is that the people of the east
half of the county have spent thousands
of dollars to secure the two railroads
built to Leon the county seat, which
, was done by personal subscription and
tax levies on Eden, Center and Leor
townships to aid the roads in building
Now let every voter in the county who
is opposed to removing the county seal
to Decatur City sign the remonstrance
signed the petition who do not honestly
believe that the county seat ought to be
moved. Now let them sign the remon
the remonstrance and not on the petit
! tion.
Now to correct an error in regard t,
the second term of the distric
court of Decatur county being held il
Decatur City. From my persona
knowledge it was not held in Decatur
i City, but was held in log cabin some
three miles east and south of Decatur
City. John J. Stanley was sheriff, Judge
Townsend, OF Abba, was the Judge, an6
l was one Of the grand jurors at thai
court The grand jurors were sworl
and Judge Townsend gave us instruc
tiOns and we left the room and wen
out on the grass near the cabin anc
s talked for an hour or so, and reported
n there was no business to do, and we
were discharged, and the Judge go
t through with what business there was
to do and adjourned court the same af
ternoon. Judge Townsend and l were
neighbor boys in Indiana and he made
3 his stopping place at my home at tina
! time. w. E. CANNON.
A letter from F. f. Bedier and wifi,
who spent the past winter at sant
Monica, California, informs us that the.
started for Iowa on April 18th, but will