Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1907-07-10


the town." but l have been placed
in a position as the legal advisor
of the County Court and in this
capacity have of course been drawn
into this matter. and | am satisfied
if suy one in the county under
stands all about this situation it is
the County Court, and there is no
one regrets more than they do the
condition that this mutter is 10.
| But now let us think carefully be-
! fore we start across the street.
We have been to all of the expense
of having plans drawn, and speci
| tications made for the old lot; we
have advertised the sale of the
bonds, all at great expense to
the county, and this would all
necessarily have to be done again
at another great expense should
the change be made. The county
has no funds with which to pur-
| chase additional grounds, and
should they take the lot across the
street they would of course have to
exchange the present site Tor the
one across the street, and this
property is now in the hands of
u receiver and we have no assur-
ance when we will get q deed to
this property, or that we will ever
get one. There can be great
many things said about guarantee
ing title, but that does not buy
court house sites, and if title can
be acquired it is not probable that
it will be done for possibly year
or two, and the county is now pay
ing large sums of money every
month for rent. We are OF the
opinion that if the people will think
carefully and invest igate fully all
the facts as they now exist they
would say that the Court has done
the very best that could be done
under the present circumstances.
The court house, if placed on the
old lot will be placed back as near
as possible to the Bass property in
order that at some time when there
is some money available the Bass
property may be added, if so desir-
ed. | was present when Judge
Dearing was before the Court rep
resenting ''citizons of Potosi," but
we have been unable so far to find
out who those citizens were, as'all
We have taiked to did not favor. at
this stage of the game, moving
across the street, and if they did
the court house is being built for
the county and not the ''citizens of
Potosi" alone.
If the court house is built on the
old lot the Court can not be placed
in any shameful position, as they
have done, so far, the very best
that could have been done under
the conditions Us they existed.
This is rather late hour for the
''citizens of Potosi" to come for
ward with suggestions. | think
the best thing that they could have
done would been to purchase all
the ground from the alley between
the old court house site and the
livery stable and the creek and
have converted the same into a
public square, and set the court
house in the middle of the street;
but this could not be done, IS the
court had no funds at its disposal
for the purchase of the same, and
it is not likely that they will have as
long as they have to pay the rent
that the county is now paying. If
the court should take the lot
across the street it would probably
mean that we wou Id not have any
court house site for perhaps two
years and that all these plans and
specifications would have to be
made over, to some extent at least,
and then perhaps have to take the
old lot. lido not think it is fair to
the court or the people to come
forward with nothing but sugges-
tions after the court has made the
preparation er building at the ex
pense that it has already been to
after seeing that they had no mon
ey with which to purchase addi.
tional grounds. If these citizens
of Potosi" that Judge Dearing
represented before the court would
come forward with some of the
dough" it would look pretty nice
at this time.