The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-03-13
Report Reaches Crown
Point That Steel Town is
After County Seat.
KNOCKS PET PROJECT
Plan to Remodel Court House Meets
With Opposition From New
Manufacturing City.

II is now reported that Gary is look
ing with covetous eyes upon the county
seatship and to this end will oppose
the remodeling of the court house at
Crown Point. Rumor to this effect has
reached Crown Point in more or less
definite form and has hoated thence to
Hammond, and while by some it is
taken seriously. others regard it as
idle gossip and make a pretense at
least of treating it with levity.
1t is claimed that Gary is opposed
to the remodeling of the court house
and this opposition is looked upon as
significant of the manufacturing towns
desire to become the county seat, and
there are those who point out the fact
that Gary, having the main industry
of the county and being backed by some
of the most powerful capitalists in the
country, should have aspirations in a
political direction and desire to become
the center OF county government.
Crown Point UncOncerned.
The report is received with little
concern in Crown Point, and is looked
upon as an effort to stir up another
factional fight between the north and
south portions of Lake county, in
which the promoters of Gary hope to
profit at the expense of Crown Point.
Hammond, Whiting. East Chicago, Lo-
well and Hobart.
A Crown Point man said yesterday:
'An attempt on the part OF the Gary
people to secure the removal of the
county seat would result in a division
Of the county with the establishment
of a new county seat at either Gary,
East Chicago or Hammond; the aboi-
szhi4sAcf the superior court at Ham
rnond and the establishing of cir
cult court at the new county seat. With
Lake county divided each portion would
be nothing more than one of the minor
counties of the state, for long time
while under present conditions we will
soon be the first county of Indiana
Great Things In Store.
TT is realized that Gary and in fact
the entire northern part of Lake coun-
~ is destined in a short time to become
the center of a great Industrial activ-
ity, and just pride is felt here in the
wonderful growth now going on II
both Hammond and Gary. A factiona
warfare will do much to retard an(
hinder this growth, without doing any
harm to the southern part of the coun
ty other than the disagreeable, in
harmonious relations and bitter feel
ings that will be engendered. di
vision of the county could work NJ
hardship to Crown Point or any of thu
southern part of Lake county, as +
would have the effect of decreasing
the taxes here, in about the same ratio
that 1T would raise them in the nortl
part"
Different Points of View.
OF course, this is one way OF look
Ing at it. The question of dividing
Lake county and establishing Ham
mond as the county seat OF a separat,
county has been thrashed out and th'
idea met with the approval OF q grea
many of Hammonds foremost citi
zens. who felt they had nothing to fea
in the way of higher taxation or an!
other ills in case the division wa
made. However. the locating of tn
county seat at Gary might be anothe
story, these same men assert. Whil
they are inclined to regard Gary's as
pirations as natural. they deny tha
the steel town would have much of
chance If the matter came to an issu
and Hammond chose to so out afte
the distinction.