Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-03-03
LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE,


alarmed over the almost universal
sentiment throughout the county in
favor or removing the county seat
from that village to Occur d'Alene.
To counteract that feeling, If pos
sible, they have Issued a very COM
prehensIye, II not truthful, statement
OF conditions entering into the con-
test from their point of view, care
fully concealing the fact that the one
object is to retain the county seat
for term OF years, well knowing
that to defeat the removal this fall
places II beyond the power of the
people to again attempt 1t for a PEE
Rod of six years, under the cOnsti-
tuition Of the state. Their appeal to
the people will be taken up by the
Press, section at a time, and Its
fallacy demonstrated In a careful
analysis Of the statements II con-
tains. The FIRST section OF their ar
guments is as follows:
I'm private affairs prudent man
before mourning a debt will ask him
self several questions, among others,
In the object for which / am going
into debt necessary? and, Am ! able
TO bear the burden? and, How is the
debt to be paid? II he be already in
debt and the object he coyets or the
thing to be done be not necessary,
he will forego the expenditure until a
more convenient season. in the mean
time living up TO the maxim. Let
well enough alone.
I'm public AFFAIRS. such a citizen
will investigate along these same
lines whenever an attempt Is made
TO pledge the public faith and credit.
II II be proposed to enlarge the pub
Tic indebtedness, he will ask himself,
Is the purpose of the additional bur-
den wise or necessary and are the
people prepared to carry the added
tax, and in what manner and by
what means is payment to be made?
He viii critically investigate the
origin and character of the proposal
and will ascertain to what extent the
indebtedness Is favored and who are
70 be the actual beneflciaries.
This Is an appeal to the pocket
book. usually one of the most effec-
tive that can be made, and we accept
II as one OF the chief arguments OF
Rathdrum. But let US see how the
pocketbook is affected No one who
has seen the old fire-trap at Rath-
drum, called a courthouse. will sin
cerely make the assertion that It can
much longer be used as such, or re-
main habltable at all. II the county
seat remains at Rathdrum the old
shack, by courtesy called the court
house, must be removed and another
building constructed, and we have
statement from one OF the citizens
Of that town to the effect that II they
defeat removal the next move will
be for a good brick or stone court
house on the site of the present
building, and no one could offer
good argument against such a move,
because there are hundreds of thou
sands Of dollars worth OF records
stored in the old trap which are in
constant danger OF destruction by
Are.
The records of the county are,
some OF them, stored in a vault
which Is not considered fireproof,
and others are piled away where they
would be an absolute loss In case OF
fire. We're these records destroyed
their loss could not be measured by
intrinsic value, as many of them
could not be replaced. and those
which could be would cost the eoun-
" as much as a modern, new, fire.
proof building. Therefore, the ques-
ton Of taxes does not enter into the
contest aside from what campaign
thunder Rathdrum can make from II
by holding It up as scare crow.
Admitting that a new courthouse is
necessary, It would be built by the
issue OF bonds. the payment OF
which. with interest. would not
make a difference of 81 on each
$1,000 of assessed valuation. and who
would not gladly pay that for the
safety OF the records and the salts
faction Of having a respectable eoun-
~ building in place of an old barn
for which we are even ashamed to
ofter q stranger an Apology
The ground on which the county
shack stands In Rathdrum Is prob
ably worth $500; the ground which
Occur d'Alene proposes to donate to
the county. something over two acres
in the heart of the city, is worth con-
aaryaflvalv eos mn Takfnc al