Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-03-11
RECORDS IN DANGER

are 70 JuoBe from Ihe eplStie Wnlcn
they are now scattering over the
county so freely. After setting up a
number of reasons against. removal,
they admit. In the following state
ment, that the removal to this city
may be for the best interests OF the
people, but say that they do not care
to discuss that feature now. Read
the admission in the following ex-
tract from their appeal;
with more or less sincerity the
claim has been put forth in justiflca-
tion OF the proposed Indebtedness
that placing the county seat in Occur
d'Alene would add to the conven-
ience OF a majority of the people hav-
Ing business at the county seat This
h the merest speculation. The state
ment may or may not be accurate.
II Is not proposed to discuss It here.
II n enough to say that the means OF
travel to and from almost all points
In the county to the county seat have
improved so greatly In the last few
years that any one OF our towns en-
Joys little or no advantage over any
other In point of accessibility. The
time and cost OF travel In this con-
nectlon are not now factors OF sufii-
Client magnitude to warrant the In
debtedness involved in a change of
county seat, Indeed. were the Ques-
ton merely one OF convenience and
the convenience OF the majority go
inG to and from the county seat was
Of sufilcient importance to oyertop
that Of Individual burden and public
expense. II is suggested, that this is
q most inopportune time 70 raise It..
Times everywhere are hard and
money Is scarce. Provisions are
necessarily high. Failures all over
the country have filled the news
papers for months. In those centers
where county bonds are customariIy
bought great inactivity and stagna-
ton prevail and our bonds would
command at best small prices for
several years to come. This Is no
time TO let the foolish and underlined
factor OF convenience mlslead us.
To read the above wall OF poverty,
one not acquainted with the facts
would come 70 the conclusion that
thla county Is in such financial con-
dltion that the old rattle-trap. which
most people are ashamed to point out
an the courthouse OF Kootenal, Is TO
last forever and never be replaced
with n new and modern Areproof
building. Poverty poverty power
tyi is the cry all through the above
pitifui wall OF woe and peaslmlsm.
Every sentence Is q pessimistie cry
OF poverty and hard times, of no
money and failures. all for what?
For the purpose OF keeping the coun-
" business In an out-of-the-way
place In an old shack. Just to bolster
np the waning energy Of a town that
depends on this means to keep II
alive. The people of Occur d'Alene
were once affected with the same
IhicrObe. and based their all on old
Fort sherman: they thought It's
abandonment meant the death of the
town. and when It was gone the peo-
pie woke up to the fact that they
had many and greater sources OF rev.
enue and prosperity. We believe
just such a purging would do Rath-
drum good. Take the county seat
from her and her citizens viii turn
to other and more profitable re-
sources. AZ did the people of Occur
d'AIene when they lost the post.
There was time here when all bust
mesa was done on the strength OF the
post. Just As Rathdrum now does
business ON the strength OF the coun-
" seat.
The statement Is made that the
county has sufllcient vault room to
EANsN%s III an ANNNAaAs AA AMNNHht-
cation shows that the auditor Is the
only otiiclal who can store his rec
Ords in a vault and Il Is a cheap
rock AFFAIR which might crumble UNI
der the heat OF a burning building.
The county treasurer has safe
which holds a few Of his books that
are IN daily use. but ton OF his rec
oFds are stacked IN the room without
any protection from IRE. The as
SCISSORS once lie In no better condi-
ton. This ofieial has a safe that
holds his records. which are IN
daily use. The other records are
unprotected. and the same eondi-
ton exists IN the once Of superin-
tendent Of schools, Fire would mean
the wiplng out Of these valuable rec
OFds. All Of the plAts, maps and
records or the county surveyor are