The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1911-02-22
A TECHNICALLY THAT BUILT
A COURT HOUSE.

A TECHNICALLY THAT BUILT
A COURT HOUSE.
The following article taken from
the Kansas City Star indicates that
there are some Missourians who don't
have to be shown" but, on the con.
trary have established reputation for
showing" other people how to obtain
q thing that is badly needed when
prejudice warps the mind of the voters
to such an extent that they refuse to
provide a proper and safe place for
storing the county records and trans.
acting county business.
Possibly the supervisors Of Platte
county can obtain few pointers by q
careful perusal of the article below:
Five out of six of the voters of MIL
Ter county, Missouri, made no effort to
conceal their mirth on the night of the
bond election in December. 1909. 1t
WAS a great joke on Tuscumbia. the
county seat. The proposition to issue
b",,,ls for $4,000 for u new court
house had been defeated. Fine. Mil
Ter county could now lie down to pleas
ant dreams.
Of course, few voters denied that a
new court house was needed. The old
building, erected in 1857, was shaking
with age. The county records were
housed in wooden closets. But one of
those ancient controversies, . county
seat fight, had been a factor in the
bond election, with Iberia to the south
and Eldon to the northeast, aspirants
for the county capital. Assembling
their united forces, they caused the
proposal to expend $4,000 for new
court house in the rival town of Tus.
cumbia to appear decidedly scatter
ing" in the returns.
If the boosters for Iberia and EldOn
had reckoned with one little detail,
they might have been laughing yet.
The consideration overlooked was the
fact that two Of the county judges
chosen to sit in judgment in the affairs
of Miller county were residents of
Tuscumbia. They were David c.
Bear, presiding Judge, and J. L. Black
burn, judge from the northern district.
This was really matter of the great
est importance, as it subsequently
developed.
After the election the county judges
settled down to the hundrum routine
of transacting the county's business.
The procedure wasn't quite as hum.
drum as the county judges could wish.
however. For example, when . county
Judge is placing his o. K. on q county
bill. or sffixing his signature to q
county voucher, it is rather disconcert-
ing to have the county ceiling begin
to fall down on him. Also little Incl.
dents of this sort are stimulus to the |
Imagination.
Along in the early spring Of 1910
the county judges began to accumulate
nerves" which, obviously. is not con.
ducive to . calm, judicial survey of
county affairs. One day when par
,icuIarly large section Of ceiling had
splashed down on the long table at
which the county judges sat, and after
they hal subjected themselves to the
customary "dry cleaning process. one
Of the Judges conceived an idea. Why
not repair" the old court house!
That is, why not repair" it by build
ing 3 new court house, Of course,
under q technical Interpretation of
their powers the judges understood
that they could not appropriate money
t. build a new court house. Bonds
must be voted by the people under
such circumstances. But the county
judges had seen the powerful techni-
cslity invoked on behalf Of reaction so
many times, they concluded that for
once, at least. it should be invoked on
behalf of progress.
And so on April 9, 1910, the judges
voted t, repair" the old court house.
]. J. Atwell, the third judge, did not
live in Tuscumbia, but desiring very
much to live somewhere, he voted
With the Tuscumbia judges and the
,rder was unanimous. To keep within
he law the Judges then issued in effect
IN order "tO reDair the old court