The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-18
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

1.-THE Gate City does not assume
responsibility for views expressed by
! correspondent
History Of Locating Lee County Seat.
To the Editor of The Gate City:
| The undersigned has been a con-
| tinouus resident of this city since it
was in the territory, then spelled
-Ioway," and our present city spell
| ed ..Keokuck,' after the Indian Chief
Keokuk, and during all the time when
there was big fight on the location
of the county seat at West Point, Fort
Madison or some other point in the
county The legislature passed an act
/ TO appoint a commission TO locate the
| county seat at the geographical center
Of the county. This commission met
| in Fort Madison in March, 1910, and
made the location in Franklin town
| ship and on the present site of the
village of Old Franklin. The next
| Legislature passed an act for a re-
consideration, as the first location
was unsatisfactory This last act
provided that the location of the
county seat be left to a vote of the
people. Before the election was held
| Fort Madison had an ordinance
passed appropriating $4,000 for the
! erection of court house and Jail.
In the first election there was no
choice between the towns voted for,
/ viz, Fort Madison, Franklin and
| West Point. In the second election
only two points were voted for, Fort
Madison and Franklin, which vote
! resulted in favor of Fort Madison
But this did not end the county seat
contest The legislature was again
petitioned to reopen the contest,
which they did by appointing three
commissioners, one each from Henry,
| Van Buren, and Des Moines counties,
with power to locate the county seat
at place, which in their judgment
would be to the best interest of all
the people. A few of the leading
citizens Of West Point had obligated
themselves to the amount of $14, 900
10 erect a substantial brick building,
should that place be selected. The
building was erected, as propos
ed. on the towns public square, which
place the commissioners finally Sc
lected for the county seat of Lee
county. Our old fellow citizen, Col
onel William Patterson, was one OF
the large subscribers for the erection
of this building and had the most
influence, as l understand, with the
commissioners in inducing them to
make West Point their selection.
But Fort Madison again fought the
location, succeeding in August, 1915,
in having another vote taken on the
! location, at which election Fort Mad
ison, West Point, Franklin, Keokuk,
Montrose and Charleston were can
didates and were all voted on, which
resulted in no choice. Another cleo
ton was held in September, the
votes then being cast only for Fort
Madison, West Point and Franklin,
the result favoring Fort Madison.
/ The court house built at West Point
was afterwards used as school
| house. This building nearly bank
ruted some of those who subscribed
and paid. for the building.
The legislature in 1S47 passed an
! other act establishing a court at
Keokuk with concurrent Jurisdiction
of Lee county with Fort Madison ex-
cept in criminal cases originating
in the upper district. and the wis
dom Of this act has been fully tried
out and tested since the passage of
the law in 1S47, and on account of
the county bordering for a distance
of thirty miles along the Mississippi
river and the county seat being To-
Gated at Fort Madison near the up
per end of the county, and the prin-
cipal city, keokuk, at the lower end,
which is nearly double in population
and wealth to Fort Madison, it would
he an outrage to force the tax payers
and litigants of the lower district to
go to Fort Madison and lose valuable
time in examining titles and paying
taxes. Besides. there would be the
cost of railroad fare and the pay
ment of hotel bills. etc. To be con
servative, it would cost the citizens
of keokuk and the lower court dis !
trict not less than $4,000 per an
mum.
AS i have had more or less to do
with county affairs, and the expense
of same since the fifties and up to
and well into the nineties, feel that
am fully conversant with most OF
the countys official business. I was
officially connected with it at differ
ent times up to 1903, and during the
last nine years of this time | was a
member of the county board of super
visors-most of this time chairman
Of the board, 80 / was conversant
with every item and detail Of ex-
pense Of the county, which it was my
DUTY to know and investigate The |