The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-09
over the Movement Now Going on
to Remove the Court House and
OFFICIALS From This
City.
DON'T SIGN PETITION
No Economy to Taxpayers Should
Lee County Decide to do Away
With the keokuk
Offices.

sition petitions have been brought to
Keokuk for circulation here and in
the immediate vicinity. Any one who
has any regard for the future Of Keo
kuk, and any person who watts ia
see Keokuk go ahead and not fall be-
hind should refuse to sign the peti
ton. The matter is being presented
under the guise Of reducing taxes
when as matter of fact the change
proposed by the petition will not dc
this, but would increase taXes-a well
informed citizen says.
The idea is not to make any change
in the county seat. For one thing
Keokuk has never been a county seat
This honor is Fort Madison's. The
state legislature from time to time
has established offices at Keokulk
The recorders office was established
here in order that people living in
this territory could come here to file
deeds and records. A treasury was
installed at this point to save mon
ey and time in the payment of taxes
A clerks office. auditors office and
sheriffs office were established here
And OF course a court had been es
tablished here.
An Economic Development.
AL of these offices and the court
were established for one thing-tc
save the money OF the tax payers. TIC
take these away will be to revert tc
the old system and there would be nc
saving of money.
In the first place it would be abso
lutely necessary to build a new court
house and county office building to
take care of the double amount OF
business. The offices in both court
houses are contested as it is. Combin
ing them would mean the necessity
for q new court house. If the county
Is as overwhelmed as these people
would like to believe, why do they
advocate something which will add
greatly to the burden?
There would be necessity for two
sets Of officers, in order to handle
the business. Every record would be
costly both to the county and to the
private citizen to make the trips to
Fort Madison to look up records,
when 1t is a matter Of few blocks
or few miles only to come to Keo-
kuk under the present arrangements.
The increased work in every office
would make 1t imperative to maintain
extra officials in each office.
Criminal Account Alone, Bigger.
II the one court house proposition
would stand, it would mean as 1t
does now two judges, perhaps three
holding court all OF the time. This
would be no Improvement over the
present system, especially consider
ing that with the court house gone
from Keokuk there will, be the added
expenses OF transportation for sher-
lifts. deputies, grand jurors, witnesses
and court officials and prisoners to
and from the two towns.
The city OF Keokuk has never been
designated as county seat, officially
The legislature, II it were to obey
the mandates OF those who are sign
ing the petitions, would repeal all Of
its former acts. This would mako
Fort Madison the county seat and Il
make any change then would require
threefourths vote. which it would
be almost impossible to obtain, the
vote OF Fort Madison alone figuring
as sufficient to block the change.
The population OF Lee county fr
1915 was 38,101. The population o.
Keokuk in 1915 was 1929. There
has been an increase since that cen
sus. Keokuk and the entire lower
half of the county served by the keo
kuk court house constitute one-ha'
or more of the entire population O
the county To make this one-hai
go to Fort Madison, to take the bust
ness of this half of the county TO ont
place would defeat the very thing the
signers OF these one-court house pc
titions clain-a lessening OF taxes
The expense of operation would b,
no less. and there would be the addet
expense of a new building and more
deputies, and travelling expenses.
To Make It an Issue.
An agitation was begun today II
bring this matter before the indus
trial association and the Retailer!
league organizations. Moving thu
court house from here would take
number OF families from Keokuk.
1t has been suggested that keoku'
make this one court house proposition
an issue in the coming election ant
that Keokuk work against any cand'
dates who are avowedly in favor o