Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1920-10-20

Sargent OF Jacksonville presented
against the measure to be voted
upon at the November election for
the removal of the county court
house from Jacksonville to Med
ford.
Whether or not his audience
agreed with the colonel entirely
in his arguments put forth, he
held their attention throughout
the entire evening and no one
could but realize the matter from
the coloneps viewpoint as he pre-
sented Jacksonyille's claims in
keeping the court house at its
present site.
Touching upon the expense OF
moving the court house as one OF
the prime reasons for defeating
the measure, Colonel Sargent said
in part.
"The law of Oregon provides that
If the petition for the removal of
the court house from Jacksonville
to Medford carries at the coming
election, then the county seat and
the records, files. office furniture
and all public property pertaining
to the county offices shall be NOV
ed to Medford within 80 days. The
law is compulsory. The county
seat must be moved within the
time specified, whether there is
any place for it or not; and all the
records and files must be moved
whether there is any vault for
them or not.
"As you cannot build court
house in 30 days, even if you had
the funds already provided, think
what that means. A temporary
vault would be necessary; where
would you build it? Medford has
not yet 'eyen selected site. In
the meantime, where would court
be held? Mr.. Neff said in his re-
ply to me at the banquet of the
Chamber of Commerce that the
use of the federal building might
perhaps be obtained. But the
United States does not loan its
federal buildings to counties.
"In great emergency, where
for instance, a county court house
had been totally destroyed by an
earthquake or by fire, perhaps the
use of a federal building might
be temporarily permitted, but
never could permission be obtain
ed where a county has q good
court house Of its own only a few
miles away Even after the
money Is provided, which itself
would take several years, it would
require several years more to
build the court house. In the
meantime temporary quarters
would have to be provided
And there is another phase OF
the matter to which | wish to call
attention, and that is, that If the
measure passes, it necessarily car
ries with it the purchase of a site
unless in the meantime Medford
has chosen one and decided ii to
the county. The reason for this Is
that the law Is compulsory. The
court house must be moved; and
II moved there must. of course, be
place to put it. Hence II fol-
lows that II Medford does not give
site. the county must buy one.
But II is doubtful whether Med
ford will give a site, since il would
require n favorable vote OF the
people; and under present condi-
tions. with such IN enormous bur
den OF taxation already resting on
them-their bonded Indebtedness
Is now $1.042,00O-they would
be very reluctant to increase that
burden.
Moreover, there Is little time
to bring the matter before the
people before the general cleo
tion; and II a site is not given be-
fore then, there will be little in
ducement and no necessity for the
Medford people to give It after
wards, since IA favorable vote on
the measure will necessarily carry
with it the purchase of "A site by
the county. SO that the take pay
ers of the county might as well
right from the start face the fact
that If the measure passes they
will have to dig down into their
pockets for the money not only
to build the court house and pro-
vide, for several years, temporary
quarters, but also to purchase the
site.
Then If the court house Is NOV.
ed the jail must be moved also
From what can learn. its cost
when built was about $4,000. Il
Is a new building. IT was finished
IN 1911. The cost OF building ma
terial and labor Is now at leas
three times what II was then
which would make the cost OF
new jail OF the same kind we nov
have. $4,000. This added tC
s4S0.OOO. (which II would cos
to build a court house now), give
US a total cost OF 1855. 900 for tn
cost OF the court house and th
tai ,uItbnft cou,ffny al al .na