The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-03
PEOPLES FORUM
New County Courthouse

To the Editor of The Age-H eralQ:
 Your apt editorial warning in today's paper touching the taking over of options on numerous lots east of Woodrow Wilson Park fronting Eighth avenue, has ad- mirably expressed the views of many of our people, notwithstand- ing the action yesterday of the board of revenue. If their action contemplates. the sale of the pres ent half-block site of the present courthouse on Third avenue. they must have forgotten the short sighted action of their predeces- sors in selling to the Catholic church, in years gone by, the other half of the courthouse block for a song-all of which now is worth more than $1,000,000.
 Those who heard the arguments yesterday in favor of building new courthouse out near the rail- road yards will recall the burden of their songs, chiefly three: To build a new ""ciyic center" to get away from too much down-town noise; and as a safe investment of the peoples money, even though the people do not vote the bond issue to build a new courthouse several blocks away. Simply those and nothing more. Since vixen did it become the duty of the guardians of our county treasury to promote new civic centers to aid speculative values for the benefit of real estate sales pro- moters. to shift the business sec tion of our city, the latter no longer interested in this deal. Civic righteousness is more to be desired than shifting civic cen ters.
 Next, as to the noise: If busi- ness follows the new courthouse to Eighth avenue, will the noise that follows business tend to drown out and counteract the noise already there in the railroad yards or in- crease the whistling locomotives racket and thereby shorten the lives of other judges of our courts as real estate dealers say has oc- cured because of street car tracks on Third and Twenty-first? Do they want a silent city? If so, let's move to Toadvine.
 And then, where rests the boards power to Invest in real estate and speculate with the peo- ple's taxes upon the gamble of real estate dealers to shift popu- lation oenters or of business for beauty's sake and the sake of their commissions? Whence comes the demand for changing the court house site from the half-block we already own to another we don't own near the noisy civic center of the Frisco yards and nearer the Inflated auditorium still unbuilt? From whose mighty brain evolves this inspiration?
 The impertinent question was also asked: If the new site is really worth $262,000, why isn't 1t assessed by county officials for one third Cor a little more, per haps) of it's value for taxation, when the law makes 1t the sworn duty of the owners and our county officials to assess for sixty per cent? If so valuable why didA't the real estate agents. so numer- ously present. buy 1t themselves lOI lDNtStIucHL civic pride, no doubt. curbed their spirit in order that the "dear peo- pie" might have a good thing when they see 1t!
 If the people of this county are called on to vote this change, car rying with it an immense new bond issue for courthouse pur- poses-building and eQuipment--a snag may be struck, which will remind one of the city's s7,000,000 proposed bond issue to run until 1t double itself twice before the final payday comes, unless the bond holder gets to be as generously unselfish as the charitable real estate promoter.
 The new courthouse is badly needed, we all admit, and earn estly hope for it. But let's not do a foolish thing and kill it's chances in the borning. The people do not like longer to feed the bondheld- CTS maw. The result may be dis astrous to the end desired, unless a halt is called on the overnight irridescent dream of our county fathers-to start "civic centers" to gratify certain aesthetic" tastes.
 WILLIAM VAUGHAN.
 Birmingham, Ala, Aug. l. 1923.