People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1896 — That New Court House. [ARTICLE]

That New Court House.

For the last two months the editor of the Pilot has been engaged. to the eqelusion of nearly all other matters, upon a special edition of the paper. During this time the question of a new court house has been most unexpectedly brought to a climax, and the people are confronted with the condition of its commissioners in the actual process of building it, if examination of architect’s plans, prepared for their inspection, can be so considered, and advertisement for bids for the contract may be ex pected at any time. This action of the commissioners has aroused an element opposed to building at this time, an element which is actively expressing itself by petition to the reigning board. It appears that the statements made. bv the friends of the project some weeks ago, that there would be practically no opposition to it. is erroneous. To say the least there is a difference of opinion a's to the advisability of bonding the county now for such a purpose, and the Pilot desires to say in this connection, that its columns are open to the free dis cussion of this and all other subjects of interest to the public. The Pilot holds that those who have the court house to pay for are the ones who should be consulted about it. The commissioners are legally authorized to determine upon- such an undertaking, but back of their statutory powers, there is an unwritten law which requires those elected to office, to respect the wishes of those whom they represent.

Officials are but the business agents of the people who elect them,and by whom they are paid. The Pilot, without regard to the merits of the claim that a new court house is a present necessity, takes the broad ground that the voters of this county have a right to be the sole judges in so important a matter. If the commissioners feel that they have the approval of a majority of their constituents, and they believe it best to build now, they are justified in their present course, and it is to bring out the true sentiment of the people that the Pilot asks an expression of opinion through its columns, bothby the friends of the project, and oy those opposed to it. following letter is taken from the Remington Press. Mr. Editor: As I served nine years on the Board of Commissioners in this county, going out of office about one year ago, I wodld like to have the people know as near as I can tell them what condition the court house is in.

A new clerk’s office was built some years ago with a good, safe, large vault. If the side shelves get full there is plenty of room to put shelving through the center, east and west. There is a table in there now—l don’t think the cleifk ever uses it to write on; only! parties that are in the abstrac\business. I think three years ago we enlarged the recorder’s vault, changed the door and also closed up one stairway and built a new vault for the auditor, and new iron stairs at the south end of the court house; put in new jambs in the window frames so as to receive weights, took the old and put in new sash and glass, two light windows all over the house; put in hard maple floors in two offices. This work has only been done three years, and we put down cement floors in both verandas at a cost of twenty-five cents per superficial foot. I think the cost of windows, stairs and auditor’s vault was S9OO or near that amount, and it has only been done three years. If the roof is poor, a new roof can be put on for S2OO to S3OO, and so it won’t leak a drop. It my memory serves me right, the court house is insured for S6OOO, and not half what it is worth. What is wrong with the court house all at once? There are three rods that hold the building together at the eaves. Look at the massive foundation, as good as there is in the state for the weight of building. The foundation wall projects four or five inejies outside of brick walls. Who called the architect? It matters not if Judge Wiley did. Messrs. Faris and Martindale know well the decision in the White county court house case. The supreme court decided the judge had nothing to do with repairing or building, outside of the courtroom.. What was the architect called for? To condemn the court house and call it unsafe. He got in his work. What did it cost Jasper county to have a

man come down from Ft. Wayne and condemn our court house? Shame on you, Messrs Faris and Martindale! If you want to build a court house, build it, but don’t besmirch the records of Jasper county with a report from an architect, and try to make out the house or vaults are unsafe. It is a lie on the face of it. In the building known in Chicago as the Auditorium, built ofgranite, fifteen or sixteen stories high, I think you will find as large cracks in the north side as you will in our court house, and the occupants have not moved out yet either. You say six cents on the hun fired dollars will pay the interest and expenses of running the new house and create a sinking fund to pay principle. Now. let’s see: sioo,ooo cost of court house, and SIOOO to every MO,OOO to furnish it. That is SIIO,OOO, and five per cent interest on SIIO,OOO is $5500. Cost of running the new house each year in excess of this one, SI2OO, makes *6700 at five per cent interest. It will take a seven per cent levy on our assessed valuation of less than $9,000,000 to pay interest and cost of running the new house, without a cent to pay on bonds. It will cost SSOOO preliminary expenses this year, outside of contract price of house and furniture.

I ask Rensselaer people if they are wanting a new court. The answer I get is “No.” The only ones they know of ard Messrs. Faris and Martindale, who want then' names carved in the corner stone, to go into history and people know erne hundred years hence who were Jasper, county will get at her next election the same dose White county got at her last one. If you build a court house you can’t elect a republican in Jasper county at the next election. The voters will show their disapproval in away to be felt. By the way, the people would like to get a chance to vote for you to , show you their respect (?). Now, Messrs, Faris and Martindale, I will admit the statute gives you the power to build a court house, but what is the hurry? I understand that Mr. Jones has been sick, and that you two commissioners are going on without consulting him, or without the backing of anyone, and rushing it through at a great rate.

I have a rightto write this letter to the people. I represented to the voters of the third commissioners’ district that you were careful and conservative men. I worked hard for your election. I told the people that the finances of the county would be as safe in your hands as any one in Jasper county. Now can you make the recommend good? If you call an election of the voters of Jasper county and can get to exceed ten per cent to vote for a new court house, I will take up a subscription and pay foi’ the election. I ask you who you are representing? What is the motive? You are not representing over five votes to the hundred, and yet, knowing the fact well yourselves, you rush on without any respect to the people that you are supposed to represent. Jasper county ought to send Faris and Martindale to Turkey or some other foreign country. You can • have your names carved in the corner stone, but twice a year, for twenty years, the tax payers will hold you in the same respect they did the man who bailed Jefferson Davis, better knowh as Horace Greely. O. P. Taber.

Secretary Carlysle denounces as a vagary, the theory, that by legislative act, filiy cents can be made equal to one hundred cents If he means fifty cents worth of silver bullion can not be made to equal one hundred cents in gold coin, under the present system, all will agree with him; but. if he mean sixteen ounces of silver can not be made equal to one ounce of gold when accorded equal privileges at the mints and in the payment of debts, he is mistaken himself. Silver would not appreciate to the point gold has reached un der the gold standard; but by its free competition on equal terms with gold, the latter would become cheaper and the former dearer, until the two wonld meet at a between their present bullM values. This prices would be restored, and business revived, which can never occur under the go’d standard.

A serious uprising has occurred tn Formosa. Jan. 1,10,000 rebels attacked Taineh and were renulsed , * i

As we go to press the honorable board of commissioners are still locked up in R. W. Marshall's office, examining plans and specificat ions for a new court house. The board is short one member, Hon. D. R. Jones, of Carpenter, who, it is reported, is too ill to be in attendance; but the other two members are taking time by the forelock, having convened Monday for the purpose of going over the plans and specifications presented by about a dozen of architects who have been in town all this week. If they should decide to accept the plans of any one of the several architects present; Jasper county taxpayers, and more especially the county officials, need have no fear of another earthquake creating such havoc as to endanger the safety of the court house occupants, the public records, or the spare cash in the treasury of the people. They will not probably arrive at any decision in the matter for several days yet.