People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1896 — Build The Court House Now. [ARTICLE]

Build The Court House Now.

To t he People's Pilot. The politically timid party worshipers of the republican party say “do not try to build tt court house in campaign year, for it will down us sure.” Some people put party above every thing else. It matters not what is proposed or what is needed, if it is of a public nature, the question with too many is, how will it affect my parts.” A new court house, in the near future, is a necessity, then is it not the part of wise economy and good citizenship for us, regardless of party advantages, to be men and say “on with the needed work.” Looking at it from a .political standpoint, as a republican, I see nothing toJear, for there is practicably no organized opposition to our party in this county. We may lose a few votes by doing our duty in building but we have plenty and to spare and once the house is built every body will see the wisdom of it. If the republican party is to bear the blame for starting this move, it of course, will be given the credit for building the house’, when it is done. A house is needed, and now is the time to build it, when the dominant party, in the country, has everything its own way; wait till the dominant party, which ever one it may be, has only a bare majority-,, and the question of a new court housewill not dart; to be sprung. To the* republican party do we look for a new court house, and I am fully persuaded! that we shall not look in vain.' duty. To the Editor of the People's Pilot. As you have so kindly opened the columns of your paper to those who wish to discuss the “court house question,” pro and con, I, a moderate taxpayer, am ready to say let the new house be built. I am one who does not view this subject from a local and selfish standpoint. A new court house in Rensselaer will be Jasper county property. We, who are in the extreme north-west part of the county, should not oppose needed improvements simply because they are not in our immediate vicinity. Jasper county needs a new court house, the present one is unsightly, inconvenient, too small and thought by many intelligent and honest people to be unsafe. Our court house may not fall in ten years and it may fall to-mor-row, that it is not a strong, substantial structure no one will deny. Even the most bitter opponents of a new house admit that we should have one. within the next five or ten years; would it not be very acceptable now? When will we be likely to find labor and material cheaper than they are to-day? When will we be any better prepared to begin the building of this proposed house than now, when the county is out of debt and new capital is every day coming within our borders? Commissioner Taber says three years ago we spent S9OO in repairs on the old building, yes and it is this putting new cloth into old garments, this patching up old hulls that we are wanting to avoid by building a new house. “Build a new court house on 20 centcorn,” say the antibuilders; yes .at 20 cents, we have more corn money than we ever had here before. We should write and talk with reason upon this question; corn will not always be 20 cents, the present low price of farm products will not long prevail. With proper care and business like management in our county affairs a new court house can be built and the taxpayers will scarcely notice it. Once the house is built, like your gravel roads down there everybody will say “it is just the thing, could not get, along without it.” It is progress, it is economy to build a new court house, and I for one think it should be built, and the sooner the better.

B. DECK.