Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 November 1898 — Our New Court House. [ARTICLE]

Our New Court House.

The Finest in the United States. John Temple Graves, the celebrated lecturer, .who in his double capacity of Democratic campaign oratpr and lyceum platform lecturer, is constantly traveling everywhere, and has visited every section of this country, took a look at and through our court house this morning, and strong as the statement seems, he pronounced it the finest in the Uuited States. He admired its exterior very much, but had seen some that looked as well on the outside, but mentioned nono that looked better. D * lb. i . * * DUt tAiC ucuuij 9 the CoiiVeiUeilCe and the evident durability of its interior arrangements and finish was unequalled. And even in its exterior appearance, it is a finer and more impressive building than the state capitol buildings in Vermont and New Hampshire. The building is worth all it cost, said Mr. Graves, and more too, right now, and as the years go by it will be worth more and more ns the result of its intluence on the people. It is a good investment from a financial point of view, in the advertising such a building will give our town and county, and in the increased population it will bring to them. It will have a wonderful effect on the future architectural growth of our own and neigh boring towns. It will set a new mark, and will cause all the new churches, school houses and other new buildings to be built to conform in some degree to the grand architecture of our court house. for the law, for the courts, for all processes of government, in the minds of all who have occasion to visit the building. The above is a faithful synopis of what Mr. Graves said, and understates his ecotnium rather than overstates it.

We may add further, that among those who heard Mr. Graves state these views, was Mr. Albert Fendig, our former townsman, now of Brunswick, Ga. Mr. Fendig stated that in the interests of his business and for other purposes he had recently traveled very extensively, over 5,000 miles in the last year, and he fully endorsed all Mr. Graves had said, and himself had seen no public building that excelled our court house. Our court house is no longer in politics, let us all unite in giving to this surpassing structure the praise and credit it deserves, and thereby secure to ourselves the fullest measure of its benefits,