News you can use
News you can use
For this 42nd installment honoring the 150th anniversary of Montana Territory and 125th anniversary of statehood, we examine articles from the Oct. 23, 1914 issue of The Box Elder Valley Press.
The big news was in regard to a bond issue that would appear on the ballot, asking voters to approve the bond to construct a new courthouse for Hill County. This was not the first time a courthouse bond proposal was put before voters. Aug. 2, 1913, the issue failed by a vote of 628 against and 531 for a Hill County Courthouse, leaving county offices to be found either at the 1908 city hall (then at the northeast corner of 4th Avenue and 1st Street, razed in 1971), or renting space from private building owners scattered throughout the business district.
The Box Elder Valley Press was clearly in favor of passing the bond issue:
Facts regarding proposed court house bond issue
A Few Facts Regarding Court House Bonds and Why You Should Vote for Them. It is Economy for the People to Vote Bonds for the Following Reasons:
1st. It places all our County servants in one building, a matter of great convenience to the general public.
2nd. It protects your valuable county records from the danger of fire. Are you aware that your records are worth much more than a Court House and if destroyed would cost much more to replace them? SOME OF THEM MONEY COULD NOT REPLACE.
3rd. It would provide a Court room in which to hold Court where the health of the judges, jurors, witnesses, Court officers and the general public would not be jeopardized and where expensive adjournments would not have to be taken from time to time for the purpose of airing out the present cramped quarters.
4th. Having a good Court House creates confidence in the stability of our County, not only among ourselves, but it has a good effect on outsiders who are looking for investments.
5th. The largest taxpayers in the County realizes this, and will vote for the bonds almost to a man. By the largest taxpayers we mean, the Great Northern Railway Company. Remember the last bond election the Great Northern people voted for the road and bridge bonds, for the reason that they believed it would be a great benefit to the whole county, and under present conditions the railroad company would pay nearly one-half of the tax.
6th. Voters, bear in mind that the County is now paying for offices that are inadequate and without fire protection $5,400. per annum, and about to rent a room for court purposes that will cost $12.00 per day for the time used.
7th. Bear in mind also, that when the present leases expire, which will be about the time a Court house could be constructed, that new leases will be made at still higher rents.
8th. Now, consider the fact that the amount we are paying for rent will pay the interest on the bonds necessary to build ample room with vaults to protect our valuable records from fire, having all County offices in one building, making it more convenient for ourselves and giving outsiders a much better opinion of our County and its resources.
9th. In case of future division of the County, it is now a well established fact that the portion of the County retaining the Court House, or any other buildings, must pay for the same, so that parties living in the portion cut off will not pay any more towards building a Court House than they are now paying for rent.
10th. And last, but not least, the need of a modern jail is imperative. We are now paying outside counties for keeping prisoners. The building of a Court House also includes a jail.
All the above being undisputed facts it seems incredible that anyone truly interested in the welfare of the County could or would vote against the bond issue.
Judges Tattan and Utter also chimed in, giving their support for construction of a new Courthouse. Judge Tattan had been in Fort Benton back before Territory days-in fact before gold was discovered near Bannack in 1863-and remembers the Court House in Fort Benton burning in 1861, “and had it not been that the wooden building was provided with a vault the records would have been consumed; but, as it was, not a single paper was destroyed by the fire.”
Here are a couple of entries from the social pages:
Cowan & Son have secured the contract to erect an elevator at Carter.
Rev. W. W. VanOrsdel will conduct services at the M. E. Church next Sunday morning at 11 a.m. There will be no evening services.
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