USA > Illinois > Macoupin County > History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial, Volume I > Part 19
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"December, 1832. It is ordered by the court that the jail about to be erected for this county be erected on the northeast corner of lot numbered eighty, being the same lot on which the stray pen is put in the town of Carlinville.
"March, 1834. Total cost of jail, $686.70."
SECOND JAIL.
This was a much more pretentious structure than the former and was erected near the southeast corner of the public square in the year 1854. It was a two- story building, the outer walls being constructed of brick and the cells and parti- tions of wood. The upper floor contained the cells for prisoners, while the lower
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was used for a residence by the jailer and family. This building was burned to the ground in 1860.
THE THIRD JAIL.
This was built in 1860, on the site of the burned building. The walls were of brick; the cells of iron. Upon the completion of the building the cells were re- moved to Alton and used for jail purposes. The building was used as a dwelling.
THE FOURTH JAIL.
The fourth and present jail is built of stone and is a handsome and durable structure. It stands south of the courthouse and was built at the time of the erection of its grander neighbor. A view of this edifice is given, from which a good idea of the plan may be gained.
CHAPTER X.
MACOUPIN'S "WHITE ELEPHANT."
A BUILDING WITH A HISTORY-MONEY "NO OBJECT" TO ITS PROMOTERS-ARCHI- TECTURALLY "A THING OF BEAUTY"-CREATES A TAX UPON THE PEOPLE LAST- ING OVER FORTY YEARS-GRAND JUBILEE AT PUBLIC BURNING OF LAST BOND BY GOVERNOR CHARLES S. DENEEN.
On the 21st day of July, 1910, closed that part of the history of the present courthouse relating to the men who were instrumental in paving the way to its erection, the methods devised and carried out for financing the great structure, the issuing of bonds and the difficulties experienced in finding for them a market ; also the dissatisfaction engendered in taxpayers, their futile but persistent efforts to stop what they deemed a wantonly extravagant expenditure of money and the final adjustment, through the able and patriotic efforts of General John I. Rinaker and Hon. Charles A. Walker as attorneys for the county, of the monster debt, by which over a million dollars was saved.
The history of the "State of Macoupin's" courthouse has been written both in prose and poetry. The country and metropolitan press had been furnished copy, by reason of its unique character, for generations, and the magazine writer has contributed his dot to spread broadcast the many interesting and remarkable details connected with the building and cost of this temple of justice, that has not its counterpart in the whole length and breadth of this great country.
A building that should have cost not exceeding $600,000, held up the Ma- coupin county taxpayers to the tune of one and one-third million dollars and took them forty-three years to clear the debt. A magnificent structure it is, how- ever, and in its proportions and architectural lines, spacious enough for a state house and pleasing to the most critical eye.
On the day and year above mentioned, Macoupin county threw off the last shackle of debt and to commemorate the event set apart the day for one of general rejoicing and thanksgiving. The last of the hated bonds was publicly burned by Charles S. Deneen, governor of the state, before an immense con- course of men and women, who had become wearied and worn throughout the years of their thraldom in meeting the demands of the great brood of its fellows, which was brought into being by a too liberal and plastic authority. And in the flames consuming that bond was extinguished all bitterness, animosity and re-
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crimination ; but not so remembrance. The courthouse bids fair to last and be serviceable for at least another half century, and probably by that time it will have ceased to remind the people of Macoupin county how near, and yet how dear, it has been to them.
The following details pertinent to the subject at hand were gathered with care and precision by C. J. Lumpkin, the courteous and efficient editor of the Daily Enquirer, and published in that excellent paper as a prelude to the jollifi- cation festivities succeeding the destruction of the final evidence of debt con- nected with the courthouse. The essential facts are given and all data relative to the subject have been abstracted from the minute books of the commissioners' court and the board of supervisors. The compiler of this history has been well assured of the correctness of Mr. Lumpkin's researches and the results of his labors are here placed before the reader :
THE INITIAL MOVE.
It is a fact known not only in Carlinville and Macoupin county, but through- out Illinois and, in fact, the surrounding states, that we have the finest court- house ever erected by any county in this country. It is also generally known that the beautiful structure came into existence only after long and serious trouble and litigation had contested every inch of its construction and the people who at first anticipated with some misgivings a debt of $50,000 for a new courthouse, finally found themselves loaded down with a debt of $1,380,500. This was at a time when the population was comparatively small, and the great natural wealth of field and forest and mine was as yet hardly dreamed of and certainly developed only in the smallest way.
But Macoupin had the wealth then, as now, and perhaps those who caused the debt to be contracted and the fine building to be erected were gifted with a farther insight into the future than others. Perhaps they realized the great nat- ural wealth lying dormant here and there, and in the mind's eye foresaw the time when the debt, which seemed so fearful then, would be small compared to the wealth of the county. In charity to them, for they were trusted men in their day, let us now conclude this to be true, and with the burning of the last bond destroy any traces of bitterness yet remaining from other days.
An act passed by the state legislature in February, 1867, was the first step toward the courthouse bonds. It was passed on the application of the county court, composed of Judges T. L. Loomis, John Yowell and Isham J. Peebles, with George H. Holliday as clerk, and authorized the county to expend $50,000, and no more. Although this amount at that time seemed large, if the members of the county court had built a courthouse for that sum, the people would have cheerfully paid for it and there would have been no long history of trouble nor any fine courthouse for the present generation to be proud of, nor any last bond to burn on the 21st day of July, 1910.
FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ONLY A STARTER.
The $50,000 was only a starter. At the March term of the county court, 1867, it was ordered that A. McKim Dubois and George H. Holliday be asso-
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ciated with T. L. Loomis and Isham J. Peebles, as commissioners, to erect a new courthouse in the city of Carlinville. These four men fought out the battle and back of them was a small, but strong, faction headed by that master mind, John M. Palmer. They set their heads and hands to the work and rode over every legal or civil act opposed to their plan, with a determination worthy of fatalists.
Very soon, in fact at the June term following, it was ordered that county orders to the sum of $200,000 be issued and a tax levy of fifty cents on each $100 valuation on all property of all kinds be made, and Judge Loomis was ap- pointed agent for the court, with absolute and arbitrary powers.
At a special term of the county court, held August 2, 1867, it was ordered that bonds to the amount of $50,000, authorized by the legislature, be issued for the purpose of constructing the courthouse. The bonds were to draw ten per cent interest, payable semi-annually, and were to mature at stated periods covering ten years' time.
TAXPAYERS APPLY FOR AN INJUNCTION.
An injunction, preventing the county court from proceeding, was refused and the commission proceeded with their plans until January 1, 1869, when the special agent reported amounts paid on contracts aggregating $313,044.25. These payments were made with county orders in the sum of $1,000 each, payable ten years from January 1, 1868, with interest at the rate of ten per cent per annum.
Then the opposition to the building of the courthouse grew more intense and outspoken. Indignation meetings were held in all parts of the county, condemn- ing the actions of the commissioners. Threats were made, protests entered and such was the furor and excitement that it had the effect of calling into question the validity of the interest bearing orders. A legal opinion had been obtained from John M. Palmer, attorney for the commissioners, which stated that the interest bearing orders were properly issued and were binding on the county. The commissioners asked for special legislation. The building was erected up to the cornice and no means attainable to finish it. Confidence had to be re- stored, so that money could be obtained and the commissioners sent special agents to Springfield, who knew how to go about it to get the legislation needed. From time to time it was understood by the people that the commissioners were endeavoring to secure the passage of an act that would fasten the courthouse debt upon them more firmly and give the builders further lease of power and ability to issue bonds, and they organized to defeat the plans of the commissioners.
A BATTLE ROYAL.
Then came the battle royal-the Gettysburg of the courthouse fight in the state legislature. The commissioners had paid out the original $50,000 raised by the bonds, authorized in 1867 and had issued interest bearing county warrants to ten or more times that sum and must legalize beyond question the county
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warrants and also get authority to raise much more money. Just how much, neither they nor any one else knew. So this attempt to get their past and future acts approved by the legislature was the crucial and all important part. If they had failed, it is probable that the building could have gone no further, at least for many years.
But they did not fail. They won this fight and there was passed and ap- proved on March 9, 1869, an act legalizing all bonds, warrants, contracts or other evidences of indebtedness in reference to the building of the courthouse, and the county court was authorized to borrow money and issue bonds to raise what- ever sum might be necessary to complete the courthouse and the improvements connected therewith. This was the act that settled the courthouse question, as a matter of fact, but the opposition refused to recognize defeat and kept on fight- ing. They held more meetings and adopted fiery resolutions. They had repre- sentatives at Springfield when the bill was on passage, and as a sample resolu- tion this one section of a set of six passed at a mass convention of citizens held at Carlinville in February, 1869, with I. M. Metcalf as chairman, is given :
"Resolved, That the county court of Macoupin county, in building a new courthouse, has disregarded the almost unanimous and oft-repeated protest of the people of this county; that it has utterly disregarded the best interests of the people and has imposed a debt that the present generation may not hope to be able to cancel; that they have transcended the laws of the land and trampled under foot the bulwarks of our liberties ; that such open and shameful violations of law and utter disregard of the people is the worst form of tyranny and des- potism, and that this convention regards and condemns as enemies to free gov- ernment the authors and perpetrators of these evils."
AND YET MORE BONDS ARE ISSUED.
At the March term, 1869, of the county court, bonds aggregating $272,000 were authorized and were issued and sold. At the September term that year, $408,000 in bonds were issued. At the November term, $212,000 more bonds were ordered issued and were turned over to the financial agent, A. McKim Du- bois.
At the general election held in 1869, P. C. Huggins, A. A. Atkins and M. Olmstead were elected county judges. They were "anti-court house" and imme- diately repudiated as many of the acts of their predecessors as they possibly could. They required final reports from the commissioners at a special term held February 1, 1870. The final report of the county agent was made February 7, 1870, and was not aproved by the court. The building was practically com- pleted that year and the commissioners resigned February 11. They had built the courthouse and accomplished what they set out to do and had issued bonds and orders as follows:
Bonds issued under the act of the legislture of February, 1867. Of this class the amount issued was $94,000, of which $49,500 bore the seal of the county and the balance did not. (The act authorized them to issue only $50,000.)
Ten per cent orders. Of this class there were issued $64,000.
Macoupin county interest bearing orders. Of this kind $321,000 were issued.
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MACOUPIN COUNTY JAIL
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Bonds under the act of the legislature approved March 9, 1869. Of this class there were issued $950,000.
PROPOSITION TO FUND DEBT.
At the March term, 1870, of the county court, attorneys for many taxpay- ers offered a motion that the court declare illegal the courthouse tax which the former court had imposed, to pay the debt on the building, and the motion was sustained and the sheriff was ordered not to collect the courthouse tax. But other special levies under the names of special tax and bond tax were allowed to stand and the motion as to them was not sustained. Suits were brought, judg- ments obtained against the county by holders of the various classes of paper, a writ of mandamus to compel the levy and collection of all the courthouse taxes was obtained. The county in the meantime, in 1873, having adopted the township form of government, in 1877 the supervisors made a proposition for funding the courthouse indebtedness, which was adopted by a majority vote of the people at an election held January 5, 1878. The substance of the proposition was to fund, take up and cancel all of the outstanding bonds, notes, orders, coupons and judgments, at the rate of seventy-five cents on the dollar of the principal of said papers, and to issue in lieu thereof, bonds issued by the county to run twenty years and bear interest at the rate of six per cent per annum, payable annually, the aggregate amount of such bonds to be $1,036,000. This issue was made and sold and in the succeeding years to 1890 nothing further was done in the matter except to take up the bonds and coupons as the funds provided by the special tax allowed. In 1890, the supervisors attempted to re- fund the outstanding six per cent bonds with an issue of four per cent bonds, but on account of the low rate of interest this was found impracticable and only $10,000 of the bonds were taken and these by residents of the county ex- clusively.
In 1898 the twenty years of the original 1878 issue having expired and the debt of that time being $720,000, the supervisors ordered, issued and sold four and a half per cent bonds to the amount of $720,000 and it is believed all of the 1878 issue has been paid at this time. The last outstanding bond was of the 1898 issue and it was paid July 1, 1910, and publicly burned on the 21st at the .celebration: At the time of the principal funding issue in 1878, the court house debt was estimated at $1,380,500. Some of this had been finally paid by the county court from the receipts of the special levies made by them, and the balance was settled by a compromise agreement of seventy-five per cent, so that the issue of $1,306,000 covered the entire debt as compromised.
This is the story of the courthouse bonds, told as briefly as is consistent with a clear understanding of the matter. The details cover a period of forty-three years and their history is a long story of strife and bitter feeling, recrimination and charges and counter charges, but through it all there was a steadfast pur- pose exhibited which shows that men of great strength of character figured in the matter. The commissioners and county court who entailed the debt were steadfast in their purpose in the face of opposition equally determined, the supervisors who managed the affair of the county through all these years stead- Vol. I-11
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fast in their purpose to discharge the debt, and no less true is it that the people of the county were steadfast in their support of the various boards and even reached a frame of mind where they willingly, if not cheerfully, paid into the county every year a large amount which showed on their tax receipt or "court- house bond tax."
INSIDE HISTORY AND COMMENT.
By 1866 the old court building was said to be inadequate. The county clerk moved his office and records into a building at the southeast corner of the square, alleging that there was not room for him in the courthouse, and it was argued that the records were in danger of destruction by fire and that all the county documents should be housed in one and the same building and that the building should be fire proof as nearly as possible. To this proposition the people gener- ally assented, although even at this time there was an anti-court house senti- ment developed to a slight extent, at least, as some of the citizens believed that the old building was quite sufficient for the needs of the county in every way. However, the courthouse party was sufficiently large to warrant the county court to proceed with plans for the erection of a new building, and the public generally understood that a new courthouse would be erected on the site of the old one in the public square. It was also understood that the cost might be as much as $150,000, and to this there was no great or determined opposition. In fact, it was favored by many of the leaders among the people in that day, who, when they found the location would be different and the cost greater, became anti-court house partisans and fought the proposition to the bitter end with every power nature had given them.
The fundamental reason for building the new courthouse was that a majority of the people of the county and the county court believed that a new and larger courthouse was necessary. Many other reasons were alleged against the pro- moters afterwards, in the heat of acrimonious debate, but in the cold light of history an impartial writer at this day can safely say that this was the true basic reason. It was also the opinion of Judge T. L. Loomis and some others, that the erection of a very fine and substantial building in Carlinville would for- ever put an end to any agitation to divide the county or move the county seat. Those who advanced this idea said that there was a movement on foot whereby Bunker Hill was to be the county seat of a county composed of a part of Ma- coupin and Madison counties, and Virden was to be the county seat of part of Sangamon and a tier of townships off of the north end of Macoupin county. But, after investigation, no great importance has been placed on the theory that this fear had much to do with the matter.
CHOOSING THE SITE.
Although the impression was general that the proposed new building was to be erected on the site of the old courthouse, in the square, the county court and the commissioners had other plans, as events proved. They evidently reached the conclusion that a building such as they contemplated would be too large for the
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public square, and furthermore, that it should have a park surrounding the building which would be commensurate and in harmony with the structure. It is easy now to realize that the present courthouse would be sadly out of place in the public square, but at that time the people did not dream of a building of the proportions which we are now familiar with. Most of them thought that the new courthouse should be in the public square and many believed that the ground which was donated by Seth Hodges would revert to his heirs, if used for any other purpose than a courthouse. Some of the heirs had some such idea, and a prominent attorney from Kansas City, Missouri, came to Carlinville in recent years with the idea of setting up such a claim for the Hodges heirs, but after investigation, he dropped the matter.
The county court quietly purchased land in the block now used for the courthouse, from Messrs. J. E. Andrews and Mrs. Martha Woods, the former owning the northeast, and the latter the southeast portions of the block. When the general public became aware of the fact, it was found that the county owned the entire block except the northwest portion, where George Judd had erected a $10,000 residence, by far, at that time, the finest in the town. William Maddox purchased this place from Mr. Judd and later sold it to the county for $15,000. In regard to the purchase of this piece of the courthouse square, it is told that after occupying the fine home for a time, Mr. Judd found it rather a burden to maintain the place, his business affairs becoming in a more or less unsatisfactory condition. About that time, William Maddox, who was a widower, was court- ing Mrs. Wall, widow of ex-county clerk Enoch Wall. Mrs. Wall was a very handsome and highly esteemed lady and the story goes that she intimated to "Billy" Maddox that if he had a home for a bride such as the George Judd place, she might favor his suit for her hand. Maddox took the hint, relieved Mr. Judd of his burden by purchasing the property, and the widow, keeping her part of the agreement, became Mrs. Maddox and mistress of the beautiful home. But Maddox, who was a village merchant, soon found that the costly home was also a burden to him. His store business declined and he, too, came to the point where he was anxious to turn the place into cash. He was a very prominent politician, a leader in county political affairs, and as an election of county officers was at hand about the time he decided that he must turn the place into cash, and is said to have made it known that he would support can- didates who favored building a new courthouse, locating it in the same block with his fine home, and who also favored purchasing the balance of the block (his home place) for courthouse park purposes. He delivered the votes and the successful candidates "delivered the goods." His place was purchased by the county and plans were soon completed for the erection of the courthouse in that block. The Maddox home was torn down.
These facts and legends show why the new building was erected in its pres- ent location. Always in the location of a large public building there is more or less dissension and dissatisfaction, and the promoters are usually charged with selfish reasons, of which they probably never thought at all, and in this matter the rule probably held true. Every conceivable selfish motive was alleged
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against the county court and commissioners in the heat, of the fight which fol- lowed, but none of them seem to be borne out by the facts known at this time.
AS TO THE COST.
When we enter upon the subject of the cost of the present courthouse, we immediately find ourselves in a labyrinth of conflicting evidence. In this matter of the cost lay the whole reason for the strife and dissension which accompanied the erection of the building, and did not end until years after its completion. The matter of changing the location was a small circumstance compared to the fact that the cost was increased from $50,000 to $1,380,000. The bad feeling caused by the change of location would have disappeared in a few years no doubt, but the hardship imposed on the people by the fearful debt was a thing to endure and descend upon the next generation, and in the last analysis it caused all the trouble.
No one believed that the original $50,000, authorized by the legislature, would build a satisfactory courthouse. A Springfield, Illinois, architect, E. E. Meyers, submitted a set of plans which the commission approved, and he estim- ated the cost of the building according to these plans at $150,000. This sum the people thought would be about right. A mass meeting was held in the court room of the old building, at which William Maddox presided, and after speeches by various prominent men, including C. A. Walker, a resolution was passed that it was the sense of the meeting and the will of the people that a new court house be erected to cost not to exceed $150,000, and that it be located in the public square.
With this understanding the people were content but when it was found that the location was to be changed, and when the immense foundation began to take form, every one realized that the plan approved at the mass meeting was being ignored and $150,000 would not be a "drop in the bucket" towards the cost of the building. No one was permitted to see the plans and no one knew anything about the matter except what the casual look at the big foundation told every one.
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