Daily Republican

The Levy Court has at last done something definite in the direction of building a new Court-house in Wilmington, by accepting the proposed site offered by the City Council, at Tenth and Market streets. There can be no doubt that the site is the most convenient and eligible at the present time for all parties concerned, though there are many who think that one half the Square would have been sufficient for the purpose at the present time. The square is worth at least $60,000 and is a free gift to the County from the City of Wilmington, that our citizens might be saved the annoyance and inconvenience of having to go to New Castle to attend court in a crowded, unhealthy Court-house, and suffer for want of proper accommodations. As the whole square has been accepted by the Levy Court, we hope now that when they are about to have plans and specifications drawn up they will be for building on the elevation in the centre of the square, and that all the remainder of the square may be devoted to a park handsomely laid out with spurting fountains at each corner. It would be a pity to deface such a square by the building of a jail on it even for temporary purposes, unless it would be confined to the basement where it could not be seen. As Wilmington has surrendered the handsomest square in the city for the building of the court house every care should be taken that the building should not only be convenient and comfortable, but that it should be ornamental as well. Standing upon the highest elevation in the city proper and facing the four points of the compass, it should be commensurate with the advanced spirit of the age, and as New Castle County has so long suffered with a little cramped up court house, it is nothing more than right that the nearest approach to the extreme other should be taken. Let the new court house be built in accord with its elevated site and the surroundings and all will be right.

There has been considerable distrust manifested in the Levy Court, for fear that body should by some means thwart the will of the people by postponing the building of the new Court House for a year or two, or until the meeting of the next Legislature. We are glad to see that this mistrust has been entirely uncalled for so far as they have yet acted. At the invitation of the City Council they came to Wilmington and looked around amongst the various sites proposed for the new building, and then when they got through with their regular routine of revising the assessments they promptly chose a site, and they are now looking around amongst the Court-houses of the neighboring counties to see how they are built and what they cost, preparatory to having plans and specifications drawn up. All this is right and proper, and shows that the Levy Court are going about their business in a business like manner. It is sheer nonsense to talk of having a Court-house built here in time for the holding of the fall term of Court, or even at the spring term, and even if it could be built, it is not desirable that it should be rushed up in such a hurry. A building of the size it is expected to build it, will be all the firmer by having time to settle. Under favorable auspices the building of it could hardly be commenced before August, and at least a year should be occupied in the building of it to make it substantial. The people will be glad to know that no disposition is manifested on the part of the Levy Court thus far to thwart the will of the people.