The Watchman And Southron

SUPPOSE WE REASON ABOUT IT.

There is always a reason for every advisable act, although the reason may not be discovered by a great many intelligent people. Every question, any proposition, no matter how abstract in conception, is capable of being discussed in a reasonable manner.

So it is about the question of selling the Court House Square. If any one favors, or opposes the sale, he should at least be able to give reasons for his opinion. Of what weight is the simple assertion, "I am in favor of selling the Court House Square, it ought to be sold"? People who have no opinion of their own may be influenced, but upon intelligent men it will have no effect.

In Sumter there are only two open squares where an open-air meeting can be held, unless the suburbs are sought, and permission to use obtained from the owners of some of the vacant building lots or fields. The Court House Square and Monumental Square are the only vacant places we have, and when we consider how much such breathing spaces are needed in a city, we should be slow to part with one, and that one most centrally located. In many cities the municipal authorities purchase at great expense vacant squares and these squares kept for the use of the public generally. Sumter has few enough such places now, and it would be a short-sighted policy to do away with one of them. Hereafter the Monumental Square will not be available for any public speaking or political meeting, as the incidental noise and excitement would disturb the exercises of the Graded School, should it be in session.

When a road has been open to use by the public for a certain term of years no one has the right to close that road, as the public has acquired rights that can be secured from the courts. For many years our Court House Square has been an open and public thoroughfare, it is more used than many of our streets, and vastly more than numbers of public roads. This being so, the Grand Jury has no more right to advise the sale of the square, thus closing a thoroughfare to a man's place of business, than to advise the sale of any one of the public roads of the county. Acting on the belief that the Court House Square is a permanently open public thoroughfare, a number of parties have purchased land facing on the square, and have erected offices and other business buildings, from, and to, which there is no avenue except through the square. In the event of the sale and closure of the square the county would immediately find itself with a half dozen law suits on hand, for lot owners would not calmly allow their property to be bottled up with no exit to the street, nor suffer the consequent loss from deteriorated values.

From an economical standpoint it would be advisable to add to the present Court House, improving it so as to give adequate accommodation to all demands; for the sake of convenience it is better to have the Court House where it is, than in any other part of the city; and to avoid the expense of a lawsuit, not to mention the damages to property that would have to be paid, should the suit result adversely to the county, it is best not to sell the square.