The Baltimore County Union

Better than Removal.

If the people of our county are not sufficiently taxed already—if they are sincere in the reasons they give for the removal of the court house to 'Swamp Puddle'—if they urge that proposition on the ground that Towsontown is an unsuitable place for our court of justice, because of the lack of facilities in getting to it—if they care urge no better reason than the one most frequently advanced—that there is no means of reaching it by rail from the remote parts of the county, particularly the 'unter end,' unless first going to Baltimore; we upon them to join hands with us to remedy this evil, by building a railroad to the town, connecting with the Northern Central Road at the Lake, thus giving ample traveling facilities to those who have business at the county seat either from the 'upper end' or in the direction of, or beyond Baltimore city.

The citizens of Towsontown and the vicinity, have put the enterprise in motion, and the prospects are that we shall be able to bring our jurors to court by steam before the termination of many more terms of court.

The books have been opened and all the money required to make the road a success (except about $2,000,) secured by responsible subscriptions. That the road will be built and run is no longer a question. Every thing concerning its arrangements have been put in 'ship shape,' and in a short time the work will be commenced and completed.

But granting (for sake of argument,) that the enterprise may fail through some unforeseen disaster—some failure to obtain all the means promised and expected, we suggest to our friends favoring removal and feeling inconvenienced in consequence of the absence of a steam road to Towsontown, that it will be much less expense and much more profit to the county to furnish the money to build the proposed road, than it will to remove the court house to 'Swamp Puddle.' Feeling convinced that fully one-half of the bona fide favorers of removal are favorable to it upon that ground alone, we can see no objection they can offer to this proposal, if they are sincere in their avowed intention to vote for removal.

If they object to this on the ground of increasing taxation, we ask what will the removal do?

But if we sell the alms house property—after its nuisances are removed and its fields are laid off into avenues and building lots—it will realize more than enough to put our railroad on its (iron) feet clear of debt, and there might be enough left to furnish a nucleus fund to build direct line from Towson to the city. But we greatly fear that even this much would not be realized from its sale, if it were encumbered with a court house, jail and other county seat paraphernalia.

We are decidedly of the opinion that it will pay Baltimore county infinitely better to invest her surplus funds in railroads running through her own territory than in the removal of the court of justice.

Again, if the sale of the alms house property should yield more than is required to build the branch road proposed, let the county use it in the extension of that road, through the rich fields of limestone, marble and iron mines, between Towsontown and the terminus of the Baltimore and Philadelphia Central Road beyond the Susquehanna. This would develop her hidden resources and increase our wealth and prosperity ten-fold more than the greatest possible good that can result from the removal of the court house to 'Swamp Puddle.'