The Gazette
June 3, 1903

The police jury met Monday in regular session, and Mr. F. M. Cleekler, representing contractors M. T. Lewman & Co., of Louisville, Ky., exhibited to that body plans for a new court house in Union Parish. No decided action was taken in reference to adopting a plan or contracting for a new building, but as the body realized the necessity for the construction of a new court house building they agreed to meet the contractors and the architect, Mr. Bryan, who designed the plan, and go into details as to what such building would cost and how same could be paid for. The time for discussion of these matters was fixed for the 10th day of June.

If the police jury decide to build a new court house they, of course, will first adopt plans and specifications and advertise for bids. The contractor who could build the cheapest would then be awarded the contract. It is to be hoped that a contract for a new court house will be let. Every parish in the State has a better court house than Union. This parish once controlled the trade of the surrounding parishes. Enterprise has placed them ahead of us and we are now suffering for it.

The railroad is now an assured fact. Our town must build up an our parish will build up in consequence of the numerous industries that will spring up over it. Thousands of dollars will be spent in the parish, and our revenues from taxation will increase proportionately. We should build a new court house in order to protect the land records of the parish. The titles which men hold to their property are worth something to them and if these records, now insecure, should be burned, the cost to those interested would be more than double the amount necessary to build a new court house. We have a the shabbiest court house of any parish in the State. It deters people from investing money here, because it shows there is not spirit of enterprise. A new court house would create a spirit of enterprise among our own people that would have a beneficent effect. It would induce those hunting homes to invest their money here. It would increase population, furnish better markets for produce, and the taxes on the money invested with us would more than pay for the court house; and having a nicer public building and furnishing security for our public records would virtually cost us nothing.