Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-11-12
-. 4, RE Is, clause Of the 6th see.

manafing it. The last elause Of the ON sec
ton OF the act of Congress before referred To-
was to provide a.tribunalin the place OF inc
CORPORATION Court, which had ceased to ex'
is.. to lay the tar for the support fthe t0'on.
In this the law as passed by Congress. was DC.
fective by declaring in substance, that tne
Corporation Court should provide for the sup
mort of the poor Of the town, when there was
no such court. 1t is an instance of the blind
folded manner in which Congress has too Oh
ten lerislated for the District, at the sugges-
ton of individuals There is no repeating
clause in this section, or in any part OF the
law. 1t does not IKE from the Levy Cour'
any power which it possessed under other
laws. The fair construction is, that Congress
did not intend to take away the authority al
ready possessed, but to give additional pow
er,especialy when there is no contradiction or
incompatibility between the provisions OF the
two laws, or negative terms in the law OF
Nav, 1902. The next law relied on to shew
that the power which the Levy Court had to
tax real estate, has been withdrawn, is the
act of Nav, 1924, entitled "An act to confer
certain powers on the Levy Court ofihe coun-
tv of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia,
and for other purposes" According to the
| tile of j.. this act is intended to extend and
no, abr.dge the power of the Court. The first
section OF which declares that the Levy Court
i o, the county of Alexandria, shall from and
F! after passing of the act, hare, possess and er-
. eyc.se AL the powers which the County Courts
Of Virginia possessed and exercised on the
9th of February, 1901, in relation to the lay
ing of the county lev'-s. The Levy Court
could only tax real alM PERSONAL estate, ac-
cord'ng to pal,mtion. The late law of Con-
] gress gives the Court the additional power to
impose poll tao The I'd section of the same
law declares, that seuen Justices shall be a
quorum for the transaction of all business ap-
pertaining to the Court aforesaid. The above
is all that relates to the power of the Levy
Court. There is nothing in it which takes
from the Levy Court the authority to tao real
estote-1here is norepealing clause in it, nor
negative words as to the former power of the
Court. If the first section OF the act OF Con
gress of MAY, 1924, by declaring that the Lee
w Court, shall hare, possess and exercise all
the power which the County Courts of Viz
GINA possessed and exercised under former
laws, amounts to a repeal of all former sta
tutes, defining the powers of the Court BY
the same rule of contraction, the I'd section
of the sama law which declares that Sepe,, JUS
tees of the Peace, shall be quorum tor the
transaction of all business appertaining to the
Lew Court, amounts to repeal OF the 18th
section of the law of 1901, which declares
that the Magistrates to be appointed for this
District, shall be Board of Commissioners
or Levy Court-so that the Levy Court could
after the Goth of MAY, 1894, consist but of Sc
ven Justices of the Peace, and not as hereto
| fore of all the Justices of the county, amount-
| ing in number to about fifteen. lfthls be the
.,,, suv. IL
7 may be asked, what is the object Of the law
of NAV, 1922 The answer is to enlarge the
| powers of the Court, and not to diminish
them; particularly to confer the power of lay
ing q poHtGr, which it had not The Ooun-
ty Court of Virginia, as to expences for any
they may eypend. 1t may be that i was in
tended TO give the Levy Court of Alexandria
county the same unlimited power as to the a.
mount for repairing cour-houscs, ,jai!s and
bridges: This is construction consistent not
cnly with the general words of the act itself,
bat with the former laws defining the powers
OF the Levy Court. tits not reasonable to be-
lieve that Congress would, in the face not ONLY
ofthe 18th section of The Declaration of Rights
Of the state of Maryland, but against the plain
principles of equal justice, pass any law which
should in effect so to relieve the rich members
of the community from the burthen of taxes
for county purposes, and compel the poorer
members to pay the tax. 1t is not to be
presumed that Congress intended that sys-
TEN of taxation, so unequal, should exist in A
lexandra county, while an equal one exists in
Washington county. lfthcre does exist law
of Congress which takes from the Levy Court
the power ofassessing the real estate for coun-
ty purposes, it is expected that those who rely
upon it will point it out.
EQUAL TAXATION.
Philadelphia, Nor lowe have re-
ceived file of Bahama papers up 10
the 22d Of October, by the Morning
Star. A most destructive whiriwind