Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-06-28

restrained the appropriation 70 $3.50 or such DOR.
made known to me had then been in nv poses
| sion, should not have signed the bills without
mmnnicating with the Councils in relation
thereto. And II Is with reference TO nv own mo-
| lection, and through me, as the chief executive
TO the protection Of the interests of the civ that
am induced to recommend the adoption Of such
guards and restraints will effectualv nrevent
frauds collision, or selfish combinatiops r =
What appears most singular and suggestive in
tins connection Is that transaction directly az
much calculated 70 excite snnreben.en snd ~
impair confidence throughout the communitv'
and SO immediately concerning the good name Of
| the Councils, should have been sumnIarily dis
missed without that serious action which IL. oc.
| quires. 80 = -
| When bill for the first additional ,nn,o,,,.
| ton Of eight hundred and fifteen dollars from
the Common Council was presented TO the Board
OF Aldermen, it was referred to the appropriate
| standing committee on Improvements, and there
| became the subject Of a careful and elaborate re.
port setting forth the material facts disclosed in
this communication, and others equally imposing
| according TO the published proceedings that re-
port was ''ruled ont Of order under Parliamentary
law, and subsequent resolution for the appoint
nlent OF special committee to investigate the
| matter was laid on the table by formal vote II
| world not become me to comment upon these pro-
ceedings But In the discharge Of nv official
auty, ana inasmuch as the whole subject has been
| efciuded rom public attention and discussion /
feel 1t proper to submit the report of thecommitee
| on Improvements herein referred to- as contai ming
matter which should be thoroughly investigated
| very respectfully JAMES u. BERREr, Mayor
| Mr.. A. w. Miller desired to know whether the
| papers referred to were those which were ruled
OUT last year when the matter to which they re-
ferred had been settled by the Board "
Mr.. Moore replied that they were
| MI Miller then desired TO know what rig ht the
Mayor had to call the attention Of the Board to a
subject which had been settled by this Board and
| which manifestly came within the Jurisdiction of
this Board, and was not in any manner subject
OF executive consideration. He also desired to
Il i'm xrha
| sion OF those papers, as there was a rule of the
| board positively prohibiting the taking Of papers
away from the possession Of the board. 1t was
I only by consent of the majority of the members
that copies even of papers were permitted 10 be
taken OF papers after they had become subjects of
record on this board. This matter passed his CON-
| prehension entirely.
Mr.. Magruder desired to know IL the Mayor had
not been present at the investigation last year. and
had not sat by the side of Mr. Brown 1.-THE member
supposed TO be implicated) during the whole in.
veStigatiOn. and heard the whole discussion-the
attlck, the defence, and the solemn and final vote
Of the board which declared that gentleman to be
honorably acquitted of any charge whatever? IL
this was so, why did the Mayor preface this extra
ordinary document with the remarkable words
from facts recently brought TO his knowledge,
Mi. Moore stated that as the gentleman had evil
IDENTITY expected him to answer he would expain
lie had been member of the committee before
alluded to- In the first place, he would say that
the Mayor had come TO him and asked him 70 let
him have the papers, to which request he had con-
sented, the Mayor promising to be responsible for
their safe keeping. He would also say that as
| member OF the committee, he had regarded. and
still regarded, the action of this Board in respect
TO the report unjust. lt due to the Councils
and to the city that the matter should have been
: | thoroughly Investigated. The report was per
mittcd to be read. all save the last parag raph
| when, under parliamentary law, II had been de-
cided out Of order, and was never entirely read.
| Thus 1t had been stited, and the gentleman sup
| posed to be implicated had not demanded an ex-
4 PLANTATION, nor an investigation. lie would also
say that the paper had never been the property OF
Rnarsl holn fnf lRsal ,,sru-
| Mr.. Miller denied that the report belonged to
the lower Board 1t was endorsed by the gentle
man, (Mr. Moore.) and had been filed by Mr.
Middleton, the late Secretary of this Board
, 1 Mr.. Magruder thought 1t was a remarkable
| thing that the Mayor should have been present at
. the whole investigation; that he should have even
carried his feelings in the matter to the extent of
4 | shaking hands with Mr. Brown congratulating
him on his complete victory over the charges
brought, or sought to be brought against him
and then at this late day have sent this most ex-
| traordinary communication TO the Board, know
ing the whole thing to have been finally settled
and particularly in consideration of the fact that
: II was d subject for this board alone and with
| which he had nothing whatever to do. He did
know what the gentleman supposed to be inpl-
| Gated desired in the premises, but he was strong
" inclined to move that the whole matter be re-
ftrred to special committee, with instructions to
draft letter to the Mayor, politely returning his
dlsrespecful message, and informing him that
the board had disposed Of the subject SOME time
ago.
Mr. Moore stated that justice to the committee
and the Mayor, required him to say that the
matter never disposed of at ALL that there had
been no investigation, but that on the contrary
{ the thing had been suppressed by the board The
report vi the committee was not even permitted
to be read before the board. but was ruled out as
not in order, and thereby stiied.
| Mr. Brown stated that the report had been read
entirely through, and the board had afterwards
discussed 1t, and by their votes had ACC quilted him
of all implication. If the gentleman insisted on
denying this, his memory was either at fault or
i his mild was poisoned by malice. If he insisted
that the report had not been read, every line
word and syllable. he stated what was false
The Chair, tMr- Bayly) The gentleman must
| not be personal"
/; Mr.. Brown II mean to be respectful to the
board, but have not said what have said with
| cut weighing my words - ...
Mr.. Moore insisted that the gentleman's own
memory was at fault, and that the report had not
been read through There was apparent for
gerry in the BILL and the report read up to the
last paragraph, ahd there point Of order was
raised, and further investigation suppressed
II charge Were to be brought against him (the
speaker he should demand an investigation He
maintained that wrong had been done the city,
smuggling the matter through in the way it had
been. ...... -
Mr.. Dove addressed the Chair characterisinp
the Mayors message as disrespectful TO this Board
The act seemed TO be the united one Of the Mayor
? and the gentleman from the Fourth Ward who
itwouid seem, had come here to play the cham
pion and the lion. He would now take occasion
: TO warn him that before the end of the present
Council his stool would fall from under him.
Either the gentleman or himself would have to
leave this Board, ii he continued to make sue in
| situations and implied charges. He asked the
gentleman, and he demanded a plain answer, if
lac charged him (tbe speaker) with attempting to
| smother that investigation,
Mr. Moore. The gentleman voted against the
investigation
Mr.. Dove denied that the investigation had been
| attempted to he stited in any manner. and charac-
| teriZed the conduct and action of Mr. Moore in
this matter as unworthy Of gentleman. He con-
| tended that the whole thing was gotten up pre-
| Judice, and that the gentleman from the Fourth
Ward was acting ffom motives Of malice and at
tempting, by becoming the Mayors braggart, to
| traduce and yillify members Of this board There
was not day but what he (thc speaker heard Of
the gentleman in such a connection. .. -.- .
Mr.. Dove then went into history of the inveSti-
CATION, explaining the entire process Of il and
wound up by alluding To the insulting message
OF the Mayor, now the subject of debate, treating
il in terms Of no little severity.
Mr.. Moore still went on to urge that there never
Il III