Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-11-17
LOCAL NEWS.

| A!dsrmea.-The Chair iMr. Semmes) laid beror,
| the Board communication from the Mayor
! announcing the approval Of the following acts
viz; Act to protect the interests Of the Corpora
| non OF ashIngton in the suit now pending
| between the said Corporation and the Wash
| ingion and Alexandria Railroad; act author.
| izng the Ia. ing OF q nag footway across lath
| street west and z street south; act to lay flag
loo'"ay IN the FIRST ward; act to amend an
| act IN relation to sewer in the Sixth ward ac,
| making additional appropriation to grade and
gravel / street north, from 7th 70 10Th street Is
| west; an act to lay flag fnotway across F
street sonth, a. the intersection of 9th stree,
| west; and an act for the relief Of Il. w. Fergu-
| ton.
| Mr.. Turton extended an invitation to the
| Board to visit the tair OF the Western Presby.
| terian Church, a. Odd Fellows Hail. and th,
invitation y as accpp,ed.
Mr.. Brown, from the com m ittep OF conference
on the difagreaing votes on the bill to increase
the salaries of csrtSin officers of the Corpora
ton, reported substitute giving the Commis
! sloEer of Improvements OF each ward SsOu; the
tolicr Magistrat"s 5000 each; Clerks OF the
senger to the Board Aldermen, $500; Mes
senger 70 the Board Of Common Council, $500
and compensation Of Water Registrar, 81 800
The substitute WAS adopted
Mr.. Pepper, from improvements committee,
asked to be discharged from the further con-
sid ration Of the bill to widen the area and put
vault in square No. is3, and the bill to grant
J. Ii. Semmes and others the privilege of put.
was discharged, and general bill for vault
irg the streets and avenues was introduced,
and it was ordered to he printed, and its con-
siCeration postponed till next meeting.
Mr.. Pepper, from same committee, reported
fasorahiy upon Il bill to pay u deficiency to
grace and gravel Sd street east, from Pcnnsyl-
vsnia avenne to G street south, which was
passed.
The following were introduced and passed,
yiE:-By Mr.. Turton-An act to pay de-
hcisncy in The appropriation 10 grade and
" Vt.i 7
nre to Pennsylvania avenue; an &C: to lay a
new gntier on street north, from 18th street
to Vermont avenue; BY Mr.. Gordon-An act
10 lay flag footWays across certain streets in
the Sixth Ward.
Mr.. Brown introduced bill 70 increase the
compensation OF the Mavor TO 5000, ito COM
npbce att. r The sc ccnd Monday in June, l4Gi J
which vas referred.
Dir. Ut.ImehIe, from the committee on police,
a. X, o be- discharged from the fur her con-
sofraiion Of The joint res olution relative th..
cor SrTuction Of a bridge over the Potomac by
the Washington and A!eIandria Railroad. So
UId de red.
Mr.. Uternehle also made an adverse report
uJUu the bill authorizing the appropriation Of
S12,aCu cut Of the fines and penalties collected
by the 1letropOli al Police, tor the purpose of
builGing siaIOR houses and the heating and
III hing OF the same. Mr.. Utarmehle stated
that his report was not i'll order dispose of
the bill finally, out in order that the Board
eight Rave 1ull and free discussion upon it,
His Objection was that no appropriation should
De L ace except 1Of spcClfsC purpose, ana mat
Councils had no rightrC SET a part these fines
Mr.. L. pper hoped the mater would BE- well
cons deIed and fully invests gated. II the city
had any authority whatever he desired TO know
Il. The police force (and he respected the
fierce ItstiD were arrosatiug TO themselves I'M
usual powers, ana he believed the matter
should, be thoroughly investigated. At some
future time, when the bill came up, he would
have something TO say upon me subject. The
police force desired TO control all things in the
city, and he was opposed to that.
Mr.. Brown defeE drd the Police Commission
ers He said lie certainly would be very much
astonis he'd at the extraordinary remarks OF the
Alderman from the Fourth Ward (Mr. Pep.
peri, If he had not long since learned never TO
be astonlsh At anything which that erratic
1t not Quix0tic, gentleman could say on this
floor. The Alderman is SO much in the habit
OF exercising his fancy here, and talking about
matteTs p Bich he does not understand or even
pretend to have in Investigated, that he had here
1ofCre allowed his filings at the METROPOLITAN
Police TO pass unnotieed, but shall do so no
longer. he asks, ''who wire worked this
systs m through Congress; who engineered tins
bill of abOminations'! certainly not the peo.
pie and he never heard of it until it be-
came law The police Of this city had be-
come VIGOROUSLY corrupt. Under Mayor Tow
ers it became wholly partisan police. and
was continued as such during the adminstra-
ton of DIR. Magruder and Col. Berret, to the
destruction OF its usefulness and the disgust OF
the whole community. This was its character
in the spring Of 1861, and then it became. to a
great extent disloyal TO the Government; and
under the lead of one of its lieutenants, inow
an officer in the rebel army,) MANY Of its
members openly favored the rebellion, and
gloried ip their treason These facts were
known 10 ALL and public sentiment every.
where IN The city demanded reform Con.
gress, aware Of all these things, and at the
instance Of many good citizens, Mayor Wal
lach being one. and urged by these councils,
gave Us the metropolitan system, (Which had
been proved in New York and other cities,) and
that too, at the expense of the United States
thereby relieving our treasury of near $4,000
annually.
There was no "wire. working" or ssenglneer.
ing" needed to pass this Wholesome REFORM nor
does it require any laudation from him to COM
mend it to all law abiding people. The Presi-
dent, in selecting the Commissioners, took care
TO SO organize the Board Of Police as that il could
not be partisan. He was appointed because
he was known to have been Douglas democrat;
others were Bell men. and not more than two
were, in 1850, Lincoln men. This police has
been in existence more than two years, during
which time all the elements Of CRIME have been
vomited upon us from other cities. War,
which brings in its train always demOraliZa.
ton, has ruged around us-thieves. burglars,
cut-fhroats, and villains Of every description,
have gathered to Washington, and yet as good
order has been preserved, and life and prop
erty are now as secure here as it ever was in
the "piping times OF peace" when we had only
village, with few strangers among rs, and
Offering no attractions TO bad men;-now we
have one hundred thousand people of all
classes, grades, colors and character. But for
TO be trad uced here, and Congress iectured for
an expenditure of S11U. 600 each year to support
il. Truly this is ingratitude, not to have been
expected by those Whe generously gave us this
bene1lcent measure. The Alderman says the
police will do well enough. but the Board Of
Police wants TO grasp all the power of the Cor
Doration, and, he supposes, will finally swal-
low it mp. The Board does no such thing, and
the Board needs no vindication from the at
tacks OF the Alderman.
The bill on the table merely proposes, after
having relieved the Corporation from all ex-
pense OF the police, to set apart the fines and
forteitures collected for violations of the lnu-
niciral ordinances, for the purpose OF erect
ing, furnishing, heating, and lighting conve-
nitnt and suitable station houses in the city,
which the act of Congress compels them to do.
These station houses to be built whenever and
as fast as sufficient sum shall have accu-
mulated from these tines, and would. in his
opinion, not Srequre more than two years,
when this fund would be applicable for other
city improvements. The plan meets the ap.
probation of the Mayor; viii satisfy the Board
OF Police, and furnish the certain means Of
building station houses, the property OF the
city, which would be an ornament TO the
Metropolis, and q proper response to the gen.
erosity of Congress. Then We should have
the Metropolitan Police a apsrmnaient Institution,
supported by the libeTality of the Government,