Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-08-13
LOCAL NEWS.
Corporation Affairs.

senthal for remission Of fine; referred to COM
mittee on claims. Also, petition VI Charles
barber shops on the Sabbath day; referred TO
the committee on police. Also, petition of ].
Bo0olnot tor erection Of bricSo at Intersec-
ton OF LIST street east and Boundary street; re.
ferred TO the committee on Improvements
Also, petition OF Edward Lily, praying re-
mission of q fine; referred 70 committee ON
claims Mr.. Grinder presented the petition Of
n1aaina rHn propsr1y @ owners, rsaylsg for the re;
during the war, with a bisl to carry out the
object OF petitioners; referred TO the committee
On improvements. Also, Introduced q bill en-
acting that hereafter all Ruckster licenses shall
be paid in ,he following manner, TO It:-All
huckstere' licenses taken out before the Is. OF
April eholl be $40; the same license after the
1st OF April shall be BIS; the same license after
the 1st ef July shah be $40: after the lst OF
markets.
Mr.. Nsyes introduced a bill making an ap-
preparation Of nifty dollars TO repair the bridge
over James Creek, at N street south; passed
Also, introduced n resolution req Nesting the
surveyor to furnish to the committee sn i'm :
provements plat Of the alley in square 49i.
which Rev. G. Q. Meador and others asked TO
have condemned.
Mr.. Noyes SAID there seemed to be consider.
able difficulty in getting pla,s from the Sur
veyors Office for the use of the impro yemen is
committee. and he knew of no other way of
TemedyinR the m after than by some action on
the part of the Board.
resolution, stating that the committee on i'm.
provements OF this Board could not, it seemed,
oblain any Information required from the Sur
veyors Office promptly, without payment OF
the ices required from individuals. Officers
OF Inc corporation should be made to under
stand that it is their duty to furnish the Boards
OF Aldermen and Common Council and their
committees, with any necessary Official in :
formation which may he properly called for,
without expecting a fee therefor II the mat.
ter was not remedied he should Iayer suspend
ing the Surveyor for non performance OF his
duties. He felt it his duty the more especially
to take this ground from the TACT that the in.
cumbent was OF the same political faith as
himself The resolution WAS passed.
The Chair laid before the Board the petition
OF True Putney. complaining of the unjust
manner OF levying and collecting sewerage
taxes. DC; referred to finance committee Mr.
Moore introduced the tellowing:
Whereas the charter OF this corporation pro.
vIdes "that no person shall be eligible 10 a seat
In he Board of Aldermen Or Board of Com
mon Council. unless he shall be more than
twenty five years of age, a free white male
citizen OF the United States, and shall have
bee n resident OF the city of Washington for
one year next preceding the day OF election.
and shall at the time Of is election be resi-
dent Of the ward for which he shall be elect
60, and be the b0na isde owner of q freehold
estate In the said city fof washington, and
shall have been assessed on the books of the
corporation for the year ending the 3lst day
tioD.''
And whereas it appears by the tax books
OF rhe corporation that O. s. Baker of the
F.rst Ward, is not assessed Tor any properly,
either personal or real estate; that Henry H !.
Tliley, CT the First Ward, is not assessed for
any real estate, but is assessed only for per-
sobal property: that William NJ. Siewen of
the First Ward, is not assessed for any prop
erty, either personal or real estate that Tbos,
T.. Connolly, Of the Third Ward, is not as
sonaI properly: tina, Appleton p. CIsrk. OF
the Fifth Ward, is not assessed for any prop
erty. either personal or reas estate that ohm
Arrison, OF the Fifth Ward, is not assessed for
that L i. s. Miller, Of the Fifth Ward, is not
assessed for any properly, either personal or
real estate that III. T. Parker. OF the Seventh
Ward, is not assessed for any real estate, hut
only for personal property that y. =. Baker,
Of the Seventh Waro, is not assessed for any
property. either personal or real estate and
whereas nil of rhe said persons are now IN the
exercise of the duties and privileges Of mem
bers of the Board OF Common Council. ana
constitute nearly majority of the said Board.
which has thus tar shown no disposition TO
determine the question OF the eiigibllity of It's
members As is required by the oath OF each
faithfully to execute the duties OF his ce
TO the best Of his knowledge and ability
And whereas the period has arrived when the
general assessments for the current year shou Id
be made in order 10 supply means for the sup
port OF the officers OF the Corporation, as we'll
the Metropolitan Police OF the Public Schools,
OF the Fire Department and OF the Aims. house,
and also for the repairing and cleaning OF
streets. and varfons other purposes affecting
fere,
Be at resolred by the Board Of Aldermen, That
the Corporation Attorney be, and he is hereby,
whether, under the law, this Corporation can
enfoI ce the collection Of any taxes. either for
e neral or special purposes, IL imposed By a
Council thus illegally constituted, by reason
OF a large proportion of its members being non
tax payers, instead of freehoIders, as 10 re-
qDired by the charter.
Mr.. Moore stated that he offered this reso-
luton in a more modest form some weeks ago.
The resolution was then rejected. lie had all
the information then he has now; information
obtained from the tax books. He is now COM
PEELED, n action having been taken, to name
the ineligible members, of whom there are
nine, two more would make a majority OF that
Board. One other he had heard Of since. and
If he was ineligible there would be ten. When
the colored men talked Of running colored men
1t was opposed because they could not Quslify
under the charter. The same objection would
apply to the men named in This resolution
Mr.. Richards said that il the resolution was
as he understood 1t, merely to inquire into
the legality Of the acts passed by the present
councils. he ehould not oppose it.
Mr.. Elvans said that would be the proper
course, il the premises were correct But he
objected to this board undertaking to decideas
to the eligibility of members OF the 10 wer board
while the matter is In the hands OF the COM
mittee Of elections in that board, and ne
understood that committee was TO make a
report this evening. This matter had been
properly voted down in this board before, and
he thought 1t should be left to that board TO
decide the eligibility OF its own members.
The gentleman holding the position of Corpo-
ration Attorney, had been dismissed from
practice before the Criminal Court, and it was
a aqueston now whether he was still competent
to act ss attorney for this Corporation.
Mr.. Elvans said that he would state on
his own responsibility that two Of the mem
bers OF the Board OF Commsn Council named
in the resolution owned real estate, and did
own it previous to The recent election-M. r.
Parker and s. S. Baker He thought The sub.
careful consideration. When q member OF the
Board OF Aldermen states on his own respon-
sibiiity that two OF the mem bers OF the lower
Board. reported to be ineligible, are properly
qualified, 10 his own knowledge, it was mat
ter of courtesy at least to have the question
further considered before action is taken.
Mr. Moore stated that he introduced his for
ing names, but 1t was voted down. His oaly
object was to get in formation from the Corpo-
ration Attorney whether our legislation ID le-
gal. if nearly q Jority OF the members OF the
lower board are ineligible. He didn't deny
what his friend Mr.. Eivans) stated. The in
formation was obtained from the books of the
which show that the members
books at the time Of the election. According
10 these books they were not qualified. That
was all. The res Olntion only states that fact.
The committee on elections in the lower board
10 composed OF Messrs. Arrison, Pfau and
Slowen. On two occasions resolutions re.
curing them TO repsrt on the qualifications Of
members had been voted down. This resoiu.
but TO stop all legislation which may be ilie-
oct fine of the members from the EoUYth