Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-01-21
Af&af


several acts and resol utions which orr ginated
| IN this Board. Also, a comm unscat,on from
James Adams, shler OF the Bank OF Wash
| lnSton, transmitting a resolution OF the Bank
| setting forth that ~. communication has been
| lately addressed TO the Board of Aldermen by
| the Mayor, recomme nding the removal Of the
| account of the Corporation from this Bank on
| the ground of its having, without his privity
| and consent. charged up a note for S5O.DDl,
| which sum the Bank had loaned the Corpora
| ton for patriotic purpose in May, 1904, in
anticipation of its revenue and that sthe trus-
tees desire TO place upon the records of its pro-
| csedings that this loan was made in "A case Of
| great emergency; and having waited in vain for
I Hs repayment by the Mayor, the Bank deemed
il both just an d right to charge the note ap and
| this could not have been done but for the delay
| of the two Boards In passing the general APP
| preparation bill, and the difc ulty afterwards
between the Mayor and Register, as the fnuds
placed to the credit Of the Corporation were
usually checked out very soon thereafter"
| Resolutions were appended, THAT whatever
the action OF the two Boards Of the City Coun-
| ellis may be IN regard to the Recommendation Of
| the Mayor, it is the determination of this Bank
| TO decline keeping the Corporation accounts
beyond the current quarter, unless suitable
| compensation be allowed fer the vast amount
| OF labor, expense, and responsibility incurred
merely, and 10 state further thar this course
would have been adopted long since but for the
| necessities of the Corporation and,
| That the Cashier he directed 10 furnish 4
copy OF these proceedings to both Boards of the
| City Council with a respectful request that as
| many of its members as desire To do so NAV
call and judge of the multfarcus duties the
| Bank has been performing for the Corporation
| for more than half a century; mot even a dog
| license can be issued by the Register until
Certificate Of deposit is first procured; each of
which necesstates the making of several en-.
| uies;) notwiths standing that for several years
past Its account has been of little or no benefit
| TO the Bank" Referred TO the Committee on
Finance.
| The Chair submitted the following:
| sResoIred, That the Committee on Elections
| are hereby requested to inquire into the expe-
| diency of reporting n bill creating a greater
plumber of election precincts, and defining the
k1esnGares Of the several Wards of the city"
vIt9opted.
Mr.. Elvans presented the following:
WASHINGTON, ID. G., January IL, IS6S-To
TIE honorable Board Of Aldermen and Board Of Com
mon Council Of the GUY Of Washington This me-
mortal OF the Undersigned, regularly licensed
auctioneers of the City of Washington, respect
fully petitions for the revision and modification
of the ordinances now in force conc erning auc-
tioneers, and an increase of the commissions
now allowed them, and in so doing they beg
leave briefly TO state reasons therefor, and the
alterations therein, which they would respect
fully suggest:
Your petitioners would respectfully ask that
the commissions now fixed by law b. so in.
creased as that they may receive upon all sales
OF personal property ten per centum. instead of
nNe, me present rate and on all sales of real e.
tate four per centum on the first 500; two
per centum on the succeeding Si,3O0 and one
per centum on the excess above Sl,5OU, instead
OF me respective rates OF two, one, and one
fourth per centum OF one as now established.
In support of this increase now asked, your
petitioners aver that the present rates are en-
trely inadequate TO the labor, trouble, eXpens-,
ana responsibility involved in the proper con-
duct of their business. and they have nothing
more TO add TO the many experiences which
every member of your honorable Board must
have had In the universal enhancement of
prices for everything, and every particular
that has taken place during the past few years;
while the daily wages of every mechanic. ar
rificer, and professional man has been adj
Iancp0, rfaIa hot of
comfort and luxury, appreciated nearly three
fold, the commissions of the a.ictioneers As
hxed by early laws, have remained stationary.
Your petitioners pray only that while partici-
pating IN common with the whole community
IN the burden of high prices they may have
eGnai and corresponding benefits, and submit
that the increase herein requested does not
equal the appreciation in prices that every
known article has parraken of.
To avoid all difficulties in the present laws
and 10 harmonize all interests affected by the
proposed change, your petitioners believe there
Is one simple change necessary, and they there.
fore ask that all duties upon sales be hereafter
abolished, and in lieu thereof the amount re-
quir' d for license 10 act as an auctioneer be
increased from the present sum required of
SlUt to say. the sum of $50 per annuIn. allow
ing no fractional parts of a year whatever
With these views, that might be much more
elaborated. y on petitioners submit this memorial
for your favorable consideration, and a. in duty
bound will ever pray. &c.
(Signed )-tireen l. Williams. w l. Wall 4
Co, Cooper d Latmer, J. Il. Wheeler K Co
Referred to Committee on Finance
MT. EIyans also presented the petition OF
Michael Holohan, asking remission of a fine:
referred TO Committee on Claims Also. intro
duced an act for relief Of VI. l.. Merrill. paving
hlm Tor work done in square 37G; referred TO
Committee on Claims. Also, introduced a bill
for the relief of Ii. T.. kleiber, approprating $50
10 pay him the amount due hIm under the bill
10 equaliZe the compensation of the messengers
OF the two Boards laid over. Mr. Moore in
troduced a bill granting permission to q r
Brown 10 erect an iron railing in front of his
improved lots in square 12S-the Old Capitol
property; after debate the bill was laid over
informally. Mr.. TAFT presented the petition of
j. IL. Clagrtt offering TO grade LIST street east
IRON l. 10 NJ street south, without cost to the
corporation; referred to Committee en- I'M
provements. Mr.. Richards introduced a bill to
require the payment Of water rents on the first
OF July, annually; referred to Committee on
Finance.
The special order-being the pill for tho 70
moving from office of the City Register and
the holding of a special election to fill the
Vacancy-was taken up, when Mr.. Richards
moved 10 lay II on the table. Lost; yea-NIr
RIchards-L Nays-Messrs. Elvans Given,
Grinder, Lloyd, McCathran, Moore, TaIbert,
Tat, and President, (Barr)-9.
MIR. NJ GORE said he did not propose TO make n
speech-the bill quoted the law on the SUBJECT
ard moved the third reading OF the bill, calling
Tor the ayes and noes on that motion. He sand
no more insolent communication than that of
the Register has ever come from an officer of
the Corporation. He assumed in his presump-
tuous manifesto that he suspects IN. Mayor
Noulu FiOiaW the law, ana therefore he 1.-THE
Registerl would violate il. That would bt no
Justification in criminal court, and should not
be here. He lnterpOsed without any an
thorIty whatever in a matter Wi tn which he
had nothing 10 do. Who made him an agent TO
collect debt said TO be due the trustees of col
ored schools His duty was 10 this Corpora
ton. He had no right to assume any suci an
thorIty as he had done. He lMr. Moorel had
aimed IN the bill to exhibit the law in opposi
ton 10 the contumacious position of the Regis
ter, 30 the Board may be correctly informed of
the facts in the case.
Mr.. Richards quoted from the preamble TO
Mr.. Moore's resolutions the words .. ILLEGALLY
and presnmptuously proposed TO the Mayor;'
and said the legality of the act remained vet 10
be decided. The Register would have been
amenable if he had no; acted with proper eau
non before counterslgning the warrant drawn
by the Mayor. He certainly was not guilty of
contumacy In not countersigning the warrant
wnen, under the law, he could not do 80 AT that
particular time. He had pursued an honest
course IN not doing SO before the act making
the appropriation was approved. He thought
the Register should have rested the case ON the
grounds set forth in his two first communica-
Nons.
Mr.. Moore called attention TO the Registers
intention, stated in his communication To not
cOunterslgn the warrant until the Mayor had
done certain other things Was not that contu
maclous! The Register persisted in his re-
fusal after the bill was approved
Mr.. Richards said that the Board had no
knowl-dge that the bill wac approved when
The requisitlon was presented 10 be counter