Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-01-13


commencement of the late hOlidays-was helt
last night. There were quorums IN to'l
boards. For official proceedings see ano'oei
column.
In the Board of Common Council the Fepof
of the Committee on General Laws III Tue to''l
of a bin for the better observance Oh 0u"
dav with the opinion of the attorney Tor th'
corporation thereon. was read
W. ~ r,ittee to whom was referred tho
louE G:ontion of the Mayor in reference t(
nttar observance of the Sabbath DAY IN thf
the pe'. Giexandria, respectfully report the iol
| lowing bill: .1,oror 80 of ~,
AN ACT to secure the better observance oi tht
Sabbath day in Alexandra.
uRs - enacted bv tie City Council Of AteGon
dria, That no person between the hourS o.
twelve o'clock Saturday night anu Twelve
o;cIock Sunday night next following, shall
~een omen or permit to be kept open IS acces-
sible any shop, house, store, saloon, restaurant
or ether building or place wherein secu-
lar business of any kind is conducted, OF
which is accessible to the public for business
n,Irnoses during the week; and any person VINO
Shall violate this act. shall on CONVICTION pay
fine Of ten dollars for the first offence, twenty
dollars for the second offence, ana an increased
nenaltv of ten dollars for each succeeding OF
fenceEhslf of the fines to go to the lntormer ;
provided that this act shall not Affect licensed
snothecsries and physicians. This ordinance
shall take effect on and after the date OF the
passage of the same"
ITO tho Honorable, the City Council of AlerGn-
Gria: T
/ have the honor herewith to return the drai1
of bill entitled an act to secure the Detter oD-
serysnce of the Sabbath day In Alexsndria0
the same having been referred to me-lsg; 10
report whether the passage OF sucn a p5li MS Is
within the power of the City Council. 2nd 10
make such changes in the draft as might be ne
cesssrv to make it legal in point OF form.
| think the passage of such bill Is WITHIN
the powers of the City. Council, ana tnae tnG
draft, in the form submitted, %ti su I1T in
0'-1 s. FERGUSON BEACH,
City Attorney.
Mr. Mckenzie said the bill as reported by the
committee was very good bill, but he hoped,
if il could be done, that BARRIERS might be ex
empted from its penalties. If gentlemen from
the country, or travellers passing through the
CITY. desired to be shaved before attending Di-
vine service, their laudatle purpose should not
be INSTRUCTED, Tor it was not proper that people
should 90 to church with dirty faces and, in
his opinion. the Lord would not condemn man
for shaving on the Sabbath. He supposed
the sole object of the bill was to break up whls-
kew selling on Sunday, and, so far as that was
concerned, it had his warm support
MIR. Harmon was opposed to the exemption
of BARRIERS from the provisions Of the bill, and
some of the BARRIERS were opposed to it also
thew had told him so. They wanted all the
shons closed on Sundays He did not suppose
that gentlemen travelling would be without
shaving apparatus; and, besides, gentlemen
ought not to be travelling on Sundays.
Mr. Mckenzie moved to amend the bill by
including BARRIERS with apothecaries and physl-
cinas in the exemption provided tor, and
urged its adoption, remarklng, after relteratlng
his objections to the bill In its then present
form, that the Lord would have mercy upon
the BARRIERS. The amendment was then adopt
ed, and the bill as amended read third time
and passed.
The opinion of S, +. Beach, Attorney for
the CORPORATION, in reference to the powers OF
the City Council to enforce the collection OF
taxes, was then read, as follows:
To the Honorable the City Council Of Alec.
By resolution passed by your honorable
bodies on the 18th day of October last, ! am re-
quested to inform the City Council what rights
and powers the Corporation possesses under ex-
listing law to enforce payment OF taxes returned
as delinquent by the collectors
The resolution did not come to my hands un-
Til late in November.
In response to the inquiry contained in it, |
have the honor to report rs follows;
l. Taxes on real estate returned unsolicited
may be recovered In certain cases by sale OF
the real estate itself
Several preliminarles, however, III these
cases, must, in the first place. have been strictly
performed in order TO give validity to the sale.
The law on the subject Il mean the Corpora
ton law is not entirely free from ambiguity
but nv Interpretation of the meaning is that
there can be no sale of land for an unpaid tax
upon it until the tax shall have been in arrears
for two years. 1t is also requisite that the Col
lector, before the Both OF November OF the y ear
in which the tax is laid, shall have made re-
turn, upon oath, to the Clerk of the Common
Council that the tax is due and unpaid, and
that no goods, &c, OF the person charged
Herewith can be found within the Corporation
1t is necessary, too that the Clerk OF the Com
mon Council should have made record OF
such returns and af6davits and these prelml-
naries having been strictly performed valid
sale of the delinquent property might then be
made.
respectfully suggest that, to make this rem
edy of sale an efficient one for the collection OF
taxes hereafter in arrears, additional legislation
both by the legislature and the City Council
will be very desirable.
2. Taxes on real estate may be recovered &C
cordingly to the provisions of section Il OF the
charter. A reference to the section Will ex-
plain that remedy as clearly as any language
which could employ-the section being per
fectly Ineligible to any one do not think
that remedy would prove very efiicacious.
3. Taxes on real and personal estate may. be
recovered by an ordinary action at law, before
sny Court of general jurisdiction. They are
recoverable as any money due the Corporation
is recoverable.
The recovery in this way may be for all taxes
following due on and after the 9th day of
July, 1856 The act of limitations will bar a
recovery of all other taxes
s. FERGUSON BEACH,
City Attorney,
And on on motion Of Mr.. Mckenzie referred
to the Committee on Finance
A petition of j. c. Clark, for abatement of
assessment on horse which he did not own
In Tho raar 1863 was rnfn1 rcd 10 the Commit