Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-05-15
LETTERS PROM The PEOPLE.

EDrroR or TIE SfAR--Sir.-Ia your Issue
OF the i2tb instant ga Tax Payer deems 1t
proper 70 demand q pledge from all R.puoli-
can candidates. for the once of Aldermen or
Councilmen, that they will not Sanction any
legislation tending to increasethe Expenditures
OF the corporation. / believe that any officer
should be careful of the money Of the c,rpora-
ton, and see that it is only expended W here IL
Will .ecure 8 corresponding benefit to the city.
LIT MS, by all means, have econony, but In ad.
vocsting 1t let rs b. careful not 70 do an injus-
tice ir stating our case. For instance, ia con
GLIDING his complaints, s'Tax Payer" says
"A gain, where the justice IN appropriation
500 OF the peoples money to pay the Board Of
Assessors for sitting thirty DAYS TO hear ap ..
tueT room scarcely dsy during the whole
time. This matter of pay. il. he q der.
st ads it, would be rather high but as the facts
are not IN accordance with his statement
his question is not as serious as h.
Imagines. Instead OF 800 for thirty
days, the pay as the case now stands,
marked difference in the per diem aIIoW.nce
All the time allowed by law for making the
assessment and sitting as q BOARD Of appeals
having been necessary to complete th- out
door WORK, the Councils gave the board forty.
i've Gays for its session, but made no appro-
PrIa'Ion OF any ones money to paw than for
H. Ihe assessors asked for three hundred dol
lars pay for the session and for the extra work
necessary 10 be done IN making fnis general
ses sment and bill giving them that amount
hes passed the lower board. Any one looking
at Tie work performed IN making the preseut
assessment, as compared with former ONES,
Will be convinced that. even with the three
hundred dollars asked for. the pay OF the pres
ent assessors would be less In proportion TO
the work perform med than that OF ar pre- vious
board.
"Tax Payer yields Though with rather 8
bad graeel one poInI In favor Of the assessors
He says Z. but one man was TO be found at their
room scarcely a day daring the whole time ~
THIS is strictly true. for there was scarcely a
day during the whole time when but ooe mar
k,N Sk>n.~ n
for the comfort of the Tax Payer that on the
few occasions referred to II was because COM
mittees were out attending to the out door work
incident to the occasion.
Hoping for the hearty cooperation of Tax
Payer No. in carrying on the great work OF
Economy, Retrenc hment and Reform" am,
sir, very respectfully.
Washington, May 10, 1869.
MR. EDIrOR-As an uninterested party to
certain extent, crave the privilege of few
remarks, through the medium OF your paper,
In reference to the arrest of three gentlemen
few evenings since for the crime o. of riding
bycicles on the pavement, for which charge the
dollars, 1 hold, without any authority. Had
there been q law prohibiting this innocent
practice. the policeman would not have been
troubled to make the arrest in this case, but as
there no law against running velocipedes, or
any that establishes them "Euisance," the ar
rest and fine was illegal, and an outrage, sim.
ply Tor petty eXt0rtl0n. Inc Policeman was
led to admit that he had received no orders to
modest persons for this practice, or have any OF
the force ever made an arrest before or since
for the so-called offence. Persons can De seen
riding through the public streets. on the pave
ment, every iay, and without fear Of molesta-
ton. 1 am ied to make this statement only
from q sense Of Justice to the victims, and to
expose a gross ass mpuon of authority. M
In TRRRoRBM-The Chronicle Of this morn.
ing ann ounces that the Secretary of the Treas.
ury expects every clerk in his Department to
get registered and vote the Rspu olican ticket,
i do not believe il. Gov. boutwell, Is above
obrruding such an Implied threat. 1t is, in
deed, the duty Of every Repu blican. whether
in or out of the public Departments, 20 get reg
istered and to vote. But TO be ordered to do so
is CALLING TO any one. 1t reminds me Of the
petty tyranny of the Pierce administration,
when the clerks were threatened with dis
missal unless they voted for the Executive
candidate" i have always voted the Repub-
lican ticket, am registered. and intend to vote
il in June; but shall do voluntarily, as a
political duty, not under dread OF being turned
out alternative. ACLERK