Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-01-04

place at his late residence at noou to-day, anC
were conducted ;by Alexandria Washington
Lodge, No. % Of which he was member.
The pail bearers were Messrs l.. B. Taylor,J
M Stewart, j. IT, Henderson, and VIM
Murray, from Alexandria Washington Lodge
No. 90, and Messrs. j. II. D. Sm0ot anc
Edmund Hunt, from Andrew Jackson Lodge
No 40. The remains were escorted TO tn,
railroad depot by u large funeral cortege, anc
were sent to Georgetown Oh the one O'Clock
train to be inferred in Oak Hill .Cemetary.
COMMON CoUNCIL. djourncd meeting
the Common Council was held last night. Fol
official proceedings see another column. The
attendance of members was unusually large-al
being present at times during the evening, ex
cept Mr. Beadle The number Of spectators
was limited Some preliminary business hav
ing been transacted the consideration Of the
new city charter was commenced, and section:
/, ,, 3, 4 and 5, with slight alterations, were
adopted. The 9th section was amended so us
to fill vacancies in either branch by election in
the ward in which the vacancy exists. The 18th
section was adopted The 9Th section: prescri-
| bling that all the city officers except the Mayor
and City Council shall be elected by the City
Council, gave rise to a prolonged debate Messrs.
Massey and Parker opposing, and Mcssrs.
| Wheat and Smoot favoring its adoption. MIR.
Massey sud revolutions never went backward,
| and that the right to elect these officers were
taken away from the people there would be
such clamor raised that those by whom the
injury was perpetrated would regret their ac-
ton, and that every member of Council who
voted for the adoption of the section would be
signing his own political death warrant, and
digging his own political grave.
Mr. Smoot said that in advocating this section
whether he dug his political grave or not, he in
tended to do what was right. 1t was monstrous
to say that in adopting this section the City
Council was taking away the rights of the PEG
ple In saying that he would vote for the cleo
ton of Collectors of taxes Mr.. Massey had yield
ed the whole subject fit was not taking away
the rights of the people to elect the Collectors,
why was it taking them away to elect other
officers The fact was that the people never
did choose officers, the work was done in nonll-
mating conventions by minorities.
Mr. Massey Ito Mr. Smoot)-Wcre you
nominated for Council by minority of the pco-
pie of your ward?
Mr. Smoot said that if he had been nominal
xoJ ~
driven by party to vote for him, it would only
prove the truth of what he had first uttered.
He was not afraid to say that he WAS in favor
first and formost of the election of Collectors OF
taxes. He called attention to the annualreports
of the Committees on Finance az showing the
necessity for this. When W. K. Ball and
Edward Burche were Collectors one seldom re
turned more than $1,000 and the other but
81, 500 When in 1861 Messrs Avery and Field,
elected by the people had succeeded Burchell
and Ball elected by the Council, there where
SOS 600 good billsleft over and i'll so instead OF
being SOS, 900 there was S74, 900. 1t was impos-
sible to get rid of this thing Of taxes. If the
City Council did not pay the interest on the
public debt the courts would be appealed to, a
mandamus would issue as it had issued in this
city in the case of Decatur H. Miller, and ii the
money was not paid, the court would send the
Sheriff to collect the taxes and pay the interest.
Now of the people had all the taxes. On
every lst of january the city WAS either COM
pe!led to borrow money or sell bonds at SO cts.
on the hundred to get the money. Thus the
debt was increased, and the value Of real estate
in the city proportionately diminished. He spoke
from his knowledge ofthe city when he SAID thnt
it took it to pay 81, 900 Of interest and sio,Wm
to run the machine Of city government, making
$ll2, 600, instead Of 81 as now pad, next year
the tax would be 500 Could any man now
buy land, build house and realize as much from
tas he could if he used the money to buy
United States bonds
Mr. Wheat He could not make real estate
pay 4 per cent.
Mr. s. thought that the remedy for this was
to adopt this section, If the people knew that
Council elected all the officers they would take
more interest in the election of members OF
Council, and attend nominating conventions,
for it was there the work was done Had the
city collectors collected all the good bills, the
taxes instead of being So would be but Sl.2O.
A majority of taxes due for real estate We're
due by non-residents, some Of which were out
Of date; would never be collected. Tohave col
lected them would have cntailed no hardship,
hut tho non-colrction ont,ile1 hardship uDon
the honest tax payers resident here. The
speaker and his brother conducted two estab-
lishments, one here and one elsewhere. If the
taxes and water rents were removed by taking
the establishment outside of the corporation
| they would save $500 per annum. Things
| were getting worse. In 1860 there were 500
shoemakers in Alexandria, now he doubted If
there were 50. In all mechanics, there was great
dminutiOn There were causes for this dcca-