Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-12-12
LOCAL NEWS.

Corporation laws by Mr.. Carne was resumed,
and the amendments made thereto by the Com
mon Council having been acted on,
Dr. johnson moved that policemen be re-
CURED to give bond in the sun OF $3.50, for the
faithful discharge of their duties, aud gave his
reasons therefore, and the motion was adopted.
Dr. French moved that the number Of police
men be reduced TO seventeen and two officers.
BY that reduction, be said, the city would save
probably TWO Thousand dollars year. There
was universal cry for retrcnchmcnt, and We
must heed 1t here, for we could ut much longer
stand the tax Of 81 on the 500.
Dr. johnson concurred with his colleague
FROM the Sd Ward, and was in favor ot a reduc
number, in his opinion, was ample; it allowed
four to each ward, aud four, he thought, was
sufficient. There was not much vice, aud
whether policemen prevented robbcrics was Il
question. The saving OF the $1,000 was, how
ever, certainly important, and he hoped the
motion would be adopted
DIR. French said he had suggested the mum
Der seventeen, because while Tour were III each
ward Que had to be at police headquarters.
Mr. Latham was opposed to the proposed re-
ductiou. The beats were too large for the
present force to patrol them properly. There
we've six beats formed by dividing the city from
east 10 west by King street, and from north to
south by Pitt and Columbus streets, and at
night it was necessary for two policemen to pa
troll together, because it would be dangerous
for them to 90 alone in sumG quarters Of the
city. The beats were now we'll arranged, aud
he could not see how they Could be patrclcd
with reduction. Twas true, the $4,000 could
be saved, but it would be at the risk OF danger
to the lives and property Ut the citizens. 1t
might be said that once the city Was guarded
by only two policemen, but then there We're
seventeen night watchmen, SO that, III Tact, the
present. force is but slightly ID excess OF what 1t
was then, and though the prcSent system Is d
little more expensive than that IN operation be-
fore it went into effect, We had now better men
and We required them. Mr.. Days corner,
over which there was shed, aud the market
| house iu former times, were famous places 10
find IL. utfi1d watchmen asccp. The Two lhous-
and dollars proposed to DC saved was trlHe
well expended in paying Tor good policemen,
and no others should be on the force. There
present salary was no pas for service we'll per
| formed. \ good policeman was worth good
| pay, and If he, the speaker, We're Il member OF
| the City Council at the DcXt annual election OF
| the force, which, however, he w0uld remark
! he would not BIZ, be would vote for no Que who
| would not make good one, and whose services
! he well worth what Inc received for them. He
| hoped that the existing vacancies In the force
| would be filled by an early election, and in that
election be would vote for only such as he was
satisfied would make efficient officers He die
not think even if adopted by the Board, that
the Common Coun Ill would agree to II, for the
proposition was not even mcutloned durlng the
| hasty consideration the compilation had re-
ceived in that Board. While upon the floor
he would state that as Judge kelth's decision
upon the Police Board question had been asked
Tor the night previous, he had brought 1t with
| him, and with the permission Of the Board
would read it.
Unanimous consent being given,
Mr.. Latham read from the bound file Of the
Gazette, kept in the Auditor office, the de-
cission referred to for the purpose, he SAID, OF
sustaluiug the position he had assumed at the
meeting the night before, commenting upon
| the same as be proceeded, and concluding by
saving that the Judges decision was founded
upon the assumption that the duties OF police
men and constablos were the same, which, all
who kuew anything about the question, knew
was wrong-policemen were ouly allowed by
Council to be- elected constables to exc out an
exstence-and that his foundation belag wrong
| that which was based upon 1t must be wrong
also.
The President.-The Judge evidently made a
mistake about the duties ot policemen and con
stables being similar.
Mr. Latham-Thcrc is not doubt OF it with
any mau OF common sense, though at the time
il was made. certain gcntlcmen, then mem bcrs
of the Board, could not see 1t IN that light, and
one of them sat near the Judge when he rem
dercd it; and looked as though he were saying
10 the Judge, Il am interested in the decision
Won are making, and will be obliged for any
thing 10 my favor
| DR., Johns0n-Who was he
MIR. Latham-He is not member Of the
| present. Board.
DR.. French motion to reduce the number
to seventeen was then put, and Messrs French,
Johnson and Moore voting in the affirmative,
! and Mcssrs. Latham and Lawson, 10 the mega
rive the President declared it lost, as he would
| vote no.
Dr. French asked that the ayes and noes be
| taken on the question:.
DR. Johnson said it was too late the PreS-
| dent had declared the result OF the vote before
| the yeas and nays had been called tor, and to
| entertain such motion would DOW DC unpar-
lameutary. He would, while on the floor, take
occasion to say that the expression calling tor
| the ayes and noes was lucurrect, 1t should be
| yeas aud nays.
The President said he had always been ac.
customed to say ayes and noes, and he intend
| I'd TO continue doing so.
DIR. johnson repiled that he did not want to
be considered smarter than anybody else, but
| there was reason in his correction. Custom did
not always make things right; some people call
get" . ri" aud again, 'agn,' but that
did not make their pronunciation correct Ayes
and DOCS meant the simple enumeration in the
Division of vote, such as would be otherwise
EXPRESSED by saying four voted 10 the affirma-
tive, and two voted in the negative, but the
yeas and nays meant record OF the names OF
those who voted aud how they voted.
Mr. Latham said if the member from the
Third Ward was, right the members, when
their names were called should respoud, yea and
nay. He had always thought that the terms
aye aud no, In the connection, we're right, and
Supposed the reason for their being so, was
that by using them the danger Of a mlStak Ike bv
the clerk u counting the votes that would re,
snlt from the similarity ofthc sounds yea and