National Republican., 1874-05-13

to Congress through your report asking for al
appropriation covering the whole cost, inelud
| feet outside Of the rails OF those railroad com
| paniesi A. am unable to answer that. J
do not know upon what It was based. only
know there was claim put In. j do not know
/ what 1t covers. do not think, however, =
would be just to the railroad companies to pa.
that expense. ..- .-.r.-. r...-l -s..-.r.l p
Q. Do you think the United States ought IL
pave their tracksi A. think the United
/ States ought TO pave 1t there, because II wa
paved with Belgian rock. You ought to d.
one Of two things with the railroads-eithel
| fix some proportionate cost of paving thei
tracks, 30 that they can do it and live, or elst
take their charter away, which 1t woult
amount to. .--a.r L.-.
o. Wen, the United States did not order am
expensive pavement like that put in there, die
IT'D A. The Board of Public Works, acting a
the agent of the United States, did not want
| to put ANYTHING else but 0 first-class pavement
in front of the public buildings, and It would
be disgrace TO the country to put cobble
stone pavement around these buildings.
Q. You think, then, that the Board Of Pub
lie Works, acting as the agent of the Govern
ment, onght to put IN just such payemeu
there as you think would be proper and make
the United States pay for itl A. That is
matter for the United States to determine
Ny impression is that the United States oughi
to pay for 1t, and think that you and everJ
other member of the committee after looking
the ground over will say thst they ought Il
do it,.
am only trying to get at the facts . A. Yes
sir; and am only giving my opinion as Q mem
Der of the board In regard to the matter.
BY Mr.. Bass Q. How are these railroad
companies assessed in the District Are they
assessed for general purposes3 A. They pay
their general tax, and most of their charters
compel them. By the by, the charter which
was first passed was for the Washington and
Georgetown railroad during the war, wher
Pennsylvania avenue was paved with cobble-
stone. 1t provided that they should pave be
tween the rails, In their rails and two feet or
each side, taking about eighteen feet of pave
ment that the railroad company should bear
That would do well enough for cobblestone
pavement, but where you put down patent
pavement, or Belgian pavement, and where
they have to pay for eighteen feet, 1t is more
than one half of the whole street, and more
than the companies can afford to pay for that
class of pavement. Therefore I say that the
law ought to be 80 fixed that the railroad COM
panies would get Just share Of the expense
what they were able to stand. As it is now,
look at Pennsylvania avenue, or other streets
nicely paved on the sides, but in between the
rails it is dirt hole. When It is muddy It Il
impossible TO cross without wetting your feet
| BY Mr.. Wilson Q. You have proceeded
then, upon the idea that this work should be
done not as the law is, but as you think the
Law ought to be7 A. No, sir. We attempted
to compel them. We attempted to pave their
tracks on Seventh street with wood, and they
enjoined US; took US to court. The matter has
been referred to heretofore. 1t was decided
! h,- h1n shr
matter stands in that way now.
| By Mr.. Bass: Q. What ! had reference to
was as to whether they were assessed for gen.
eral purposesl A. Yes, sir: they pay their
| general tax upon their real estate.
BY Mr.. Wilson: Q. Do they pay any tax upon
their railroad itselfi A. Their franchise is as
sessed and taxed.
By the Chairman: Q. As real estatel A
Yes, sir; as real estate.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. In making up that as
sessment, what is taken into account; the
length and value of the road, as other rail-
roads are ordinarily taxedl A. That cannot
say. 1t is made up by the superintendent OF
assessments and taxes.
Q. Or do they simply tax them for the ac-
tual real estate that they own7 A. think
they tax them for their whole property.
Q. Do you know what amount of taxes these
railroad companies payi A. do not. 1t is
very easy to find out that.
Q. There is no tax on the capital stock OF
the railroad companies herei A. Well, after
this law passed on Friday, in regard to per-
sonal property, there will be tax on It.
Q. But this is only for school purposes, /
belIevel A. No; that personal tax was on
general account, to reimburse the Treasury Of
ths Lated al I'D States for money advanced.
Q. Well, that is only for the special purpose
of paying school teachers-that law to which
you refer2 A. ] did not understand 1t In that
way. / understood it was to be permanent
thing-the tax on personal property.
By Mr.. Bass: Q. Do not banks or other cor
porations not owning real estate pay any tax
In this District A. Do you mean personal
propertyl
Q. Well, any corporation doing business
here not owning real estate, as, for instance,
take bank having capital stock of S100, 900,
if there be such bank here, not owning the
real estate on which their business is done, are
they not assessed A. do not think there are
any cases of that kind. think they all own
the real estate on which they are located.
Q. Then they are simply taxed on real estate1
A. They are taxed on their real estate.
Q. And that is alli A. That is all. e,
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Who would be able to
give us the information as to the taxes paid by
these corporations Would your collector9 A.
Do you mean by the railroad compauiesl
Q. Yes, SIT. A. will send down and get It.
assessments can tell.
Q. How was the grading that was done on
Sixth street paid for, whore the Baltimore and
Potomac Railroad Company's tracks were put
down? A. l do not know. l suppose It was
paid for as all other improvements were paid
for.
Q. Has the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad
Company ever paid anythingl A. That ] do
not know. ! do not know whether anything
was ever assessed to them. The street was
graded through.
Q. And good deal of that is through Gov
ernment property, is 1t mott A. A small por-
ton Of 1t; yes, sir. suppose two or three hun
dred feet.
Q. The heaviest part of the grade, is It not
A. No, sir; the heaviest part is on the Govern
ment property, beyond Maine avenue.
Q. Well, whatever it may be, do you know
whether that railroad company has paid any
thing toward that gradingl A. do not.
Q. Do you know how that grading was done
or by whom it was done7 A. 1t was done by
Albert Gleason.
Q. Under the order of the Board Of Public
Works : A. Under the order of the Board of
Public Works.
Q. Did he have a contract for doing that
A. think SO.
Q. Do you know whether he has been paid
or notl A. presume he has. 1t has been
done a long while. e-a ...
Q. That was done after the Baltimore and
Potomac Railroad Company got authority TO
come into its present depot on Sixth street
A. 1t was done about that time, think.
Q. You are not aware of that company be-
ing called upon to pay any portion of that ex-
pense A. am not.
Q. want to ask you a question or two
further in regard TO this mode of letting con-
tracts. / understood you to say the other day
that before letting contract to any person you
always assured yourselves, or required some
sort of assurance that there was somebody who |
was responsible and would do the work. Is
that correctl A. stated that.
Q. Was 1t the rule for the vice president of
the board to award these contracts or let these |
contracts, and afterward have that action
placed upon the minutes of the boardi A. No, |
sir; in every case of any moment the majority
Of the board were consulted before anything |
was done.
q. Were they consulted at regular meet |
ng of the board, or was 1t q private consulta- |
ion among the members Of the boardi A. It |
was q consultation which took place in the |
office Of the board. They were there daily.
Q. When the board was In session. A. When
.he board was In session; yes, sir, when the |
board was there for the transaction of busi-
hess. We did not have anyby-lsws or rules of
order. There were only five of US, and we
would get together around the table and take |
up certain papers and act on them, and they |
would De recorded on the journal.
@. Is ft or not the fact that contracts were