Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-10-14
CITY COUNCIL.
The regular semi-mon,hly meeting OF the
Civ Couuci! was held last ght.

.Attcr the regular Iouiluc UuoipCoS, nbo 'de
in the action Of the Common
Council on some resolutions, Nc,
A bill to empower the Board OF Public
Works to grade aud pave the alleys ana courts
of the city being read,
Dr. Jolrr,son said the act was based on a
ne,i,ion of the Board OF Health; explained
the manner in which person Or body polite
got possession OF properly, aud SAID that the
lotion that parties owning alleys could close
them III if they desired was preposterous- they
could do 90 such thing. lie wanted the act
passed.
Mr. Moore said he was not ready to have
he bill passed. I1e thought they were going
q little too last with the improvements, and
said hat the pest way Tor the Board OF Public
Works to do was To finish the work rs they 20;
the improvemcnt Of Columbus aud st. Asaph
streets was as much expense as the city could
bear this season, and where the alleys were a
nuisance, let the Committee on Streets lm-
prove them lie was opposed TO the passage
of the bill.
DIR. johnson said the act was simply meant
to meet the quest Of the Board OF Health,
based on the petition of property holders, and
that the more uuimproved alleys were cleaned
the worse it made them.
Alr, Moore said that if the Board Of Health
wanted the alleys paved, let them designate
the aIlevs that needed it. aud not TO pass 4 bill
to 20 all over the city, 90 unimproved streets,
where there was no grade, it would be i'm
possiblc to grade aud pave the alleys.
Mr.. Lawson objected to the passage OF the
bill
DR.. johnson said it was not contemplated
to pave all the alleys in the city i; rice; The
bill simply meant to designate the Way 1t
should DC doue, aud to put into operation a
system, and that the Board Of Public Works,
having the aid Of a competent engineer, they
could 10 the work much better than the Com
mttee Oh Streets.
Mr.. Lawson said he did not object to the
Board of PuDlic Works having control of the
work, but he did moi sec the necessity OF paw
ing the alleys. He did DOT want to tax the
peoplc more than was necessary for any pur-
pose. .u
premature
Dr. Jc.rs5r said he was neither ambitious
nor seIti,:; he had 40 alleys to pave. The
Board of Public Works would not go on and
pave the alleys without the consent of the
property holders; the Board was composed OF
compctcnt gentlemen, who devoted their whole
attention to the work.
MIR. Januey, DR. johnson in the chair, J
said he coucurred with Dr.. johnson on the i'm
porlarce Of the bill, aud wyuld try to remove
ihe apprehenslons Of the gentlemen who op-
posed it. The alleys ought to be repaired
for some of them were in horrible conditions;
he was willing to trust the Board of Public
Works, and he did not believe they would do
ANYTHING bur that which was right. He hoped
that the gentlemen would change their views,
and that the Board would pass the bill.
Dr. French regarded the Improvement OF
the alleys OF more importance than the grading
aud paving Of the streets, and said that all the
diseases OF the city generally had their origin ID
the alleys.
Mr. Moore said that he did not agree with
either Of the gentlemen, and he still thought
that the bill Was premature.
Mr. Smoot said that the Board Of Public
Works would have to ask CouLcll 10 fix a
grade before they could pave an alley.
Dr. johnson said the Board Of Public Works
was composed Of intelligent gentlemen, and it
was not TO be supposed that they would go
pel!-mell and pave all the alleys in the city at
once. The bill was Gully lateuded to establish
system, and it might be fifty years hence be-
fore all the alleys were paved and graded.
Mr. Lawson moved to coucur in the action
of the Common Council, referring the bill to
the Board OF Public Works, which was
agreed to.
Dr.. johnson said he hoped the Board would
reverse their action, and give him back the
bill, as he was the author Of every word of it;
which the Board declined to do.
Mr. Moore, frcm the Committee on Public
Property, submitted report recommending
repairs to the city Jail, and said that after
careful examoaricr, the committee had found
that the repairs recommended were absolutely
necessary.
% motion Of DR.. johnson the report was
accepted, and the repairs ordered to be made
under the supervision Of the Committee on
Public Property.
\ communication from the Board of Public
Works, asking the Couocil to pave in front of
the Court House and School Board lots, and
also referring to the change in the building
lines on the west side of Columbus street, and
asking au appropriation Of $500 for said i'm
pruvcments, was. on motion Of DIR. johnson,
who said that it was public property, and that
the city ought to bear the expense, received
aud the request granted
\ communication from the Board of Public
Works, stating that the City Surveyor had re-
fused to sign checks ordered by the Board, and
requesting Council to dchue the duties Of the
Surveyor to said Board, with 40 accompanying
resolution expressing the opinion that the City
Surveyor was merely the Secretary and subor.
diuatc of the Board of Public Works, coming
10 from the Commou Council,
DR.. johnson sa! he was the author of the
law, and Dug hit to know more about it than
any other man living. The City Surveyor was
Intended as IA check upon the Board Of Public
Works, and that he had the right to withhold
his name FROM any check be might think 1t
wrong for him to sign, and to ask if the money
collected in the Third Ward had been expcnd-
ed 10 that Ward; that the Surveyor was man
of strict honesty and integrity, and that his
opipious ought to be treated with respect, and
should not be treated with contempt.
Mr. Moore said he did not understand the
matter as the gentleman had stated it. He un-
derstool that the City Surveyor held himself
above the Board of Public Works, as the
ouS bonded officer, and that he only withheld
his name to assert his authority, and that the
same thing had occurred before. He would
like to know who the amended laws were lu-
tended Tor; he had received none.