Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-09-03

grees In the District of Columbia are
hereby repealed: Provided, That this
repeal shall not affect the term Of Office
Of the present Delegate in Congress.
= SEC. 2. That the President Of the
United States, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, is hereby au-
thOrized to appoint commission, con-
slsting of three persons, who shall, until
otherwise provided by law, exercise all
the power and authority not lawfully
vested in the governor or board Of public
works of said District, except as herein
matter limited; and shall be subject to
all the restrictions and limitations now
imposed by law on said governor or
board; and shall have power to apply
the taxes or other revenues of said Dis
trict to the payment of the current ex-
penses thereof, to the support of the pub
lie schools, the fire department, and the
police, and to the payment Of the debts
of said District secured by pledge of
the securities Of said District or board of
public works as collateral, and also to the
payment of debts due to laborers and en-
pl0yees of the District and board of pub
lie works; aud for that purpose shall
take possession and supervision of all
the Offices, books, papers, records, mon
cy's, credits, securities, assets, and &C.
counts belonging or appcrtaining to the
business or interests OF the government
Of the District Of Columbia and the board
of public wolks. and exercise the power
and authority aforesaid; but sard CON-
mission, in the exercise of such power or
authority, shall make no contract, nor
incur any obligation other than such
contracts and obligations as may be nec-
cssary to the faithful administration of
the valid laws enacted for the govern.
tncnt 6f'sai,1 District, tO the execution Of
existing legal obi cations and contracts,
ard to the protection or preservation of
improvements existing, or commenced
and not completed, at the time Of the
passage Of this act. All taxes heretofore
lawfully assessed and due or to become
due shall be collected pursuant to law,
except as herein otherwise provided; but
said commissioners shall have no power
to anticipate taxes hy sale or hypothcca-
tion OF any such taxes, or evidence there
Of: Provided, That nothing in this
clause contained shall affect any pro-
visions of law authorizing or requiring a
deposit of certificates Of assessment with
the sinking-fnhd commissioners Of said
District; and said commissioners are
hereby authorized to abolish any office,
to consolidate two or more offices, re-
duce the number Of employees, remove
from office, and make appointments to
any office authorized by law; and the
compensation of all officers and employ
ccs, except teachers in the public schools
and officers and employees in the fire de-
partment, shall be reduced twenty per
centum per annum. Said commission.
ers shall each, before entering upon the
discharge of his duties take an oath to
support the Constitution of the United
States and to faithfully discharge the
duties imposed upon him by law; and
shall each give bond in the penal sum of
fifty thousand dollars, to be approved by
the Secretary of the Treasury, for the
Office; and shall each receive for his SER
vices compens alton at the rate of five
thousand dollars per annum: Provided,
That nothing in this act shall be con.
strued to abate or in any wise Interfere
with any suit pending in favor of or
against the District Of Columbia; And
provided further, That in suits hereafter
commenced against the District of Co.
of said commissioners, until otherwise
provided by law.
Sec. 8. That the President of the
United States shall detail an officer Of the
Engineer Corps Of the Army Of the Unit
ed States, who shall, subject to, the gen,
eral supervision and direction of the
said board of commissioners, have the
control and charge Of the work of repair
and improvement of all streets, avenues,
alleys, sewers, roads, and bridges Of the
District of Columbia, and he is hereby
vested with all the power and authority
of, and shall perform the duties hereto.
fore devolvcd upon, the chief engineer OF
the board of public works. He shall
take possession of, and preserve and keep
all the instruments pertaining to said
amce, and all the maps, charts, surveys,
books, records, snd papers relating to
said District, or to any Of the avenues,
streets, alleys, public spaces, squares, lots
and buildings thereon, sewers, or any o1
them, as are now in or belonging to. the
Office Of said engineer Of tho board ot
public works, and shall, in books p:ovi.
ded for that purpose, keep and preserve
the records now required to be kept, and
such as may be required by regulations
of said board. He may, with the advice
and consent of said board of commission.
ers, appoint not more than two assistan,
engineers from OWL life, who shall each
receive q salary of one thousand eight
hundred dollars per annum, and shall be
subject TO his direction and control. He
shall receive no additional compensation
tor such services. And he shall not. bt
deemed by reason Of anything in this act
contained to hold civil office under thu
laws Of the United States. And no sal