National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-08

made ID depend upon the act Of the government
posterior TO its creation, inasmuch as all indeot
edness ant credits require parties to create them
] old one is to By found nowhere. They are differ
power nc PGsSsas E made up 51 y
compatible with sach other 50 lar IS their ante
cedent liabilities existed. The present govern
%sn1 nnos asd city large debtor while
free from debt. To adiSoge Georgetown and the
county joint debtor HitS washington would be-
which they never created, and the ssDetits Of
which they never did and never can realise
but Congress mas not len this question to the
force Of logic. The lBw-maker undertook and ac
complished the solution Of this question In fhe
fortieth section Of the organic act, wherein 1t Is
provided thst each OF these corporations mall
credits, to Its respective and exclusive use, and
Its respective and exclusive obligations To this
the life Of the several charters should be- eI.
tended with all the rights and liabilities In con-
tract, up to the end and time when they should be
fully closed, bringing the expiring corporations
into no other relations With the present govern
mentthan to make the Territorial Legislature and
other functionaries Of the existing government
the trustees OF the law, aad, In the locus quo OF
the defunct officers Of the former corporations, TO
see that the proper machinery was employed to
couect and pay their debts"
Such being the character OF the government of
the District OF Columbia, and Its relation to the
tofmer municipalities allow me 20 suggest that no
sembly, or be passed by 1t, which proposes TO sat-
lsty obligations created by either OF the NUM-
clPalities out of funds Of the District. Taxes
%nlcn may have been enormously paid cannot
thus be refunded; individuals cannot thus be re-
imDursed In part or in whole, for payments made
and amounts claimed to be due on old contracts
cannot thus De paid. Nor can any other liabili-
ties Of the old governments be thus. settled.
Neither the relevant letter or purpose Of the or
ganlc act VIII permit 1t to be done,
Such are the answers which, with limited time
furnish to the 9usstiens asSe oeen able TO
Of the correctness Of the answers have little
or no doubt; and IL is surely Of the greatest i'm
Of the District and Of It's relations and duties as
respects the late corporations Of Washington and
Georgetown, and the 1ovy court, be carefully
thus be avoided, useless litigation be largely pre-
vented, che common good be promoted, and the
District government secure increased confidence
Very resee StT ngu GooK
Attorney for the District OF Columbia.
By Mr.. Bass: Q. In the opinion which YOU
delivered in reference to this sewerage act, was
there any determination with reference to the
right of the board to take the certificates that
were, issued for constructing a sewer in one dis
trict and appropriate them for the purpose of
paying the debt of the city or of the Board of
Public Works, incurred in any other wayl A.
No, sir; gave no opinion on that subject, and
was not called upon to.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Were you ever asked for
an opinion on that subject A. 1 was not.
By Mr.. Bass: Q. As understood you a mo-
ment since, it was your contemplation the basis
of the act that the assessment levied upon each
one of those districts should be appropriated
exclusively for the purpose of constructing the
sewer in that particular district A. You are
correct.
Q. So that any use of the certificates issued
So 4. -.
ferent purpose would be q diversion of those
certificates from the purpose for which they
were to be issuedl A. That is question which
has never been before me at all; but that was my
idea, that the special taxes could only be levied
for local improvements and local benefit.
@. So that the Board of Public Works would
have no right, under your opinion, to take the
certificates issued from the fifth district and
appropriate them to pay the public debt of the
city or to the construction of sewerage in some
other district A. l have never examined that
question. 1t has never been in any form re-
ttrred to me. My opinion on that point is pre-
cisely the same as the opinion of Judge Black
and Caleb Gushing.
By the Chairman: @. You agree generally,
then, with Caleb Gushing and Judge Black
with reference to the sewerage taxes! A. My
opinion was precisely the same, and sntedated
theirs, whatever they gave.
By Mr. Wilson: Q. Were any members of the
Board of Public Works about the Legislature
at the time this sewerage bill was finally passed.
A. They were about Just as individuals are
about all congressional halls, in and out all the
time.
O. Do you know whether they were anxious
to have this bill passed or not! A. l presume
and believe that they were.
Q. Do you or not know that they were soli-
citous to have 1t passed. A. They were anx-
ious, undoubtedly, to have 1t passed, as it was
conceived to be the only mode in which a
general system of sewerage could be attained
in the District.
Q. Were they urging the passage of this billl
A. They were urging it with reasonable
Q. Were you urging IL with a reasonable
anxiety alsol A. Yes, sir; whatever tends to
promote the highest interest of the District /
urge with reasonable anxiety.
By Mr.. Harrington: Q. State if the taxes
paid by the United States Government for
water taxes were not paid by the square footl
A. Yes, sir. These were on the same basis pre-
cisely.
Mr.. Thurman. What taxes do you refer tol
Mr.. Harrington. Water main taxes.
The Witness. Under the act of Congress. 1
thank you for that suggestion; that act was
before me, or turned to it at the time drew
up this act.
The Chairman. 1t was before yoll A. Yes,
sir.
Q. Can you refer to it, A. Not Immediately;
but can give you reference to it.
TESTIMONY OF s. s. RILEY.
8. 8. Riley, having been duly sworn, testified
as follows:
By the Chairman: Q. Have you been asses
sor In the Twenty-frst collection district A.
Yes, sir. -ar
D. Did you assess property there by the
square footl A. Yes, sir.
Q. At what rate did you assess portion of
that property want your lowest rate. A.
That is the lowest assessment you refer to.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. Before you proceed, |
please state what that district ISL A. It Is the
rwenty-irst legislative district, in the south
east part of the city.
Q. Down by the Navy Yardl A. Yes, sir;
not exactly the southeast part. It is in the |
east part, you may say.
Mr.. Harrington. Over by the aims house.
The Witness. 1t Is east of Fourth street east,
and between D street south and D street |
north.
Mr.. Thurman. It runs to the Anacostisl A. |
It runs to the Anacostia.
By the Chairman: Q. Now, state the lowest |
assessed rate per square foot in that district? |
A. One cent per foot.
Q. How much of the property in that dis
trict was assessed at that rate by you, that is,
In general termsi A. think about twenty
slree SQUARES, ~ one CeuL q lOOb.
@. What is the size of those squarcsl A.
They will probably average three hundred and |
fifty feet square, some larger and some smaller,
hat would be about the average.
Mr.. Mattingly. He does not mean square |
Teet, but feet square.
O. Did you assess about twenty-three squares
n this wayi A. About that.
@. State the general appearance and charac-
.er of that property A. That property lies
next to the Eastern Branch-the extreme east |
md of the city. |
@. Is It improved or uuimproved7 A. be-
ieve all unimproyed that assessed at one
.ent.
Q. What Is the next highest rate of assess
nenti A The next is two cents per foot.
.hink my assessment here on the books is eleven
squares at two cents foot; but the Board of
Public Works reduced quite . number of
squares that I had assessed something over
hat down to two cents q foot, so that there are
over eleven squares standing now at that rate.
@. Did you assess this property at what you |
estimated its cash valuei \. did, sir;
lined to assess the land according to its cash
Talue.
Q. State the character of this property,
whether it Is improved or unimproyed, and In
-eference to building purposes. A. This at two
,ents per foot is, most of it, unimproved, al
-