Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-04-11
FORTY-FOURTH CONGRESS.
TUESDAY, April II.

the pay of bounties to colored soldiers. Re-
ferred to the Committee on Military Az
fairs.
MT. Merrimon, from the Committee on the
District OF Columbia, reported favOrably
House bill to providing for the recording of
DEC 1s, mortgages, &C., In the District of Co
lumbis.
Mr.. Cooper, from the Committee on FL
| nance, reported House bill appropriating
$40 600 TO provide for the expenses OF the. adj
mission of foreign goods to the Cen tenniaI
exhibition. Passed.
On motion of Mr.. Ingalls,, the vote of the
senate rejecting the House bill TO in cOrpO-
rate the Mutual Protection Insurance com
paDy, of the District of Columbia, was re-
considered, and the bill laid on the table to
await future action.
Mr.. Dorsey called up the bill 10 authorize
IHE REPAYMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA
AVENUE.
The third section was amended so as to
provide for the use Of rectangular inSte adj of
square blocks of stone, near the street Car
tracks.
The amendment providing that the Wash
ington and Georgetown railroad shall have
power 10 select the material with which TO
pave their tracks was, on motion of Mr..
Dorsey, disagreed to.
Mr.. Sherman moved to amend the first
motion by providing that the repaving shall
not include the sidewalks. Agreed TO.
Mr.. Edmunds moved to amend the first
section by striking from the seventh line the
restriction placed upon stone. He said 1t
was his impression that an asphalt pave
ment would be the best, but as stone was
used with great success in many other cities
De thought IL best not to exclude tile Com
misioDeTs from any discretion in the matter,
otherwise they would be confined TO asphalt
concrete stone.
Mr.. White advocated the amendment.
Mr.. Ingalls, opposed it. He said there were
twenty or thirty different kinds of asphalt
pavements. The committee had excluded
stone, EOt only on account of It's great ex-
pense, but because it was not deemed suit
able. one was used for commercial streets
wi ere there was heavy traffic PennSylva-
snia avenue was retail thoroughfsre and
was utei mostly for driving purposes. The
committee bad also cOnsideed that stone
was very noisy. Experience had demon
StTated that asphalt was the best kind OF
pavement for this city.
Mr.. Burnside suggested that cobble stones
he excluded, bat said that IL seemed neces-
sary that the foundation of the road bed
shoIld be of some kind OF stone.
Mr.. COnkling suggested that a McAdam
pavement might do, but said he would never
consent TO cooble stones or square blocks of
stone. He knew good deal about stone
pavements, and he would not be willing TO
vote for any kind OF stone pavement for
Pennsylvania avenue. He alluded to the
caI gers ard the cruelty visited upon ami
mails by the Belgian blocks used ia New
1oFk. tie was also opposed TO any kind of
wood pavement.
Nj. Edmunds said in moving the amend.
ment his only object had been not to hamper
I. e Commission. His own preference was
ior asphalt, but ne wanted the commiss
TO have some discretion In the matter.
Mr.. Morrill, (Nt) said the price of the as
phalt and concrete pavemenis was now
Inuch less than formerly. The best asphalt
could be obtained for about one-haIf
Mr.. EdmUnds withdrew his amendment
and Mr.. Burnside moved then to exclude
block and cob5le- stone. Mr.. Burnside in
answer TO question of Mr.. White, said this
would leave broken stone, of which some Of
the best roads in the country were construct
cd: The amendment was then rejected.
Mr.. Edmupds renewed his amendment,
ana il was agreed to,
Mr.. Oglesby asked why exclude anything.
II wood and stone Were 30 be excluded, why
rot exclude everything else, but dirt. Dirt
would be a great i'm prOvement on the pres
ent condition OF the avenue, and IL was
plenty good enough for the people who m ale
10 what IL was. He was gla1, at any rate,
NAT the new pavement was mol 10 De con
suucted under the same auspices that PAT
down the present road. Pennsylvania ave
nue. in its present condition was disgrace
and al evidence of one of the greatest frauds
that had been committed for quarter OF a
century. Under the commission as now
proposed there was some chance for the work
row 10 be done honestly ana fairly.
The commission are TO pass upon the mate
rial, and he thought IL best not to restrict
them. But he believed the engineers, under
the experience of the last few years and the
al CnitiOns received from this body, would
he very C tTeful about the Kind of pavement
they put down. We are not now in a con
ditiOn 10 put down an expensive pavement
We want a cheap and durable material. Tae
days Of splendOr and OF magnihceHce and of
realestate speculations are over here and
elsewhere, aud we have got to come down in
our notions. If il were not for the personal
Inconvenience that he experienced he would
not vote for anything, bat let them have
dirt.
Mr.. Allison said the very pavement which
hisfriend denounced was put down by ex-
press authority OF Congress, and 1t was the
worst and the most expensive OF all nut
down In this District. The engineer of this
District had practically condemned asphalt
pavements. He had told us in his reports
that the only pavement which had stood the
test WAS the Neutchatel He thought il very
hard TO make the property holders on this
Avenue 10 pay one third OF the expense.
They had been compelled to pay two-thirds
of the expense of a pavement selected for
them by Congress, and now in five years
they were 10 be compelled TO pay for another
property holders had not petitioned for the
epaving OF the Avenue.
Mr.. Allison did not know about that.
Mr. Sargent said he did not know what the
Senator from Illinois (Oslesby) meant by
his assertions of fraud in regard 10 the paw
Ing or pennsylvania avenue. That paving
was done under commission. consisting OF
Mr.. Cox, the Secretary Of the Interior; Gen
Michler, Commissioner of Public Buildings
and Grounds, and Mayor Emery, of WASH
ingtoD. He had never heard any of these
gentlemen accused OF fraud. II was becom-
ing the fashion now, whenever the affairs of
the District OF Columbia were discuss |, To
lnYeigh by the wholesale against fraud, and
0eIOunce every ore who had been
connected with affairs here. Speaking
for his constituents aud for himself, ne
would say that they did not want their beau
iliul streets and avenues TO be again made
dirt roads. They did not want to tear down
Inc Cap tol, and sell the dome for old iron:
they did not want to tear up the parks of
this city and root up the trees. They took a
great pride IN the capital of the nation aud
they wanted TO see IL beautiful. AMI they
were little farther of than the people o!
Illinois.
Mr.. OgleSby said he also took pride IN the
capital; but The kind OF pride he took was tnat
the local administration OF the capital should
be free from that suspicion which had aroused
the 1polgnatOn OF every voter in the land.
be said thati was detestable, and so II was
The Senator from California differed from
him in his estimation of the people who had
held control here. He repeated that they,
then, should be more moderate in their
actions and in their expenditures, as they
could not expect to escape the Just indigna-
tlon or the people OF this country. He wi shed
there mad been no provocation for this indig-
nation. he Insisted that the conduct OF those
who had been in control here had not been
disgusting. but he claimed the right. as an
american citizen, TO express his protest. AS
10 dirt roads, he had been used to them all
hls life, and what was good enough for him
was good enough for the Senator from Cali
| lorna, as they both had flung dirt together
| IN he mines OF California. He said how
| ever, that he supposed he would vote for the
oill, as the avenue ought TO have some kind
| OF pavement.
Mr.. Hamlin said be conceded with the