Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-09-18
ALEXANDRIA, va,
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER IS, 1876.

MARKET kEGULATIONS.- The market held
If the market square before the Revolution
socms TO have been au entirely tree market,
regulated by the common consent of those who
attended, or by the moral power which rank
and station gave 1t was not until the charter
OF 1879 that the city authorities became vested
with power to regulate the market matters lo
that year the Mayor and Council were gwen
power ito hold aud keep withn said town an
nually two market days 10 every week oil the
wear, the one on Wednesday and the other On
Saturday, aud I'd appoint clerk OF the mar
ket." All the stalls OF the market originally
rented all at an equal raIc-tour pounds Vlr.
gina curreDcy-l quail to Sl2.33) per annum,
and the Town Sergeant collected the rents. lD
1900 all the days OF the week except Sundays
were fixed as market days The market closed
FROM April to October at 9 o'clock a. NJ, aud
during the residue OF the year at 10 O clock d.
u, From the time the market Was established
the usual regulation in relation to market stuff
we're adopted. II Was provided tina! 40 per.
soa shall, during market hours, make sale Of,
or offer or expose for sale, nor stall auy person
purchase auy kind OF meat, fowls, butter, cheese,
eggs ur vegetables at any place within the cor
polation except at the market house. This
gave the market dealers, during portion OF
the day, a mouol oily Of the sale of these artl-
Giles with view OF attracting c)uutry people to
br.u2 their wares to the market. While to
preyept previously purchased wares from com.
peiug with the fresh provisions which 1t Was
supposed would be brought 10 by the country
people, it was provided that ''uo person should
sell or offer 10 the market house any provisions
which had been before purchased there, or at
any other place within the lowu. 1t Was iur
ther provided that mo huckster or other per
son VINO usually purchases provisions for the
purpose Of seillag again Shall on any market
day, and during market hours, purchase at the
uarkct house any greater quautlty OF provision
there exposed ioI sale that what shall be suth-
cient Tor the use of his owe family La 1894
Sunday market was begun, 90 butchers being,
however, allowed 10 market on Sunday, and
the SUI lay market Continued uutli about lS4O
when Saturday night market was substituted.
1t was mainly attended by the colored people
from the surrounding country, who then
brought their garden stuff aud Wild gatherings
to towu. The Sunday market WAS thought to
b. cheaper than the week day" market. 10
the same year the market hours were extended
TO eleven In wluter aud ten III summer. The
collection of reuts was tran sterred to the clerk
of tue market 10 1875. These regulations con.
tiuued iu force, although not always entorced,
until after the late War, when the City Council
thinking perhaps that the conditions of mar
ketiug bad greatly changed, repealed all the
laws which prevented the sale OF market stuff
elsewhere than in market, and at the same
tine left the hucksters and market dealers free
10 buy and sell as they chose. The following
provision was, however, lett 10 the market law:
"lt shall be the duty OF the clerk OF the mar
ket to- exclude trom the market all persons who
shall be engaged 10 combinations to raise the
psce Of produce and of sucn articles as are
usually brought to the market for sale, and the
clerk of the maj ket shall forthwith report to
the Mayor the names of all persons engaged 10
any of such practices. Wheroupon the Mayor
or any Justice of the Peace may issue the of
fender and he or she who shall be found guilty
of any of said offences, shall be liable to fine
Of ten dollars tor every such ofcuce. Ibis
provision is now decmed sufficient tor the pro-
lection OF the public.