Evening star., 1877-10-19
District Government Affairs,

TIE District Commissioners have been in
formed that the case OF the District OF Co
lumbis against the Washington Market
house Company, No. 227 on the trial calendar
Of the October term OF the Circuit Court, Will
in all pTObsb bility rot be reached until the
middle of December next
The Superintendent of streets and repairs
folio wing foremen:-Eastern district, j. d.
Bright; northern, Georee Z. wilson; soutn-
eTn, John T. Lynch. The Commissioners
have given their approval OF the names
A communication has been received by
the District Commissioners from Dr. Fran K
j. Bakewell, Offering 10 act as physician to
the poor for the northeast and southeast sec
tiOr of the city, open dispenSary at his
house, and give me 1icines and medical at
tendance at II eco per year.
THE PCBLIC URINAL.
In reply to communication from the
Board OF Health In relation to the care of the
public urinal at the intersection of 7th street
state that TO carry into effect the suggestions
OF the board would involve the employment
OF man expressly for that purpose, and In
yolve an expenditure not contemplated by
tie Commissioners when they reluctantly
authorized the erection OF the structure.
RESIGNATION OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY
BIRNEY AND THE ASSISTANT ATToRNsY
The District Commissioners this morning
recelV ed The official res ignatiou of Mr.. Arthur
n, Birney, as assistant attorney for the Dis
trict, III which he states that ii IS for the pur
In connection with the firm of which he has
for some years been a partner, the resigna
ton TO Ia ke eff ct on the last day OF the pres
ent month. He states that he is now engagei
III the trial OF the appeal eases In the Or mi e.
nal Court, and hopes to have a clear dOcEe
for his succes sOIs, and That 1t Will give him
pleasure 10 make all necessary explanation
To his successor in regard To the pending bus
fness, so that ne may conduct il ithout loss
10 The Distinct from the change.
The announcement Of the resignation of
for fIsr. NJ
made by himself this morning In the Su-
preme Court. AS vet the Commissioners
have II ceived no official notice of his resig-
nation, and The question as To who the sue
them.
LATTR-TEe following has been received
by the district Commissioners:
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY
WAsHINGTOS. ID. c, October ~, lsI1.
To The commissioners q the District ~ CO'Igl-
biO.- Gentlemen: | resign the Office of attOr-
ney for the District, to take effect on the last
day 81 the present month.
avail myself Of this occasion to express
my grateful sense of the Kindness and cOUr-
teEy shown me by the late III. T. Blow, Com
missioner, and my thanks to Governor Dem
nisOn. General Ke,cham, and Capt. Phelps.
for kindness and courtesy extended TO me
uAtil recently, my labOriOus duties
pleasant in the performance. Now, however,
l desire, for reason personal to myself, that
you name my successor at your earlies con-
what lies in my power to explain TO hi N the
current business of the office and prevent
any injury TO the public interests from the
change Of counsel Very respectfully,
WILLIAM BIRNEY, Attorney ID. c.
THE LIQUOR LICENSE QUESTION.
The opinion OF Attorney Birney, the pur-
port OF which was published a few days
since, in relation TO The issuing of liquor
liquor licenses TO restaurant men on 7th and
9th streets, opposite the Center market, to
The effect that as the attorney for the police
beard has already ruled substantially upon
the question OF law raised by Mr.. Morgan,
superintendent OF assessments and taxes, in
Certifying 10 the police board as To the sigma
lures OF property owners, and that 10 would
not he seemly in the attorney for the District
70 offer an opinion on the same subject, and
advising that Mr.. Morgan, in his certificates
10 the police board, accept as the proper in
depreciation of the laws the ruling OF the at
torney for the police board, did not give en-
tire satisfaction TO the District Commission
eIs, and they made the following endorse
ment: '.This opinion hardly meets the inquiry
OF Mr.. MOI gan, who has a duty TO perform
over which the police board has no supervi-
sion, viz: tn certify that a certain proportion
OF property holders and residents in the vi
cinity of the proposed bar room have assent
ed To its establishment Mr.. Morgan wishes
10 know whether he shall consider the Mar
Ret company as property holder or occu-
pant IN this connection To this tine attor-
ney for the District replies, (referring to his
former opInten y "l would add that the queS-
tion proposed by Mr.. Morgan covers in its
principle every case OF a bar room, sample
room or tppling house, for which license is
asked. on the square or on the square oppo-
site the location OF any market house
IN thls city or any similar corporation.
The law makes IL the duty OF every propri-
etOr applying for license In present tie writ
ten Permission of majority of the owners
of zeal estate and of majority of the resi-
dents keeping house on the square where IL
is desired TO locate such busint SIS, aud on the
square opposite the same. The Police Board
Is, under the law, To verify the fact whether
the required sjOrity has signed or not o ie
of the kinds OF testimony which must be
Offered TO the Police Board is q certificate by
the assessor. But this cert ifcate is not made
by law conclusive upon the Police Board as
n matter OF fact. / understand that line crs-
tom of the Police Beard has been to investi-
scpLoSe Ia AT the required me jOrity had not
been obtained. 1t has detailed policemen
on that beat. or otner policemen 10 make
Inquiry into the fact. This is considered to
be especially nece SSary in order to verify the
TACT whether majority of the residents keep
ing house on the square have signed. This
is fact which does not fail usually within
sessments- AS the certificate of the assessor
is Intended to facilitate the investigation of
the Police Boa ard, should think IL advisable
for him in all cases to certify, not to the
legal conclusion, but TO the actual facts,
stPting in his certificate whether any corpo-
ration OF the kind is within tie limits men
TONED in the law. This will leave the Police
Board to judge whether ii viii issue the
license or not. i do not regard the quasi jI-
dicfol po'ceT in this matter which rests exclu-
s1vtly in the Police Board. In fact, this has
been decided in ltigated case by the GRIM
ira term OF the Supreme Court OF the Dis.
tIict.'