Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-28
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT.
Full Text Ofthe Bill rs IL Passed the
Senate Yesterday.

The bill providing permanent form OF gov
| ernment for the District of Columbia, as
amended and passed by the Senate yesterday,
/ enacts'
That all the territory which was ceded by
! the state of Maryland to the Congress of the
| United States for the permanent seat of the
/ government of the United States shall con
| Time to be designated as the District of Co
lumbia. Said District and the property and
persons that may be therein shall be subject
TO the following provisions for the govern
/ ment OF the same, and also to any existing
| laws applicable thereto not hereby repealed
or inconsistent with the provisions of this
/ act: The District of Columbia shall remain
! and continue municipal corporation, as pro
! Vlded IN section two of the Revised Statutes
| relating to said District, and the Commission
erS herem provided for shall be deemed and
! taken as officers of such corporation: and all
! laws now in force relating to the District of
Columbia not inconsistent with the provisions
OF this act shall remain in full force and effect
Sec. That within twenty days after the ap
! proval OF this act, the President of the United
States, by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate, is hereby authorized TO appoint
! TWO persons, who, with an officer of the Corps
| OF Engineers of the United States army, shall
! be commissioners OF the District of Columbia,
and who, from and after July lst, ls7S shall
! exercise all the powers and authorities now
vested In the commissioners of the District of
! Columbia, except aS are hereinafter limited
or provided, and shall be subject To all reStric-
! uonS and limitations and duties which are
! now imposed upon said Commissioners The
! Commissioner who shall be an officer detailed
! irCm time to time from the corps of engineers
| by the President for this duty, shall not be
| required to perform any other. nor shall he
receive any other compensation than his reg
| mar pay and allowances as an officer of the
| army. he two persons appointed from civil
, life shall, at the time of their appointment
! be citizens of The United States and shall
nave been actual residents of the Dis
! fore their appointment, and have. during
! that period, aimed residence nowhere else:
and one OF said three Commissioners shall
/ be chosen president of the Board of Com
miSSisnerS at their first meeting, and annually
and whenever a vacancy occurs thereafter:
! and said Commissioners shall each of them
before entering upon the discharge of his du-
lleS. TAKE an oath or animation To support the
! Constitution of the United States. and to faith
! fully discharge the duties imposed upon him
/ 10y law: aid said Commissioners appointed
/ from civil life shall each receive for his Ser
| wees compensation at the rate of five thou
| sand dollars per annum land shall before enter
| ing upon the duties of the office each give
| bond in the sum of $J0,000. with surety as re-
| qulred by existing law. The official term of
| said Commissioners appointed from civil life
snail pe three years, and until their Successors
| are appointed and qualified: but the first ap-
| polntment shall be one Commissioner for one
| year and one for two years, and at the eXpira
tl0n OF their respective terms their successors
shall 6e appointed for three years. Neither of
| said commissioners, nor any officer whatSO-
| ever OF the District of Columbia, shall be ac-
| cepted as SuretyuDon any bond required to be
given to the District of Columbia; nor shall
any contractor be accepted as surety for any
Ofhcer or other contractor in said District.
Sec. -. That as soon as the Commissioners
appointed and detailed as aforesaid shall have
taken and subscribed the oath or affirmation
| herelnbe1ore required, all the powers, rights,
duties and privileges lawfully exercised by
and all property. estate, and effects now
| vested by law In the Commissioners appointed
| under The provisions of the act of Congress ap-
| proved June 10Th, 1874, shall be transferred TO
ana vested IN and imposed upon said Commits
sioners; and the functions of the Commission
! erS so appointed under the act of June Doth
| 1874, Shal cease and determine. And the
commissioners of the District of Columbia
shall have. power, subject to the limitations
| and provisions herein contained, to apply the
lakes OF other revenues of said District
| TO the payment of the current expenses
thereof 10 the support OF the public schools
the hre department.. and the police, and
for that purpose shall take possession and
supervision of all the offices, books, papers,
records, moneys, credits, securities, assets and
| accounts belonging or appertaining to the
business or interest of the government of the
| District of Columbia, and exercise the duties.
| powers, and authority aforesaid: but said
| commissioners, in the exercise OF such duties
| powers, and authority, shall make no contract
| nor incur any obligation other than such con
| tracts and obligations as are hereinafter pro-
| Nlded Tor and shall be approved by Congress
| The Commissioners shall have power to license
| hackmen and to make reasonable regulations
to govern their conduct, to fix the rates of fare
ISf her conveying persons to locate me places
often as the public interest shall require. ANY
person violating any orders lawfully made in
pursuance OF this power shall be subject to a
line OF not less than $40 nor more than $lOO
TO be recovered before any Justice of the peace
IN an action in the name of the Commissioners
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 Dy the sale or hypotheca-
ton OF any such taxes OF evidence thereof but
they may borrow for the first fiscal year after
this act takes effect in anticipation of collec-
tion OF revenue, not to exceed two hundred
thousand dollars, at rate of interest not eX-
ceeding five per centum per annum which
shall be paid out of the revenues of that wear
Ana SAID Commissioners are hereby author
lied to abolish any office, to consolidate two
or more offices, reduce the number of EN-
pl0yeS, remove from office, and make appoint
ments to any office under them authorized by
Jaw: PrGc9ed, That nothing in this act con
tanned shall be construed to abate i'm any
wise or interfere with any suit pending in
favor OF or against the District of Columbia or
the commissioners thereof, or affect any right
penalty, forfeiture, or cause of action existing
In laEOr OF said District or Commissioners or
any citizen of the District of Columbia or any
other perSon,but the same may be commenced,
proceeded for or prosecuted TO final Judgment
and the corporation shall be bound thereby as
if the suit had been originally commenced for
or against said corporation The said Com
mlSSionerS shall submit to the Secretary of the
Treasury for the fiscal year ending June 30th
1880, and annually thereafter, for his examina-
ton and approval. statement showing i'm de.
tail the work proposed to be undertaken by
them during the fiscal year next ensuing and
the estimated cost thereof also the cost of
constructing, repairing and maintaining all
bridges authorized by laws across the Poto.
mac river within the District of Columbia,
and also all other streams in said District the
cost Of maintaining all public institutions of
charities, refOrmatOrieS and prisons belong
ing to or controlled wholly or i'm part by the
District OF Columbia, and which are now by
law supported wholly or In part by the United
States or District of Columbia; and also the
expenses OF the Washington aqueduct and its
appurtenanceS; and also an itemized state
ment and estimate of the amount necessary to
defray the expenses of the government of the
District OF Columbia for the next fiscal year
PrOuided, That nothing herein contained shall
be construed as transferring from the United
States authorities any of the public works
within the District of Columbia, now in the
control and supervision of said authorities
The Secretary of the Treasury shall carefully
consider all estimates submitted to him as
above provided, and shall approve disap-
prove, or suggest such changes i'm the same.
or any item thereof, as he NAV think
the public interest demands; aud after he
shall have considered and passed upon such
estimates submitted 20 him, he shall cause IN
be made statement of the amount approved
by him and the fund or purpose to which each
item belongs, which statement shall he certi
fed by him, and delivered, together with the
estimates as originally submitted. to the Com
missiOners of the District of Columbia. who
Shall transmit the same to Conpress To the