Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-04
District Government Affairs,

his purpose as heretofore stated in THE STAR
A number of prominent builders and archi
tects have addressed communication 70 the
District Commissioners requesting them e.
have the building regulations of the Local
government laid before Congress with view
to have them enacted into law and thereby
enable the inspector of buildings more fully t.
enforce them.
OPINION AS TO ASSESSMENTS.
Mr.. A. &. Riddle. attorney for the District
has, at the request of the District Commits
siOners, given an opinion relative TO assess
mentS Of-real aud personal property, in reply
to questions submitted by the assessors. II
says: The current fiscal year ends with june
80, 1878. The last paragraph of section T. o
the act of March Sd, 1877 authorizes the boarC
during the month of September, 1877, to reviSt
and correct all existing assessments. If tina
be done as soon thereafter as it may be. 81
far as a revision made within that time ma.
require an alteration OF assessments, they ma!
alter them; That task having been once pes
formed, all power over that subject ceases
An assessment made on erroneous information
or by mistake may be corrected at any time
Within the above limits the board may revise
They cannot cancel an assessment. An assess
ment not authorized by law may be held vol!
for that reason. IT so holding, it would be
cancellation, it may in this sense be Cancelled
the tax declares the penalty for non payment
both provisions are alike imperative TIL
board OF assessors has no control over either
Inc law declares that the original assessment
There is in the District no power to remi
either. For taxes in arrears the statutes an,
lapse OF time determine the amount. Howeve
anxious may be that relief should be extended
fear none can be found this side o. Congress.
Our citizens, on reflection, will readily pei
celye that our laws come from Congress- au,
that when promulgated whatever as ntlivid
uals the executive officers may think of thel
wisdom, they have no choice but their inhex
Dle enforcement, even as against the mos
valued and deserving of our business men,
a haan SbnH RI
their guidance and instruction.
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPENSES
IN answer 10 a communication from tn
House District committee relative, to the mn +
lie schools, and difference between the est
mates of the school trustees and those OF tn
commissioners, the latter reply today, Tina
1helr annual report to Congress specifcall
men IONS the fact that an appropriation of 81;
Vto Won q he necessary To maintain the school
to the end of the hScal year. and they cit
the page OF the report where said recommer
Gailon appears. In concluding, the Commits
SlnnerS further say: In respect of the increas
OF District taxes suggested in YOUR final in
quliy, we trust none will be proposed by Con
greSS on account of school or other purposes
t,nr opinion Is that the property holders of tn
DlStrlct now pay two taxes and otherwise fo
The support of the Observation-Disclosures
much as should be required of them aud tina
full justice viii not be done them mill tn
United states shall pay One-half of the EN-
rent expenses of the District government
We hope legislation to that end will be h I'd b
congress during the present session.
BIDS WERE OPENED
at l. o'clGck today, in the office OF Chief En-
gineer IoXie, for laying a cobble stone gul
ter and crawling fOotWaIk on east siie O
Tor enlarging two traps and for LAYING 81 fpt
of IS inch sewer pipe, the pipe to be furnishe
Dy the DISTRICT government. The bids are a
follows f{ B j, CoyIe 4 Co, sn.3t: II. Iiimbel
Si434o. NO award was made. Bids were ais
opened for laying Y inch pipe sewer on
street, between the Circle and 10Th street {,
gether with two manhOles: b. j. Coye, $50. 4f
III. hlmpef, S4.S No award was made.
Capitol Hill 20 the Fore.
E6dor stdr:.ln the last desperate scramb,
nearly all the benevolent associations of tn
city are engaged-a sort Of Scrub-race of chal
lty !,, the Ladies Aid Society Of CapitC
NIL M, win its closing entertainment to TAX
V0ldable poStpOnement, on Tuesday evening
May Ith, at Ford's Opera House. 1t is sur
thing this lime, unless the shaky old ed
fee burns down or the. solid earth burn
up. we shall have first full orchestral. the
the delicious opera of COX and Box write
oy Arthur Sullivan, given by some of the fines
ny 10. 0rchestrG- Then. the charming ccmed
OF The Rendezvous called of old a farcf
one OF the roaring, kind, and all accompa
ha h by ,nm 9rche I that is the play
garet Davenport, the brilliant consedienno
AlhsAe young ladies and gentlemen in it ar
oemg drilled by her, and they will just kav
10 90 the thing well, or bid adiea to the lows O
this life. If after ali they fail to play like rea
actors, sheie is real orchestra is fail back on
GRACE GREENWOOD.
The BAG BENEFIT FOR HARRY FoRD.-R
The following characteristic letter srOin Dio:
BOuclcauh II will be seer that he will contrib
ute MS exquisite persOEatiOn of Kerry t
the success OF Harry FOrGs bumper benefit OF
the 9th instant:
s EAST 18th ST., NEW YORK, Nav 2d.-Doa
Mr. Ford: when in Washington last white
you accepted promise to play for your benefi
whenever that event should Occur If ha DpiI
no other engagements withheld me at such
date. Very, happily, then. l am not engaged
on the sth May. and it will add to the pleasure
visit to Washington always gives me, to EN-
brace the occasion of adding mite to youI
programme, and another assurance OF esteem
for yourself and Mrs. Ford. The play " Kerry
1t seemed to please the Capitolians when i
was represented some time ago. Will it suit
and mt In with your other attractions? l asked
J9hn Mccullough to come on with me and
take hand on the 9th He would have been
TOO glad II he had not been engaged to appear
on that day at the Grand Opera in New York
L suggested that he should appear by tele
Rn thHroG phoH motel graphophone-I get
fered to take his bottled speech with me- He
does not believe was in earnest-but I was.
WIN pest wishes for your success.
Sincerely yours, DION BoUCICAULT.
EXPERIMENTING WITH FIRE EXTIN
GUIsHER.-The Protective Fire Annihilatol
company, OF New York, made two experiments
with their apparatus for extinguishing fires
this morning on the grounds south of the Ex
scutlve mansion, which were witnessed BY
Senators Dorsey and Cameron, Representa-
tlveS Blackburn, Claflin and Burchard, seve
raj army and navy officers; Col. Casey and
Architects CLARK and Hill 1.-THE board an.
pointed by the President); District Commits
SlOners Phelps. Bryan and Dennison Chief
Engineer CrOnin, Assistant Engineer Drew
Hume. The President and members of his
family witnessed the spectacle from the pa.
rade south OF the White house. A burning
wood pile and frame house in flames were
soon subdued, and some of the officials pres
ent expressed themselves satisfied that il was
good eXtinguisher for small fires.
Decoration Day has been issued by the com.
mander OF department of the Potomac of the
u. A. L., designating Thursday, the 3Oth inst,
as Memorial Day. Services will be held All
arlington, Soldiers Home, and Congressional
cemeteries, under charge of appropriate COM
mlttees. The monuments throughout the city
and the graves Of all Union soldiers in Oak
HiLa and Battle Cemeteries will also be deco
rated: Committees are now ma king preDara-
lions TO carry out the programme Al Airing
ton, Hon. Charles G. Williams, of Wisconsin,.
VII VII 6etver the Grafton, and Rev. j. E. Ran,
ALL ~, will read an original poem, written
by him for the occasion. G. C.. Royce will de.
liver the address at Soldiers Home, and H. j
Clifford will be the orator of Congressional
Cemetery.
PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OF THE MECHLIN
CAsE.-There will be filed in the Equity Court,
n In v.a< ~ NY1,l H.