Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-24
THE EVENING STAR.
LOCAL NEWS.



Building permits issued by Inspector En-
tWisle: Ed Fitzgerald. repair brick. 7O2 z St
s. W.: $3.50 Mrs. Wise. repair brick, ~ ith 81.
n w; $500. Pat Whitney, erect two story
orick house, corner North Capitol and Boundary
SITS; ESQ.
THE PROPOSED GENERAL HOSPITAL
The District Commissioners have addressed a
note 10 Hon. isham q. Harris, chairman Senate
District committee, In reply TO request OF the
latter OF February eist, Tor nation as 10
the location. value, &c, OF the property known
as the National Soldiers and sailors urphans'
Home" which IL is proposed by House resou-
Con, No Si2, 10 transfer 10 their control for the
purpose Of maintaining and establishing In the
District or Columbia a general hospital The
commissioners report that said property is sit
uated on the corner OF 18TH and G streets
square 100, and is valued on the books OF the
assessor at S32,5S They enclose letter OF
Hon. ID. b. Cartier, president Of the board OF
trustees or the institution, that SAIL board has
consented TO the transfer or the property for
the purposes named in the resolution. ana the
Commits SlonerS add that they see no objection
10 The passage OF t1e resolution.
THE PROPOSED FRgR KINDERGARTEN sea DOL
The Commissioners have addressed a note 70
hon. =. j. X. MCMILLAN. OF the Senate District
committee. In reply 10 the req uest or the later
Ter their views ID relation 10 memorial or
Mrs. Louise Pollock. asking for al appro )Ti2
ton OF s. q for free htn5cIg arJea school fer
tie poor children OF tie District stating that
ME they Iully concur WITH The Superiatea-
dent or The pupltt schools as TO the merits Of
Mrs.. FoloCko system, as represented ia a-r
ct InCTial they are not now prepared co recon-
mend al appropriation from the District Urea
NY for the support or her benevolent u4ier-
JakIDg.
ATTORNEY RIDDLE AND THs hDRICH REPORT
Hon. A. q. Riddle, attorney for the District OF
Columbia. has written letter TO the House
District committee reviewing the report OF Mr.
AlGrich IN so far as &c apples 10 his {Rliile'S)
official action as an attorney. Mr.. Riddle de-
Lies the several allegations OF Inconsistency.
He Says:-"lt is alleged that, having advised
| that tt was necessary for properly owner
TO make complaint, as The law requires, after
| ward contra1lcted that This Is an error. 1
neg That the first opinion referred TO be read IN
| connection With the Two alleged contradictory:
that or February 2. 1885, and OF Nj arch L. lsS1
| supplemented by the acts Involved. Tnese
taken together, show my position"
IAN alleg ed contradiction Is declared to exist
| between the opinions OF September 10, 1878 aud
| or september ., 1879. The dist denies the power
or the commissioners 20 award special damage
10 a property owner for injury caused oy an
| improvement. The report says that the second
| declares they have the power. This is an entire
| miscOnception. Tie rirSt, as VIII be seen, dis
| CuSseS the subject OF special damage, and holds
| that the law presumeS benefit ana not dam age.
| The second says that the revising acts arm tue
commissioners TO say what the amount OF tue
| dement, Is, all the way from one third 10 the
| lowest amount. There is not the slightest dis
! crepanCy. The principles involved are dis
| tinct" In conclusion Mr.. Riddle sayS:-.I beg
| the gentlemen or the committee TO remember
| thai these opinions were given from time 20
| time as the occasions for them arose Ia the
| points and cases, are detached parts of d whole,
| which is Itself fragmentary. That the QIes-
| tons arose on the statutes OF legislatures OF
| different governments, which were also passed
| upon by Congress and the supreme CourC
! While the discussions were going on. [ trust
| when thus Considered, seeming differences VIII
! disappear, and that they Will be found TO De
! body OF counsel, not below what was needed
| AID not unworthy OF the consideration they
received"
| COMMISSIONER DENT AND Mr.. ALDRICa's REPORT
| The following are the facts IN regard 10 The
assessment on Water street. GEORGETOWN on
which Mr.. AldrCh, OF Rhode Island anam ii-
| vertS In his report read 10 the District commit
tee or the House on Monday last, as they ap-
| pear in the printed testimony of the lRve5Itga-
/ ton or the committee In March and April, 1850
! The entire testimony IN the case appears on
| pages 1SS, l3I, 13S, 139, 40. 14i and Ia. Mr..
! Dent on Both March made the following state
| Inent TO the committee:
| The contract under which Water street was
| Improved, from High to Lingan, was contract
| NO. l65, made for the improvement OF l5r street
west, at the foot OF the Capitol to street
/ south. By the action OF the board OF Conmis-
| si0nerS. organized under the act OF 1874, Chat
contract having been finished only TO Virginia
avenue) the work was transferred 10 Water
| street. Georgetown, for the improvement OF
| that street, from High 20 Lingan. So soon "a
the property owners on that part OF Water
| street Understood that That work was to pe
| commenced, they demonstrated against Il
| almost unanimously, on Tue ground tnaG iU WAS
| uauUiy eX genSiVe the street mol being no.
| UChfare and lis being ALREADY substantially
| ptNea win Globe Stone, and they offered ID
| a. Cepi a reasonable Improvement in tue nap
I OF OlTeCtlng the 1mper1ecu0nS in tn or lie
| atd ielayiDs The co5oie-stone already on tue
| alICtt. No attention was pail &c IN air pr1teSf
| u .n expressive Belgian pavement Was la'i
! ou Ties part OF the Street, When The work SdS
| raIGr.ttto. The pioperty.holGcrs uBited IN ap
III. flag 10 lae court Tor al Injunction 10 rrtyt;l.
.lc OBJECTION Oh tax LEVIED Tor thai In prove
| i-tL-;. witch ioJunction was obtained Hlel
| &,,s ap90.nted Conmiss'one this sui sJOlI
On The records OF tie cOurC. B ing anxious
| @ dlVe@t myself or ali interest wnlcn
| hight appear 20 conflict with ny
! GutY as commissioner Oh the Di5tric5 %.
/ CGlun bIa requested the properLy-n0lders on
that part OF the street 60 unite With M ia "a
| application 10 the commissioners 10 c0npro-
mise that suit, which they did With that APP
/ plfcatfon two OF the ConmiSstoners-COnmis
| stoners Phelps and Twining-acted; Conmts-
| sioner Dent declining to act in the case. The
| compromise which was offered was 10 do what
! we had originally expressed our willingness TO
| do-that is, TO pay our proportion OF the tax
! for regarding the street and reaytng the cooole
| stone. We renewed our original proposition
| on that subject. The two Commissioners re-
| ferred the case TO the attorney for his advice,
| and he advised them that the work Was done
without any authority whatever ia law. villa
| state further that by that improvement the
| property or the Lintniclm eSttte Was
| damaged 10 the amount OF several thou
| sand dollars ID this way Before The
improvement our property occupied the
| water shed Market street. wnica goes
| equally, was the water Sne1-the WAFER
| Moving In opposite directions from our prop
erty 10 the east and TO the west. In consequence
| OF the change OF grade, the how OF water was
! entirely reversed and concentrated on our
! property, both from the east and the vest. aud
. 10 such an extent that In every large fail or
! water the street was flooded and oVertl0 we'd
/ across our wharf, and our wharf Was ia danger
| OF being washed away. L complained OF iU 10
| the Commissioners myself not being Counts.
sioner at the time), and In order 10 relieve the
| property, they constructed Slaice- way across
, cur whaIf 10 the river to prevent the wharf
| being washed away Ia consequence or this
| change Of grade, Which Siuice-Hay exists there
/ TO the present time. In the last high flood the
| cellars OF certain small buildings which we
| own, at the corner or Market street aud Water
street. were, for the first time 10 the recollec-
ton OF any OF the citizens rIled With water
and the sidewalk was oyertlowed. / N i1e
formal demand On the Commissioners
| before was Commissioner for damages on
| this account, and yet paid this tax
The papers 10 the case contain the following
endorsements:
| 1.-The act OF June 10, 1S19 Is in its language
| broad enough 70 cover these Assessments; Dat
| they obviously were wlthou. color OF law. The
! attempt TO jump one contract from one city
| and ioD 10 another OF Itself pTeciude5 the pos
a il for.