National Republican., 1884-03-01
THE DISTRICT BILL.
What Has Been Done in Committee with the
Proposed Measure,
A Strong Probability THAT the Liquor
License Feature wnI lie Agreed 70.

The house committee on the District of
Columbia have been for some weeks discuss
ing, section by section, the bill proposed by
the district commissioners, and introduced
by Mr.. Barbour, ito regulate licenses, &C.,
in the District of Columbia, and for other
purposes The first forty sections have
been considered thus far, and, with q few
exceptions, approved. Section twelve, con-
ccrning licenses to saloon keepers, against
which all the temperance people fought
strenuously, was approved Ivy the committee.
Under the present law y saloon keeper is
Obliged to obtain the written permis-
sion of u majority of the residents
keeping house and majority of the persons
owning real estate on the side of the square
where he intends to locate his business and
on the side Of the square fronting opposite
his saloon before license is granted him.
This permission he must now get each year.
The provision Of tho proposed law is the same,
except that the written permission, once
obtained, will be good for all time unless
complaint shall be made against the saloon
keeper during the year by a majority of tho
property owners and residents. 1t is this
perpetual freedom against which the temper
ance people have been fighting, unsucccss-
fully, as il appears. 1t Is not presumed that
they objected to raising the license fee TO $3.50,
although tho saloon keepers did object to It.
Section 1S was amended by the committee
so that the annual license paid by proprie-
tors of theaters shall be $500 instead of $3.50,
Us PROPOSED by the commissioners, and weekly
licenses t50 instead of $40.
Section 81, concerning street railroad com
panies, was amended in two important par
ticulars BY the bill as originally prepared
the commissioners have power from time to
time, after consultation with the street rail
road companies, to regulate the time and fire.
quency Of the running Of cars by all such
companies to suit the public convenience
subject to the right Of appeal within five
days by the companies to the secretary Of the
interior" The committee could not see what
tho secretary of the interior had TO do with
the matter, nor why an appeal should be to
him. and therefore all that part relating to
an appeal was stricken out, leaving full
power in the hands Of the commissioners.
This amendment was made without the re-
quest or suggestion of the commissioners.
The colnmitte also thought that power
ought to he given to somebody to compel tho
street car companies to keep their cars clean,
to occasionally change the straw in them,
aud to take other sanitary and comforting
measures for the good of the public; also to
regulate the stopping of cars frequently or
otherwise. as was necessary. This power
the committee put in the hands of the COM
missioners by amending the section so that
the commissioners shall control the running
of the cars to suit the public Comfort and
convenience"
These are the only amendments made thus
lar, but it is understood that after the Sec
tions have all been discussed in detail the
entire bill will then be taken ~ and further
amendments may then be made, several of
the committeeman having expressly reserved
that right. II is probable also that there will
be discussion upon the radical change pro-
posed in the method of taxation, and there
are likely to be objections raised to 1t. AS
far as the committee has gone, however, its
decision will probably not be much changed.