Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-05

rank above captain. u. 5. Statuets at Large, vol.
| 20, p. 1o3 ct seq
| There is no municipal legislative In the
| District, the exclusive legislative power being
| exercised by Congress.
| The salaries of the Commissioners are S.. 900
! per annum each. The two civil Commissioners
/ give bond in sum of SAT-, 900 each One of them
is annually chosen by his colleagues to he preSi-
| dent OF the board.
| The Commissioners, directly OF Indirectly.
control the appointment of ali District officers
notaries public. justices of the peace, and COM
| miSsioners of deeds.
| The following are the principal officers they
/ appoint with their salaries: Secretary So / 60
collector of taxes, 81 900 attorney, 81 900: as
si>tant attorney, $1,000; assessor, 50, 900; au-
/ dltor, $1,000; health officer $4,000: inspector
of buildings, S2,40O; superin endent of white
schools, S2.1OO: superintendent OF colored
schools, $1,000; school trustees, salary; cor
oner, > oO'1 major of police. $1,000; chief en-
gineer fire department, 81 500 commissioner
Washington asylum, 81 200; surveyor, fees;
scaler OF weights and measures, fees; inspectors
/ OF lumber, fees; inspectors of wood, fees; in
/ spect"Ts OF Hour, fees: arbOr master, 81 200;
chief clerk engineer, s 8 10: computer. clerks,
INSPECTORS, &c, in engineer department, from
S2IUU to 5000; clerks. III 500 to $3.50; police
men, fremen. messengers w;tchmen and la
borcr>- school teachers and janitOrs, are APP
pointed by the board of school trustees.
The duties of the subordinate of1ic GERS of the
District government will generally appear from
| lhTlr oinclal designations: 1t would be too
Nolumiuous to give either them or the duties OF
the Commissioners in particular here, and use
less tp even make reference to them. as there is
no digest or code of the laws prevailing in the
District, and they are contained in almost in
Vulnerable volumes, many of which are i'm
practicable OF access. The officers themselves
ascertain them partly by research and partly
by accident and absorption.
THE REVENUES OF THE DISTRICT.
The revenues for the support OF the District
government are derived:
lst. From tax on private taxable property
and privileges, and receipts from miscellaneous
private sources. and
ID. From appropriations by Congress, requir-
ed by law to be 30 per cent. of the total APP
All revenues OF the District of Columbia must
he paid To the collector of taxes. and be by him
deposited in the Treasury of the L. s, from
whence they can only be drawn upon itemiZed
vouchers certified by n majority OF the Com
miSSiOncrs. except for interest on funded debt.
which is drawn and diSbur>ed solely by the
Treasurer OF the l. =. eX-otlicio commissioner
of the sinking fund, and pursuant to appropria-
tiunN made ny Congress. The accounts of the
Commissioners are settled and adjusted by the
the lst comptroller If the L. $. Treasury.-Vol.
20, p. 1o5: II, PIP. 162, 960.
The Commissioners make all contracts to
which the District is n party. under strict
quircmentS of law us to method of awarding
ana accounting for same.
The water supply of the District is obtained
from the Potomac river through a conduit nine
feet is diameter and about twelve miles long
which was constructed bv the United States
government and now delivers about 27,0OO.-
600 gallons daily. The large delivery mains
are laid at public expense, and the small mains
al the expense of private property adjoining the
streets in which they are laid, and paid for by
property. Consumers are charged according to
the number Of stories and extent OF frontage.
Meters are permitted to be used upon request
OF consumers, with a charge OF one cent per 100
gallons,
There is now in progress. anc nearing compile
ton, an extensive work having for It's object
the increase of facilities for distributing the wa
ter brought by the conduit aforesaid, by means
of an extension of the conduit and a new rescr-
VOir. under authority of an act of Congress. upon
the completion of which the suburban parts OF
the District Will have practically unlimited
supply of water
No special taxes are levied for paving and sew
erlng streets and other improvements. except
for water mains, all other public works being
paid for out Ofthc general fund. This. Ofcou S ?,
does not refer to public buildings and groun is
of the United states here, which are constructs
ed and cared Tor by appropriations by Congress
The debt of the District is under the manage
ment OF the Treasurer of the United States, pur-
Suant TO act OF congress, June II, 1875.
TIE LAWS IN FORCE
in the District are derived from many sources.
Much of the law of Maryland, when that state
gave TO the United states the present territory
in the District, was statutory and common law
received from England, which, with all other
law then extant in that state followed the Dis
tflct ana continues IN force IN 1t, except as
modified by subsequent enactmeuts of Congress
or the local municipal laws and ordinances.
At present IL Is almost impossible to he sure
of the law in many cases, because of the alb
sence of any compilation in the premises, and
the inaccesSbIity of many. Several ATTEMPTS
have been made to digest and arrange the laws
in force here in a manner convenient for access
and reference, but none of the codes so prepared
have been sanctioned by Congress, whose APP
prevail is necessary to give them effect. A
measure of that character is now pending In
that body.
GOVERNORS COOKE ARD SHEPHERD.
Governor Cooke genial, cultured gen
tleman, a true friend and faithful officer. His
business standing and tact made it possible to
float the Sl,O0O,OOO loan and equip the board
OF public works with the means to commence
bod
which he had comparatively little occasion to
use because of the more prominent part main
tanned Ex-Governor Shepherd in Distrit affairs.
He thoroughly appreciated the mission of the
board of public works, and gave its measures
loyal support; The name of Alexander K.
reverence. 1t was left to him and his colleagues
to show how the outlines OfrEnfant and Elliot
should be filled in, and few there are that find
fault with that part of their work. No one who
was not here at the time can form an idea of the
difficulties of the undertaking. Every obstacle
that jealousy, selffShness and frequently Just
Indignation could suggest was interposed to
discredit blackmail and obstruct the board, by
iniunctIOns and petitions to Congress by citi-
zens and the venality of Congressman and
others whose Influence could only be appeased
by direct or indirect interest in contracts, or
other concessions. Only man of Shepherds
herculean type could have made Roadway under
the circumstances, and even he succumbed, but
not until he mad assured the establishment of
his general plan and the permanency of Wash
ington as the seat of the general government.
When de became governor he DISPLAYED the
highest executive ability and had Distrint
affairs in smooth working order, when his
Office was abolished by act of June 20, 1874,
Mistakes he may have made, as the great
Goethe said, Judgment Is difficult" but no
charge against his official integrity has ever
been sustained. and his work, as whole Is the
basis of a Just fame.
The board of health never received due credit
for it, services in establishing here system of
sanitary supervision. features of which have
been adopted elsewhere. y little retroSpectiOn
gives cause to thank that body for freedom
from the aroma of dead animals, uncovered
garbage carts, and other effiuvia obtrusiyely
common before its epoch. .
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
Even the much abused legislative assembly
was not without its uses, and while some of the
haps better fitted for less honorable distinction
the great majority were as well qualified by in
tegrity and capacity for legislative duty as the
members any other like body. The legisla-
tive assembly lent public spirited support to
the board OF public works, and enacted, beside,
body OF local ordinances of general concern,
which Will compare favorably with the ordi-
nanCeS of any municipality. Many of the
members were trained legislators, and the mer-
its OF u body represented by many respected
clllZcnS ought not to be GverShadOwed by the
unstemly acts OF "A few members and hangers
on, who Were born buccaneers, and fifty ter
minated their official careers by carrying off
chairs, tables, feather busters, and other insg-
mia of office. when they were legislated into OBJ
liVion- The greater part of the constituents of
some of these worthless were not qualified to
bring much discrimination to bear In selecting
candidates, and for that reason many of our
citizens were not sorry when Congress relieved
them OF the labor of self-government.