Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-09

IL
for their report, which was favorable to the
bill and accompanied by q report from Mai.
| Moore, in which he urgently favors the bill,
| saying that at present girls must be sent to the
work house or Jail to grow from bad to worse
and finally to fully graduate in crime. Letters
| in regard to the bill we're received from Chief
Justice Bingham Of the Supreme Court Of the
District and from Judge Miller of the Police
| Court. Both gentlemen expressed strong views
in favor Of the measure. CHIEF Justice Bing-
| ham said.
The justices Of this court have considered
| the proposition and unanimously Of the
! opinion that provision for such . reformstory
is imperatively demanded.
| Annually hundreds of young girls como be-
| fore the courts in this city charged with Of
| lenses more or less serious. usually those who
| are without any proper or efficient guardian
ship, whose reformation under proper auspices
might be hoped for. If punished they must be
! imprisoned to mingle with felOns Of every
grade, with certainty that their moral status
| will only be degraded thereby. IL released from
| the particular charge preferred they are turned
loose to pursue their downward course to utter
| ruin"
Judge Miller in his letter said: 81 cannot ex-
| press too strongly my opinion - to the neces-
| sity for the establishment of q reform school
| for girls in the District of Columbia. 1t is al
most daily occurrence to have girls OF tender
years brought before me charged with various
| offenses. The report Of the superintendent OF
police for the last year shows that seven hun
/ dred and forty-two girls under twenty-one
years of age were arrested in the District Of
Columbia during that period. 'Disorderly
conduct petty larceny profanity va
| grancy,' assault and battery simple assault
| toxication' and suspicion were among the
| charges upon which they were arrested. OF
this number a considerable portion ought to be
sent to a reformatory institution.
| There being no place in the District of
Columbia to which these girls can be sent other
than the United States Jail and the District
work house, and the longest sentences to the
work house possible under the law being ninety
| days, it Is unnecessary to say that am often at
| a loss as to what disposition to make of some of
| the offenders. They are often without home or
| friends, living in an atmosphere of vice and
| Generalization, and to send them to the Jail or
| the work house is simply to confine them for a
! short period, to return. when enlarged, to their
| old associates. These reformatory institutions
having been so effective with boys it is difficult
to see why their benefits should not be extended
| to girls"
| THE INSPECTION OF PLUMBING.
| The next bill on the calendar for the District
committee provides for q sanitary engineer in
the District The bill provides for the appoint
ment of an inspector of plumbing and the
necessary number of assistants, and gives the
| Commissioners power through such inspector
to make regulations governing the examination
and registration of plumbers and the practice
modify and enforce regulations governing
| plumbing house drainage and other matters
of similar nature. The inspector is en-
powered to examine the plumbing, drainage
object Of the bill is to provide for the public
health by maintaining by inspection proper
standard in these important lines
Another bill on the calendar authorizes the
Commissioners to annul and cancel the subdi-
vision of part of square 1l2. known as Cooke
icin 10 inf ard
was made by A. NJ. Bell in 1885.
THE SOUTH CAPITOL STREET BRIDGE PROJECT.
An important House resolution on the calen-
dar from the committee is the one authorizing
the Secretary OF War to make a survey, plan
and estimate OF the cost of constructing a
| bridge across the Eastern branch of the Poto-
| mac river.
This resolution refers to the proposed bridge
| at the foot of South Capitol street which has
been SO energetcally pushed by residents of
AnacOstla and that nelghbOrhoOd. 1t was first
| hoped by the projectors that bill could be
! passed this session for this purpose, but as the
| cost was in some doubt and the question of
dredging the stream arose, it was decided to
| only ask the passage OF the resolution calling
| for an accurate survey and estimate. The pro-
| moters of this resolution claim that the build
| ing OF bridge at this point would be of serv-
ice in many ways, furnishing an inlet for farm
produce which now has to be carried over high
hills to the Navy Yard bridge, furnishing also a
| direct route to the lands and reservation Of the
| government on that side of the branch. The
government owns four tracts Of land on the
| eastern shore-St. Elizabeth's Asylum, the
| magazine property, Fort Foote and Fort Wash
| ington. For the reaching of these points it il
claimed the bridge will cut of five miles The
bridge is also urged from q sanitary point OF
view, affording means for carrying the city
| garbage so far from the capital that the east
| ern section might be entirely rid Of it.
THE GEORGETOWN AND ARLINGTON ROAD.
There a number Of street railway bills on
the calendar reported from the committee, one
| of which was considered for some time on April
%. Considerable opposition to the bill arose
| at that time and the bill has not since been
| taken up. This is the bill chartering the
| Georgetown and Arlington Railway Company
which company wishes to run a line from the
| termination Of the Washington and George
| town road at point on NJ street between 32d
and 33d streets, across the Aqueduct bridge to
Arlington and Falls Church. The road is to be
| by cable or electric power.
HAY AND GRAIN INSPECTION.
bill creating the Office OF inspector Of hay,
straw, grain. and feed in and for the District
| of Columbia is another Of the bills on the
calendar. The inspector is to be appointed by
| the Commissioners for a term of four years
| unless sooner removed for cause, and regula-
| tlons as to fees, &C., of the Office are to be
| made by the Commissioners. The inspector ID
to give bonds in $1,000, and is to grade all the
hay, straw, &c, brought to the city.
| THE CRoss-TowN ROAD.
One Of the railway bills on the calendar
which has created considerable comment is the
| bill Incorporating the Cross-town railroad
| There has been a large amount Of discussion az
to the cross street on which this road should
run Q street was originally selected. but on
account of the opposition from the property
holders on this street the plans were changed
| and street chosen and III spite of a protes,
| signed by practically all Of the property hold.
| ers on this growing street the committee re-
ported the bill with street as the cross avenue
for the road. 1t Is intended that this road shall
be run by compressed air by means Of the
| Judson pneumatic tube arrangement. The bill
| does not mention this fact, but that is the
| plan. The proposed route OF the road is: Be-
| ginning at the corner of 35th and U streets
| West Washington; thence along U street ia
| 29th street; thence along goth street to @
| street, thence along q street. crossing Rock
| creek on a bridge to be built by the railway
| company and to be maintained as a public
| thoroughfare, with good and sufficient carriage
| and foot way, and constructed under the di-
rection and subject TO the approval of the Com
| mlssioners continuing thence in an easterly
| direction along boundary street to street;
| thence easterly along street to Boundary
| street; thence along Boundary street to North
Capitol street; thence along North Capitol
street to Massachusetts avenue: thence along
| Massac husetts avenue to + street north; thence
| along street to Sd street west; thence along
81 street to Boundary street; thence along