Evening star., 1894-01-01

Another important change among District
officials was the retirement of George c.
Hazelton, the attorney for the District,
whose resignation was called for in April.
His assistant, Mr.. S. T. Thomas later on
was appointed to the position, and Mr.. A.
b. Duvan made assistant to the district
attorney. In April Mr.. John Tracy of New
York was appointed superintendent of
charities in the place of Mr.. A. q. Warner,
who had resigned. In July DIR. d. C.Pat-
terson resigned the position of coroner
and DR.. w. c. Woodward was appointed.
By these changes two out of the three Dis
trict Commissioners were new men ap-
pointed during the year. The third Com
missioner Mr.. Ross, still retains his posi-
ton, although his term of office has expir-
ed, and either his reappointment or the
selection of some new man is expected at
any time.
Possibly the affair which has given the
District governing powers the most trouble
during the year has been the question or
the disposal of the city's garbage The Ma
tional Sanitary Company has had the con-
tract for collecting all garbage. but the job
has been by no means an easy or popular
one. Complaints and counter-complaints
have been of daily occurrence. Citizens
have demanded daily garbage service, and
as far as practicable the Commissioners
have provided such service. During the
heated term the most populous sections OF
the city were visited daily by the garbage
men. South Washington has complained
not so much over the non-collection OF gar
National Sanitary Companys plant in that
locahty. Within a few weeks the Gordian
knot of this difficulty was cut by the de-
struction OF the building belonging TO the
Sanitary Company through fire. Since then
the garbage has been carried down the river
and destroyed there.
The question of theater regulations has
arisen several times during the year and
given the District officials much trouble.
The arrangements of egress from Metzerott
Hall were brought 10 the attention of the
Commissioners by Senator Mcmillan, chair
man of the Senate District committee, early
In the year. In the last month the question
of the issue of permit for a new theater,
which Mr.. Albaugh desires to build on II
street between 18th and 14th streets. has
been the cause of much discussion and sew
eral public hearings, the authorities of CO.
lumbar University, the members of the
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church
and others owning property in the neigh
borhood objecting to the location of the
theater there.
During the year the engineer department
has made several thorough investigations
and reports on the need and the desira blity
of some action to improve the condition of
Rock creek, or rather that portion which
separates Washington from Georgetown.
The issuing of liquor licenses by the Dis
trict Commissioners, sitting as an excise
board, has been a matter of no little diffi-
Guilty. The new liquor law going into ef-
feet during the year complicated matters,
and public hearings, legal opinions and gem
eral rows have been of almost weekly oc-
currence.
Congress at its last session provided i'm
the appropriation bill for the location and
building of a contagious disease hospital
The hospital. however, has not yet either
been located or built. Citizens In which
ever section has been picked out as a site
for the hospital have protested so vigorous
ly that action has been impossible. The
engineer department of the District govern
ment have been at work during the year
In the completion of the maps in regard to
the extension of the streets throughout the
District. and work has been done on one or
two streets provided for by Congress.
Others will be started as early as possible
An Important matter arising during the
year and favored by the District Commits
sioners has been the proposed issue of
bonds to a large extent to forward needed
| improvements throughout the District A
number of citizens proposed an issue of SlO.-
100000 worth of District bonds, the money
! to be expended i'm extending the streets
completing the new sewerage system and
other Improvements. After thoroughly con-
sidering all phases of the question the Dis
| trict Commissioners have placed themselves
on record as in favor of bond issues aggre-
eating $,5W,Uo0, the amount realized to be
expended on much-needed improvements.
including the sewer system recommended
by the commission of experts.
| Several hearings and much discussion
arose during The year over the location of
transfer station at 18th and Pennsylvania
avenue, and many plans were proposed and
discarded. The difficulty was finally settled
by placing the station on the west side of
18th street by the Treasury Department.
In January the municipal lodging house
was opened, and in the same month the
board of equilzation furnished its revision
of the assessment and adjourned. Much
complaint has been made of inequality and
unfairness of the assessment as il stands.
and of errors made by the assessor The as
SCISSOR of the District has recommended an
entire new assessment
Acting under a recently rendered opinion
fnr nF frs.. 49,
missioners have declined to grant permis-
sion to the electric light company to erect
new poles on street where they had a con-
duit. and required them to place their wires
under ground.
District Legislation.
The year in Congress has not been prolific
of legislation affecting the District of Co
lunbia in point of quantity, but has been
rather conspicuous in measure of quality,
inasnluch as the few laws enacted have
been of an important character. An expla-
nation for the smallness in numbers of the
District laws enacted may be found, per-
haps, in the fact that the short session of
Congress fell in the past year, and District
measures were crowded out by the demands
of the nation for general legislation and the
clamorous demands of the appropriations
committee for right Of way in the House
for it's bills.
1t is true that Congress was in extraor-
binary session for three months during the
summer and autumn, but the all-absorbing
topic of the nations finances made il I'M
possible to secure attention to District af-
fairs. Nothing is ever done in the first three
weeks of the reassembling in December
therefore 1t may truthfully be said that the
District had only two months of Congress In
the year.
Notwithstanding this fact, two most con-
spicuous pieces of legislation were enacted
the liquor license law and the law creating
the new Court of Appeals. When Congress
assembled in December, 1872. il found the
District of Columbia practically without a
system of LAWS regulating the liquor traffic
There was a clamorous demand for legisla-
ton upon this line. and the House District
committee, under Chairman Hemphill, set TO
work Immediately to meet the necessities of
the occasion. Hearings were given to all
parties concerned and the District officials
were called upon for their opinions. Finally
bill reported to the House was carefully
considered and debated at length, and pass
ed that body without material opposition.
In the Senate ii was again subjected to
careful scrutiny, was amended. and the
changes concurred in by the House 1t
went to the President and received his sig
nature in the closing hours of the Fifty
second Congress. AS every one knows the
new law raises the license upon the LIQUOR
traffic and makes some other important
changes.
The other act referred to is that providing
for the organization of the District Court
of Appeals. Judge Culberson, chairman of
the House judiciary committee got his