Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-28
OPENING S Al ED LIPS
Commissioners Will Let Prudent Subordi-
mates Talk.
The "Exclusion'' Order Not Yet Re-
scinded, but the Commi ssiOners
Are Tiring of 1t.

seriously tnterfered with the gathering OF
news at the District building since the
PRONUNCIATION of the extremely repressive
order of the Commissioners, issued three
weeks ago, are rapidly vanishing. and, in
the ordinary course of events, will soon
cease to be.
The most Objectionable paragraph in the
order was. that which provides that mo
employe IN the District building except the
secretary of the board will be allowed to
give out information for publication" 1t
may fairly be stated that the paragraph
no longer has the support Of the Commits
sioners. although they insist that. for a
while at least, it shall stand on the books
of the office issued. The natural results
of the rule in question We're unexpected
by those who framed the regulations; they
ina gined that all searchers after news
would apply to the secretary and be con-
tent with the modcums which he might
see fit or be instructed to dole out. The
conclusion was not well founded, and in
practice has turned out to be an utter fail
rre. for the newspaper hustlers have taken
to worrying the Commissioners as to mat
ters that heretofore have been attended to
by minor officials.
Too Much Worry.
AS result the usually onerous duties of
the Commissioners have been a trihe more
tnan ordinarily burdensone, and this bur-
den would have continued steadily to be-
come more weighty had not the Commits
sioncrs decided to relax the rule with which
so much fault has reasonably heen found.
1t having been made plain that the prohi-
bition contained in the paragraph quoted
was too sweeping, the Commissioners have
informally agreed to take the metaphorcal
muzZles off the mouths Of such of their
subordinates as are supposed to have COM
mon sense enough to know what interests
the general public and what is practically
Of r,rfS To nttrrH Noln ~ of
exemption is going On In a quite satisfac-
tory fashion, and in little while about all
the District employees wio, are so situated
as to have news to give out will be noti-
fled that the rule dceS not apply to them
except when special reports are in question.
Already the chief Of police, the health Off
cer the chief of the fire department, the
building Inspector and one Or two other of
the more prominent officials have been ex-
empted from the operations Of the rule, and
as rapidly as the reporters can secure the
release of other tongues the good work of
emancipation will go on.
Complaints Received.
There yet remains slight difference of
opinion as to letters received by the Com
missioners. Most of these communications
are complaints, anl in times past some of
the complainarts have felt aggrieved be-
cause their rames have appeared in con-
Eecton with the reforms they desired the
Commissioners to make.
The Commissioners have felt that the
grievance alleged was a real one, but are
considering the advfsability of giving to
the newspapers these complaints on con-
dition that the names and addresses of the
writer's be not published. At least two of
the Commissioners are favorable to such
action, and it is quite likely that decision
will be reached by tomorrow. The Com
missioners seem now to realize that there
is good deal of news of general public in
terest in the complaints filed at the Dis
trio h,ri11 hoy hn fS
sible to get that news into circulation and
at the same time, if the complainants so
desire. conceal from newspaper readers the
identity of the writers.
The Commissioners Explaining.
Today all three of the Commissioners are
quite emphatic in declaring that never at
any time had they intended interfering
with the printing of legitimate news mat
ter, but they realize that their order has
worked badly and that many of the Dis
trict employees have been foolish enough to
be governed by the unmistakable prohi-
bition evident in the paragraph previously
quoted The Commissioners are now en-
gagged in disabusing the minds of those Of
ficials who somehow or other did not feel
empowered to take the order in a Pick
Wickian sense.
Vaults In Alffys.
A new building regulatioA as to the con-
struction of vaults in alloys is proba-
bility. The people who are putting up the
Lafayette Square Opera House want to
have vault in the alley in the rear of the
building, and made application for the
necessary permit. In times gone by such
permits have been issued, but since the day
when the engineer department found an
alley vault an obstacle to the laying of
sewer all requests for such permits have
been denied-not because the Commission
ers had ordered it, but because Col. Rob-
ert, when District Commissioner, had
tha iy,cy 80 h,,;1 4 hot
fusal was the proper thing in such cases.
An impression seems to be abroad that the
Commissioners are decidedly favorable to
a regulation that will allow the vault to be
Department of Justice, which has vault
in the same alley, will be allowed to in
crease the vaults area, so that the Attor-
ney Generals stock of coal will in the fu-
ture be about one hundred and fifty tons,
instead, as at present sixty tons.
The Police Court Building.
The Commissioners will open bids next
Monday for the proposed improvements to
the Police Court building. AS it is today,
the building can hardly be called a suitable
one for the purposes to which it is put, but
the contemplated improvements, which are
quite extensive In character, will make it
rather more attractive and habitable.
Building Permits.
Building permits ssued today were as
follows. T. H. Pickford, to erect eleven
two-story frame dwellings on lot 3, square
500, fronting P street southwest, to cost
81, 500. J. Edward Chapman, to erect two
two-story brick dwellings on lots 81 and
Sc, fronting street southwest, to cost
$500. VIM. f. Fortune, to erect two two
story frame dwellings, fronting Douglass
avenue, Barry Farm, to cost $500.
Subdivision Plated.
r. E. l.. White and S. S. Henkle have
asked the Commissioners to approve their
subdivision Of Harewood Park.
License Granted.
The Commissioners have granted sec
ond-class engineers license to Charles Can
ter.
Private Appointed.
C. W. Buhler, having satisfactorily served
his probationary term, has been appointed
a private in the District of Columbia fire
department.
The Sunken Steamer.
Harbor Master Sutton has filed with the
Commissioners a statement of the condi-
ton of the slip in which the hull of the
Lady of the Lake lies sunken, and the
same has been referred to the Treasury
Department. With reference to the OBJ
struction caused by the wreck OF the
steamer Lady of the Lake the Commits