The evening times., 1896-12-10
Attorney General Sustains War
den Leonard in His Report.
QUARTERS ARE INADEQUATE
Additional Accommodation Should
BE Provided for Female Prison
ers = Potomac Flats Litigation
Status-R Reform School Appoint
ments-Bell Telephone.

District of Columbia. In reSaru 10 INC
District Jail, Mr.. Harmon says
THE Jail in the District OF Columbia
seems to be in excellent condition ana
its management satisfactory. The pris-
oners are well fed at moderate cost, and
the total expense Of conducting the 1nsutu'
tion has not been increased.
Il again invite attention To the neceS-
sity for adGitiOnal accommodations Tor
female prisoners the present quarters De
ing wholly inadequate. Repairs are also
required in order To preserve the jail walls
This can be effected by concreting SUI
fiCient space at the base of the walls, and
the work should be done as soon as pos
sible l recommend an appropriation OF
81 500 for these purposes
Il mention again the advisability of
wall around the jail. L his Improvement
has been recommended in former reports,
and | think that the additional security
it, would afford should no longer be With
held.
During the year ending October l,
1896, 3,z02 prisoners were committed TO
the jail, with a daily average of 30S. The
details concerning them, showing offrnSes
committed, etc, are given Ill the warden
report"
Touching the reform Schools the report
continues:
..Ihe report of the board of trustees Of
shows that at the beginning Of the last fiscal
year there were in the school 221 boys;
there were received during the year lOI,
a total of 32s, as against 3l3 for the pre-
vious year SiXty-seveu of those received
were committed 10y the po!ise court, and
eight by the supreme court of the District
OF Columbia. eighteen hy United States
courts outside of the District, and fourteen
by the president of the hoard Of trustees.
"There were discharged during the year
eighty nine by order of the trustees, four
teen by expiration n of sentence tUnited states
courtS), two by order of court tchanSc OF
SENTENCED, one 10y pardon, and four escaped
and are still absent, leaving in the school
June 80, S96, 21S. There were no deaths
during the year, and the general health
of the inmates has been and Is good.
DISCHARGES SHOULD BE LIMITED.
''In last years report | said: THE trus-
tees say they have been for years OF the
opinion that the discharge from the school
should be limited, not absolute, and that
Congress should be asked to provide Icy
legislation for such control 10y the board
OF trustees OF the boys after discharge as
will enable it to reclaim and return to
the school any boy who, by his bad con-
duct, shows himself amtnable to recon-
mitmcnt." They state that a bill on tlis
subject was favorably reported TO the
House OF Representatives at the first seS
sion of the Fiftieth Congress, but was
not acted upon"
Il think the suggestion of the board
good one, and repeat my recommendation
OF last year that Congress take action on
It. | approve also Of the boards views
as to the use Of the boys time and the
extension OF the schools instruction in
handicrafts and manual training.
4 ne I.cfuIm SCnODI for ems 81 the DIs-
trict of Columbia. built to accommodate
November 4, 1898. SiXty-two have since
heen received at the institution, forty have
been released as reformed or have been
apprenticed, five have been returned to
the scho ol-three by the Board of Childrcn's
Guardians and two by persons to whom
they were apprenticcd.
The report of the president of the hoard
of trustees shows the condition of the
sch' oil at the end of the last fiscal year.
Since that date . new superintendent has
been appointed WHO appears to be very
capable and enthusiastic in her work, and
ready TO devote all her energies to The
welfare Of the institution. The failure to
secure these qualities in previous superin-
tendcnts have caused much trouble and an
noyaHce.
II lie recommendations made In the re
port meet with my approval. / urge that
Congress enlarge the school, appropriating
S50,uOO for a new building, which will en-
able the school to care for more inmates al
very little increase of expense. The grow
ing population of the District has made the
school entirely too small.
APPOINTMENTS
ION October 2s, 1895. the board of
trustees appointed treasurer OF the school,
which appointment was confirmed by the
District Commissioners OH December Is,
1S.5, on condition that no liability for
the salary of said treasurer was to be in
CURED until an appropriation should be
made therefor by Congress. An appro-
priation of $50 per month from January
l To June 80, S96, was made by ongress
for this purpose. AT present the treasurer
| has no compensation, and recommend that
an appropriation of $50 a month be ct
| once made.
The school is not Observation-Disclosures
and ! again suggest that il be placed in the
| District appropriation bill, under the head
of reformatnricS and prisons, and not under
the head of charities, where it has always
appeared.
Il believe it to 1e for the interest of
| the school that the appointments made by
the board of trustees should be confirmed
or approved by the Attorney General and
not by the Commissioners of the District
as at present. This would avoid delay and
would place the school in the same relation
to the Department as the Reform School
/ can see no reason for any distinction, and
| its existence gives rise to unnecessary
| trouble and inconvenience.
''At the date of the last report the
testimony under the order of reference to
| ascertain the compensation to be paid 10
| the owners of portions of squares 63, 80
| / 90 and 4S, over which the tide ebbed and
| flowed at the time the work of reclamation
| began. has been taken and submitted The
| court has now acted and reported to Con-
gress, under date of March 2, S96, as pro-
vided III the third section of the act author
| iZing the proceedings. Certain Dprsuns
| whose claims are classified and dcSeribe,lin
| the report of the attorney in charge have
| appealed TO the Supreme Court ofthe United
| States.
| BELL TELEPHONE CASES.
THE suit by the government to cancel
| the Berliner patent United States VS.. he
| American Beh hTelephone Company and Emil
| Berliner) has recently been argued and
submitted to the Supreme Court.
| THE testimony for the government in
rcbuttal in United States VS.. the American
| Bell Telephone Company and Alexander
Graham Bell, commonly called the Bell
| telephone case pending in the district
| OF Massachusetts, is almost concluded but
| the sole counsel for the government Mr.
| Charles s. Whitman, of Washington, having
| died during the summer, | have not felt
| justified in employing other counsel for
| several reasons-iirst, the patents in con-
| troyersy have long since expired; second
the only practical advantage which it is
now possible for the government to obtain
| VIII come from its winning the Rerincr
| case above mentioned; if it lose that case
| l See no sound reason for pursuing the
other case further; third, "a very large sum
| has already been spent in the preparation
anu conduct OF this case. some of the de-
! tails OF which Were stated in the last
| reDOrt- Ile nXnpnSa pf al iY,tr N