Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-13

present Congress in the House, and imme-
| diately after the reading Of the journal
| Chairman Babcock took the floor to pre-
| sent District business FOR the consideration
| of the House.
| The Highway Act.
He called up the bill, which has passed
the Senate, amending the Highway act Mr.
Hulick Of Ohio, who reported the bill,- ex-
| planned the necessity for the passage of the
bill to be the fixing of a court of appeal for
| cases arising under the operations Of the
| highway act
| Mr.. McMillin CTenn) expressed the fear
| chat the provision Of the amendment au-
| thorizing appeal to the Supreme Court of
the United States would fill that tribunal
with petty law suits arising out Of the
highway act, but Mr.. Hulick removed his
| apprehensions upol this score.
| Mr.. w. A. Stone (Pa) asked If this bill
| was not similar to one reported from the
| judiciary committee in the last Congress.
Mr. Hulick was not advised specifically
| upon this point, but thought it was a new
bill and not identical with the one refer
red to by Mr. Stone.
| Mr. Hepburn of Iowa raised the suggestion
| that 1t would be better to repeal the entire
| Highway act than to amend it, and Mr..
| Hulick responded that such a proposition
| was not under discussion.
Mr. Brumm of Pennsylvania insisted that
| instead of giving the court jurisdiction over
| the award of damages after they are made
| II would be wiser to extend jurisdiction over
! the method of making the award, so that 1t
could be controlled. He hinted at the pos
| s.bility of excessive awards under the pres
ent method and ventured the assertion that
| there is chance for more rascality over
real estate matters here than in any other
! city in the country
The Bill as Passed.
The bill was then passed. Tie measure
| as it goes to the President for signature
! provides that the Court in Special Term
| may certify to the Court of Appeals of the
| District of Columbia for decision there. In
the first instance. any question of law that
shall arise during any proceedings in said
| Court in Special Term under this act.
1t is provided that from any judgment
or order of said Court of Appeals involv-
ing any question as to the constitution
alty of this act or of any part thereof, any
| party aggrieved may, within thirty days
| tered, appeal TO the SupremesCoart of the
| United States.
To Extend Time for Assessments.
| Mr. Babcock then called up the House
| resolution to extend the time for making an
| assessment of real estate in the District.
| Mr. Richardson of Tennessee explained that
the time now fixed by law for making the
assessment is not sufficient to complete the
| work.
| The bill was passed without debate and is
| in full follows:
That the time fixed for the return of as
sessment by section of the act of August
| IA. 1894, providing for assessment of real
| estate in the District of Columbia he, and
the same is hereby, extended to the first
| Monday in April. 1896, as to the real estate
| in the present limits of the city of Wash
ington and that the time for returning the
assessment of real estate in that portion of
| said District outside the present limits of
| the city of Washington be, and the same is
| hereby, extended to the first Monday in Sep
| tember 1896
| Sec. =. That the time fixed by section of
| said act for the meeting of the board of
equalization and review be, and the same is
| hereby. postponed until the first day Of Sep
| tember. 1886, so far as it refers to that por-
| ton of the District of Columbia outside the
| present limits of the city of Washington,
and the said equalization and review shall
| be finally completed on or before the first
Monday in November, 1896.
Sec. }. That section of the act entitled
AN act for the support of the government
| of the District of Columbia for the fiscal
| year ending June 30, 1878, and for other pur-
poses" approved March 3, 1877, be- and the
| same is hereby. amended so to make the
whole tax levied under the assessment of
| that portion of the District of Columbia
| outside the present limits of the city of
Washington herein provided for due and
| payable on the first day of May, 1897, in
stead of one-half on the first day of Novem-
| Der, 1896. and one-half on the first day of
! May, 1897, as by existing law: Provided
That these amendments shall not extend be-
yond the fiscal year ending June 80 1897.
With the passage of this bill, there being
| no other business, Mr. Babcock yielded the
| floor for the consideration of the pension
| appropriation bill, and District day came to
an end
As to Asphalt Streets.
Mr. Huling CIV. Va.) has introduced bill
| in the House by request amending the high
way act SO as to provide that no straet
| within the District which has been opened
| under the direction of the Commissioners
| or which is in conformity with any sub
division made prior to August 81. 1883, and
| recorded, and which Is now paved with as
phalt or other street pavement, shall be
| altered. affected interfered with by any
| plan adopted, or anything done under or
| by virtue of the act of March >, 1893 (the
| highway acD, unless specially authorized
| by act of Congress.
| Extend the Time of Assessmcnt
The Senate today passed Mr.. Harris
| Joint resolution introduced on December 3
and reported favorably by Mr. Mcmillan
| from the con mittee on the District of Co.
| lumbia to extend the time for making an
assessment of real estate in the District of
| Columbia Its passage by the House also
makes it now necessary only to have The
| Presidents signature.
To Tax Itinernnt Nusfcians
In the Senate today Mr. Mcmillan intro
duced bills, upon request of the District
Commissioners, to regulate itinerant musi-
| clans in the District Of Columbia, and to
| give the district attorney power to admins
| ter oaths. etc. Both bills have been intro
duced in the House by Mr. Babcock.
Senate Bill. and Memorials,
In the Senate today Mr. Mcmillan, chair
| man of the committee on the District of CO.
lumbia, introduced a number of important
| bills and memorial from citizens Of the
District. The memorial lately introduced
| in the House by citizens and tax payers of
| Columbia Heights protesting against the
! establishment of an isolated hospital for
contagious diseases in the block bounded
| by Bismarck and Princeton streets, 7th
street and Sherman avenue, and published
] in full in The Star, was introduced in the
Senate by Mr.. Mcmillan.
Taxes and Tax Sales.
Mr. Mcmillan also introduced bill sim!-
| lar to the one introduced in the last Cor
greSs by Mr. Heard in the HouSe in reJa