The morning times., 1896-04-01

With their report to Congress upon Sen
ate bill 1860, which provides for 1.-The
adjustment and payment of certain claims
| against the District by dra wback certifl-
Gates, and for other purposes" mention OF
which was made i'll the Evening Times of
| yesterday, The Commissioners forwarded
communication from Attorney Thomas,
in which the date, number and disposi-
ton OF the suits brought against Alex
ander r. Shepherd, growing out of the de-
struction of Northern Liberty Market in
1872 were detailed.
The Commissioners conceded that the
| claims still pending are based upon equity,
| and that the parties interested were un-
able to file their claims before the ola
board of audit at the formal hearing OF the
cases.
Mr. Thomas finds there were but six
claims OH the docket of the Supreme Court
| of the District They were brought III
1875, 10y the following named stali-hold-
crs: Andrew X Wade, Elias Rasher, Will
lam $. Crown, Joseph Brather, Richard
P KING and Emanuel Lancaster. The
attorney says:
governor Shepherd interposed two
| plea the general issue, and special plea
| that the site occupied by the Northern
/ Liberty Market was the property OF the
| United States, and that on or about Sep
teInher i sT2, o. Z. Babcock. Major of
| Engineers, United States Army, in charge
! of public grounds md property Of the United
| States, requested and directed him as the
executive officer of the board of public
| works to have said market house imIne-
| diatefy removed, and that If any stalls
| stands fixtures or other property OF the
| plaintiffs were injured or disturbed as
! alleged III their declarations, II was done
| in the execution of the order OF said Eab-
| cock.
NEVER BROUGHT TO TRIAL.
The special pleas were demurrcd TO
| and the demurrcrs were sustained by the
court thus leaving the cases 10 be tried
ou the plea OF the general issue. with
| statement that any appropriate defense
| might be iutcrpoSed. The plaintiffs In
| these cases never brought them on for
trial, and under rule OF The court they
were stricken from The docket. the last
| one u late as 1880"
| There does not appear 10 have been
any claim made that the District was
liable TO any of those who were damaged.
1 On the contrary the facts disclosed i'll
| Gov Shepherds special plea We're true.
the superintendent OF public buildings and
! grounds was responsible for the act com-a
plained Of.
II appears from the Commissioners state
! mont or The claims mentioned as OF the
first rlass-lhoSc made for damages sus-
! tanned by RED son of the Improvements and
repairs made by the board of public works
that the board of audit considered 2.20S
cases for sums a ggregatmg S3.22S, 800. ~.
OF this amount. SS2T 625. 80 was allowed,
and more tuan So 900. 900 disalowed.
These claims were for property left on
| embellishments hy reason of excavations for
! street grades and the opening Of streets.
The ohjccD of The present legislation. the
| Commissioners say. is to enable persons
to obtain certificates on the old claims and
use them in paying arrears of taxaS, and
also 10 reduce the penalty for mon-payment
I or Iaze- to 8 per cent. per annuSl instead
OF The ] per cent per month which Others
had 10 pay.
As TO CORNER LOTS
The board pointed out alleged injustice
in the matter of claims againSl corner lot
assessments. ana in summing up, say that
slight irregularities Will apparently exist
under any form of assessment, even be-
tween one corner lot and another, and the
attempt at this date to read Just the assess
mcntS OF corner lots would only open the
door TO all lOt-uwncrS who have paid any
tax whatever for special purposes during The
existence of The board OF pIfhii. works
For these and other reasons the Commits
siOncrs recommend adverse action upon the
hil
| Under the provisions of a bill submitted
by the Commissioners TO Congress vest erlay
itinerant musicians and proprietors of
merry -go-foundS will hereafter pay Ii
Cense for the privilege Of furnishing the
public with amusement.
COST OF LICENSE.
The stroller with his street piano or
haud-orgau will pay at the rate of S12
per annum, and is prohibited from infIict-
ing his music upon persons who Will be
disturbed thereby. He must not go within
two squares of a public or private school.
and IL he violates The law ne NAV be
brought before the police court and fined.
Proprietors OF merry -go-rOunds. flying
horses, CaTOuSSals, or flying swings are
taxed S3 per day or So per week. and il
is made unla wrul, punishable by fine of
not less than - nor more than S25. for
each violation. To carry on the business
without a license.
The assessor is 2uthOrizr! 10 grant or
refuse the license. or toarnul, for cause, any
license issued under the provisions OF this
section.
JUD GMENTS WITHINTEREST.
The Commissioners yeste rday recon-
mended favorable action on House bill
1853, Which provides that all judgments
rendered in civil causes, shall bear inter
est from the date OF judgment.
They suggest several amendments TO tie
bill, however, among them one 10 the effect
|
interest shall not apply to judgments ds
against the District. IN such cases the
interest rate is fixed at Fer cent.
District Attorney PIrncy has written Il
letter 10 Attorney :. I. Thomas, correcting
a statement that appeared i'll former
! letter of his with reference to the effect o f
the bin to authorize racing. MIR. Birney
had said ii would not change existing Law
as to bnoknaking, when he meant to say
that il would not change the law as applied
beyond the mile limit The proposed law.
he said, viii permit betting on any race
course within that limit, as prohibited by
the act of S91.
Licenses were granted yesterday as
follows: John 6. Bieigk. No. 737 Seventh
street northwest: John Curtin No. 326S NJ
street; Eugene +. Sweeney. No 800 Half
a street southeast; Casper j. Msel, No. 1900
Eleventh street southeast.
Fitzgerald 4 Whelaps application for
saloon at 202 u street northwest, was
rejected al their own request.
Twenty-three Saloon-keepers were under
notice 10 close their doors last night at
D ! = clock, and they and their friends were
before the excise board in great number tC
secure an extension. Among them We're the
| foregoing, whose cases were reCOnsidcreC
and the applications approved.
THOSE UNDER NOTICE.
= The Others were: John B. Buckley, No
1885 I street northwest W. d. CFonin, No
D 2l5 Virginia avenue southwest: Nj. j
q Cook, corner Twenty-seventh and X streets
A northwest; John j Dugan. No. / 10 Four-and
a-half street northwest; CathHrine Gleason
No. 114 First street northeast; Eizabetf
4 Gug, No. 1851 Third street southwest; G
A A. Hassclberger, West End Hotel; NJ. A
NJ c.rn fl.tr- .