The morning times., 1896-01-21
Commissioners Favor Bill Pro-
viding for Its Erection.
NO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR
Substitute Measure Is Proposed for
the One Asking for the Creation of
the New Office -Testamentary Sys-
TEN of the District Is Thought to
Answer All Purposes.


ate ana House District Committees, n let
ter in support Of House bill 265S, authoriz-
ing the erection of municipal building
and court-house for the District, which
was referred to the board for its cxamina-
ton and report.
Among the reasons assigned for the
favora be Recommendations by the Commits
sioners are, in substance, these:
The municipal offices OF the District ire
at present housed in rented buildings. The
accommodations afforded are not capaciOus
enough either for the work of the EN-
p.oyes or the convenience OF the public.
A number of the officers and many of the
records occupy apartments separate from
the present rented municipal building. The
courts OF the District are Also lily accom-
modated in the Old City hall building.
new building having separate parts for
The District government and the judiciary
should be erected upon judiciary Square,
upon and adjacent 10 the city han sire.
A structure OF mat character, which would
be- in keeping with the dignity of the
capital OF The nation, would invoive IA cost
OF S2,5OU,OOO, as proposed in the bill.
COST IN OTHER CITIES.
Comparison with the cost OF municipal
buildings elsewhere shows that the demand
for the Washington STRUCTURE Is moderate.
In Providence the cost was 81 ,066,ySS
in Cincinnati, 81 400 COO in iurfaio,
81 ,45O 900; in Chicago, Sl.7l6,O0o: III
baltimore, $4,000 600; San Francisco.
S5,OUu,Uda; Philadelphia, S14 900, 900.
In concluding his letter President Ross
says the boaru has estimated Ior SlO0,UUU
TO begin construction, AMI II i $ earnestly
nopeu that authority for the Soniu,iIce-
ment of the building Will be given without
d clay.
the Commissioners have sent to Con
gress with their favorable recommended
tion n substitute FOR House bill 1858, re-
Gently submitted, whicn provided for the
appointment OF a public administrator
for the District.
The substitute measure presents a very
different solution Of the problem under con-
sideration 10 that offered in the first bill.
President Ross, who signed the letter
transmitting the substitute, calls attention
TO ana indorscs a letter from the attorney
for the District, which presented the ob-
jections TO the original measure.
In his opinion Attorney Thomas says:
The office of public administrator in the
District is unnecessary, and the statis-
tics furnished by Mr. Sylvester, chief clerk
of the police department, show II. Aside
from this we have what is generally ad-
10 bt tiit va iHt bSsl
systems in this country. The passage OF
the biIl-the one referred to-would inter-
fcrc with existing law"
In my opinion" concludes Mr.. Thomas
section 4l6 or the Revised Statutes re-
lating TO Tie District should be amended
so as to provide for the personal estates OF
persons for which there is no claimant
or administrator.
Mr.. Thomas prepared the substitute bill
vi ha ,.ii ip, n ttssy- az ts "a
,nc iEdorscd.by the Commissioners ycsteS-
day. ff--
WHAT IT, PROVIDES. 1yr7
/; provides in effect thai all property of
less tIln $40 IN vafue that sDaH lie taken
rs he effects oT deceased persons and shan
come into possession OF the police properly
cierK, si.ah be created as utner articles III
ais possession and disposed OF us ahanaoned
,,ropcr,y at tie EXPIRATION OF che Year. lr
uf more iha II $50 In vaiuc the records shall
be Ger, ,ifi,d to the orr haus' court and an
,.dmiiIisi irdtur appointed.
Among The incidents recited by Chief
Clerk Richard II. SAhcster of the ponce
department, whose ietter in discussion OF
he measure accompanies The papers to
Congress, is the case of a man afne Pat,
,erson, who died in this city IN 1sSi, ana
IL is noted 10 emphasize The necessity for
some provision in law for the disposition
or property thus taken.
David Patterson he says, died July
l. 1854, in;cstate and without leaving any
reXt OF kin, SO far as known. AT the time
of his death he occupied Il room in The
Federal building.
the corcner found on the body S655.1O,
which on July 10, 1894, he turned over to
me as property clerk. Several years later,
in obedience to the orders of the Commis-
sioners, as l Ecld, in conformity with sec
lion 4l6 of the Revised statutes, and as
had been the practice for years, | depos-
ilCd the amou mt to the credit OF the police
mems fund
Seven years after PattersoD's death one
kurtZ, who claimed TO have applied salve
to the sore back of the deceased during his
lifetime, applied for letters of administra.
tion.
The case was taken la the court of ap-
peals. where il was held that letters N ap-
piled for should issue, and Congress APP
propriatcd the amount That had been de-
pnsiled To the credit of the policemens
fund to repay the administrator, with In
terest. This was the first interference with
what had been the practice for over twenty
years"
Mr. Sylvester says further that the
Patterson case was the first that had
come to his knowledge in over thirteen
years of his experience, when the heirs
were not found and where the amount of
money found exceeded 500.
CLEANING AWAY SNOW.
The omission frcm the urgent deficiency
bill of the item asked for by the Commits
sioDeTs for the emergent work of cleaning
the streets OF snow, as provided for under
the act of March,, 1855, is regarded with
a good deal of regret at the District
Building. The requirement is laid upon the
Commissioners to do this work. but there
Is no 1yailnb1 r 10
and should there come a heavy fall Of
snow such as covered the town last Feb
ruary, the District authorities will be
powerless to execute the law.
There are over three hundred miles of
cutters to be kept clear, to say nothing of
the crossings that must also be kept open
for a width of ten feet each. In addition
the unimproyed streets are to be looked
after, and there is but little more than
$4,000 now in hand for the entire work.
which must last until June 80, next.
The Commissioners asked for $50, 900 for
the specific matter required under the act
quoted, and the argument in favor of the
appropriation, s made before the Con-
gressional committee, was tina II 1t shall
fortunately happen tina I the money is not
needed, it can be conveyed back into the
Treasury. IF. however. there should be
urgent need for the fund, there will be
no means of supplying it, and the Ia W will
simply be a dead letter.
Casper Weibezehl has been ppointetl an
additional private on the Metropolitan
police force. for duty at the school build
ing now being constructed at the corner
of First and Pierce streets northwest.
1t has been ordered by the Commissioners
that steam engineers licenses be issued as
follows: First-class, Henry E. Klant; third
class. Charles c. La wrepce and L. e.
Morgal.