Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-01-29
m additional outlay of over $4,000 a

committee, formed years aSo, w M
crease the pay of the policemen. Inc !
committee had promised to do Inns
whenever it could he done Will
out increasing taxation. That time
had come. and last year the rate
of taxation had been reduced ten cents
on the one hundred dollars after an
appropriation for increased pay mao
been arranged. Three of the commitIee,
however, mad opposed the increase;
hence the ordinance carrying out the
measure had not been presented 10
Council. Corporation bonds were now
selling at 80 and there was money
enoug b at hand to run the city unlll
the end of the fiscal year, providing no
unforeseen contingency occurs. In an
swer to an inquiry from MIR. Snowden
Mr.. Uhler said he had failed to see any
good reason for the increase, but no
was willing to try the experiment. he
expected, however, that the nexG
movement would be for an increase OF
pay.
MIR. Snowden again spoke in oppo,sl-
ton to the MEASURE, and referred TO MS
intercourse with the police force Wniie
acting as Mayor. He believed they
had an easy time and that the present
force was ample.
Mr.. McCuen moved concurrence IN
the action of the Board of Aldermen IN
granting the petition.
Mr.. Snowden and Mr.. Cation insisted
that the measure would be imperative
until an ordinance was passed liking
the number of policemen.
This was generally conceded, and
an amendment providing for this was
adopted.
MIR. Gator then moved an amend
meDt providing that Two OF the ADJ,
tional men to be elected be styled
station keepers, and that their pay
be fixed at $35 per month.
Mr.. Strider called Mr.. Cations atten.
ton to the fact that he (Mr. Caton) bad
on previous occasions when champion,
ing the bill for increased pay urged that
man needed at least $50 month ID
order to keep up his respectability and
to pay his honest debts, and now ne
proposes to cut mems pay down to $50
a month. 1t seemed paradoxical to him.
Mr.. Cation replied that the increase OF
the force was gratuity, and in dispens-
ing such benefits his action was allow
nble. This was not matter OF COM
pensation.
Mayor Thompson, who was present,
at this juncture asked the privilege oil
the floor. He said he had listened al
several meetings of Council to the de-
bates and criticisms upon the Police
Commissioners. of which body ne was
President en- oficio, and he was satisfied
the reflections came from those who
were unacquainted with the facts
in connection with the matters
thew discussed. For his part
it was immaterial whether the four ex-
ira men were elected or not; he did not
propose to argue the matter either way.
| IF the CITY Council gave him but six men
he would do the best he could with them.
Neither he nor the commissioners
had any personal interest in the mat
ter; they had no favorities to elect, but
had recommended the increase because
they believed the eXigences of the occa.
sion require it. Should the additional
men be elected the city would obtain
their services. The Mayor said that il
the City Council believed one man in
the day time could police the district
running from the wharf to Washington
street and from that point to Hunting
creek, properly guarding one-fourth OF
the CITY, and that two could do it in
the night time, he would not controvert
the assertion, but would leave the re.
sponaibility with Council. In regard
10 Mr.. Cations amendment providing
for station keepers he said he preferred
seeing the petition rejected if that, to
him, Objectionable feature remained.
He knew certain officers and their
friends had complained to members Of
Council of his procedure as Mayor in
appointing certain men to duty at the
station house. He did SO by virtue of
his prerogative as Mayor of the city
and had no apology to make for his
action. The Police Commissioners at
recent meeting had prepared rules for
the government of the police force, and
one of the rules provided that the Mayor
should surround himself with such
men at the station house as he should
prefer. These rules had been printed,
and now, should Mr.. Cations amend
ment be adopted, the police rules would
be.thrust aside and men foisted on the
Mayor who might fall very short of be-
ing what he might suppose the right
men in the right places. The Mayor
further said that the fact that two men
were kept at the station house had been
several times referred to while the Pc
tition now before the board was being
considered. He said two men were
kept at the station house, and for very
good reasons. Two alarms were likely
to come from different quarters of the
city at any time. After ten o'clock at
night one man was on duty.
The amendment was not adopted
and the measure upon being put on its
passage was passed by the following
vote Ayes, Messrs. Burke, Thompson,
Moore, Strider, Latham, Klaus, Harri-
son, Uhler, White and McCuen-10.
Noes, Messrs. Cation and Snowden-2.
When a request from the Robert
Portner Brewing Co. asking that the
Southern Railway be granted permits
sion to lay track on Wythe street from
st. Asaph to Lee, to connect with the
w. & O. tracks, came in from the Alder
men, Mr.. Uhler said he was not a
prophet, but that three years ago, when
the ordinance was passed to grade
Wythe street he had predicted that the
present request would follow and that
he had been booted at; he would not,