Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-06

District, and also because they regarded 1t
as probable that the work might in the
near future be well and profitably done
without the Intervention of contractor
The experience gained since the LIST of
July under the system now in vogue has
enabled the superintendent of street Clean
ing to calculate the actual cost of hand
cleaning the entire area of the improved
! ways to be cleaned at a cost not to exceed
per 1000 square yards the expense now
incurred by machine cleaning. The Com
missioners have thereby been induced to
recommend that they be authorized at the
expiration of the existing contract. to have
the work of cleaning the streets and ave
nues done under their own direct super-
vision and without letting the same to the
lowest bidder.
The National Guard.
1.-The existing law requires that all leases
and contracts involving expenditures on ac-
count OF the militia shall be made by tire
commissioners OF the District of Columbia
and apprcpriat lions for the militia shall he
dishursed only upon vouchers duly author
lied by the Commissioners, for which thay
shall be held strictly accountable
THE great responsibility hereby imnoseJ
upon the Commissioners is without any
corresponding control over the use of any
OF the money. SO appropriated. All ex-
peEditures of the District government are
made upon itemized acquisitions, carefully
prepared and approved by the heads of the
departments making the same through the
prcper.y clerk or the superintendent of
property, and the Commissioners through
these officers have direct knowledge ard
control of the minutest detail of the same
In the matter of disbursements by the mill
tia, requisition for bulk sum is moda
py the Drtgadier general or the quarter
master, which sum is expended by the Of
hCers of the militia without consultation
with, supervision over or other control
whatever by officers appointed by or re-
m CT
Inc Commissioners in view of this far.
ana IN consideration of the further fact
that the militia is more properly a branch
~ ne war department, recommend that
they De relieved of the responsibility afore-
SAD. and that the entire supervision and
control OF the militia be vested in the Sec
rotary of War. -.
Census.
During the past year a census of the
population of the District of Columbia was
taken by the police department. which. it
Is believed, is as accurate as suca a census
can be, and which shows hat the total
population Of the District at that time.
April, 1897, was 211, 49, OF this number
lS?,4o7 were white, and SS.S25 coiored; IS
9IS reside in alleys of which 21JO are
white and 16S2S colofed, and 41,1.N5 reside
In the county, of which 27,.92 are white
and 1896 colored.
Police Department..
The report of the major and superin-
tendent Of police, which will he found ap-
pended to the report of the Commissioners,
Is of great interest giving, as ii does,
complete account of the work done by his
department. g.. ..-
With the growth OF the population, which
means naturally an Increased amount of
crime, owing to the necessities laid upon
those who are without support and who
are thus driven to theft, it is gratifying to
note that although the force has :.ot been
at all increased in any proportion to the
increased mere work put upon it, better results
have been achieved than ever before.
In this connection 1t Is worthy of note
that because the clerical force of the Dis
trict Is not adequateHto perform the pure
~ clerical work absolutely necessary, in
many instances the police are callel upon
to perform these duties, which is not at all
properly within the provisions of the police
department. To this extent ,ae force is
weakened. and 1t is all the more cred;.able
TO the department that it has been able to
accomplish such good results under such
adverse circumstances.
Increased Force Necessary.
The weakness of the force, SO far as the
numbers are concerned, is perhaps as
prominently seen in the matter of what are
called "foot-pads" as In anything else.
Where crime is expected and provisions are
made for patrolling those sections, serious
offernses have been kept well in hand, but in
me resident portion of the city, during the
cay, where the officers: are so few and so
Tar apart, these bold thieves, many of
whom present a well-dressed appearance,
and who are usually young lads from six
teen to eighteen years of age, disturb the
peace OF the entire neighborhood by boldly
snatching ladys purse and running off
with it.
Another evidence OF the necessity for an
increase or the force may be noticed in the
fact that many of our citizens, not feeling
satished with the protection of their homes
aHorded by the present force, pay monthly
for the services of additional watchmen,
VINO nightly patrol the streets and guard
their property. The number of these addi-
tional privates SO employed is about one
hundred.
Total Number Available.
The total number of privates for street
duty is $50. Out of this number are taken
fifty-seven men. detailed for special du-
ties. part of whom are assigned to the
Executive Mansion, which should have
force of it's own; part to the Police
Court. for which baiIiffs should be provid-
ed: part to the workhouse, where watch
men should be employed, and the balance
to other similar duties, none of which are
proper drains upon the police department.
rms leaves 4G} men available, from which
a still larger drain must be made for sick
ness and absence ON account of leave, this
NUMBER to be divided between day and
night watches, so that the largest number
available to guard the entire District at
night, covering a territory of ~ square
miles. is 166 men, but which will hardly
average more than lao men. This is out of
all proportion to the requirements and to
the numbers allowed in other cities.
New York, with population Of 1913. sol,
has 5,051 policemen to patrol Al square
miles; Philadelphia, with a population of
1,O46,7b2. has 2,451 policemen, to patrol 121
square miles; Chicago, population 1.O99, 752,
area 1877 square miles; has 300 policemen;
BROOKLYN, population S0A377. area 65 square
miles, has 1885 men; st. Louis, population
46O,3 57, area 60 square miles, has $780, Bos-
ton, population 446. 5O7, area 43 square
miles, has 1,09; Baltimore, population
44.1 51. area Is square miles, has 817; San
francisco, population 29s, 997. area Al
square miles, has h57; Buffalo, population
2o5. 684, area AZ square miles, has 636; Dis
trict of Columbia. population 100000, area
q square miles. will have in 1898 545 po-
licemen.
The Retired List.
Owing to the fact that until very re-
Gently there was 10 provision made for
retiring those who have grown old in
the service or who may be incapacitated
through injury received while in the line