The times., 1899-10-28
A QUESTION oF SALARY.
Necessity for Policeman at "A Cross
Ing to Be Decided.

Ing to BE Decided.
1t is expected that the Attorney for the
District will be presented with an intri-
cate question to decide within the course
of the next few days, when matter which
has been submitted TO the Commissioners
for their decision regarding the status OF
the special policeman on duty at the corner
of Eleventh and F Streets is given to him
for an opinion as to the law on the case.
Il appears that in order to facilitate the
| reconstruction OF the street car system
known as the Anacostia and Potomac River
Railroad Company the syndicate contrOll-
ing the majority of the railroad lines in
the city decided to discontinue running the
cars of the Anacostia company over the
route heretofore covered BY them, subst ut
| ing a transfer system with the Metropolitan
and C Street lines. This order went into
| effect on the 18th of the present month,
| and the cars ceased TO run in Eleventh
! Street on that date. The crossing police
men who are employed to guard the cross
/ ings at the intersections OF the various
| street car lines, while under the control or
| the Major and Superintendent of Police,
are paid by the different railroad COmpa-
! nies, and the expense is divided among the
various companies according 10 the num-
| Der of cars which are run past the different
| crossings. The pay of the policeman on
duty at the corner Of Eleventh and
| Streets comes from the treasury of the
Metropolitan and Anacostia lines, the for
mer paying the major portion Of the sal
ary.
A few days ago George TruesdelI. Presi-
dent OF the syndicate. addressed letter
to the Commissioners acknowledging the
| receipt Of the bills for the salary OF the
| officer on duty at this point and protesting
against their payment on the ground that
the AnacCstia Company had discontinued
running cars in Eleventh Street and there
fore the intersection of the tracks at the
corner of Eleventh and F Streets ceased
to be a railway crossing, thus doing away
with the position of a crossing policeman.
The company, through Colonel Truesdell,
requested that the policeman be discharged
and the bills for the payment Of his salary,
after the 18th of the month, be recalled.
A statement from the treasurer Of the
syndicate was enclosed in the letter of the
president, which contained, TO a great ex-
tent, the same argument
The Commissioners believe that the con-
tentions of the railroad officials are not ac-
cording TO the law on the subject. however
and it is said they are disposed 70 refus e
the request for the discharge OF the officer
and the recall of the bills. In the first
place, they contend. had il been the inten-
tion of the railroad companies TO discon-
tinue the services of the policeman al the
| same time the cars ceased running in EIey-
euth Street they should have notified the
Commissioners of the fact, and their
| wishes would then have been given some
attention and the pay Of the policeman
stopped if they found il advisable The
companies interested did not do this, how
! aH d.
tfce whatever to the District authorities
until the 25th of the month ten days af er
the date of the stoppage Of the car traffic
in Eleventh Street and when they did so
they requested that the policeman's pay
should be discontinued from the time the
cars ceased to run. It is thought the
claims for the stoppage Of pay on tte 18th
will hardly be allowed The most intricate
part of the entire matter, however, is IN
The question as to whether or not the Com
missioners have the authority 20 d-scharge
the policeman and this viii pTObab be
submitted 10 the Attorney for his Cpnlo1-
The law requiring the establishment OF
the street crossing service, which was
passed two years ago, makes no mention
of the running of ears past the crossing
but states that an officer shall BE- stationed
at the intersection of all street car tracs S
within the city The tracks in Eleventh
Street have not been removed, the COM
missioners claim, and therefore the inter
section is still there, whether ears are
run or not