Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-11
DISTRICT IN CONGRESS
MANY BILLS FAVORABLY REPORTED
TO THE HOUSE.
Placed on the Calendar and Will he
Ready for Action Next
Monday.

THE purpose of this legislation is to
abandon ans! close the alleys in block OF
the Walbridge subdivision of 1ngleside. in
the county of Washington. When this
subdivision was made. some years ago
each lot was fully provided with al!eE Ia
cilities. at the suggestion of the commas
s;oners. No lots have ever been disposed
Of and the entire block is now owned by
Mrs Walbridge the widow. and her daugh-
ter. Jointly.
1T is the intention of Mrs. Walhridge to
erect large residence at about the center
of the block and to have it surrounded by
ornamental grounds. extending over nearly
the entire area of the block. This block is
located on high ground overlooking the
Geological Park. and the committee beheFe
that this leeisla ton will result in beautlfy-
ing that section of the city, without beng
detrimental to the interests of the public
in any way. The Commissioners of the
District of Columbia approve of the pro-
posed legislation"
Flour Inspection.
Mr.. Rabcock has also presented the re-
port on Senate bill in4S. to amend the flour
inspection act to provide for the in
spection of flour in sacks we'll as in bar
4els. The report says:
THE object of this proposed legislation
is to supply an omission in the act it is de-
TO amend, DS extending lHe penalty
to the sales of sacks of flour not duly eX-
amined and branded by the inspector. This
omission is a manifest inadvertence. as sec
ton of the law makes it the duty Of the
inspectors to examine such sacks
One Payment of Taxes.
Mr.. Jenkins has put in the report on
House bill 1926. to regulate the collection
of taxes in the District. The report says:
1.-THE legislation proposed by the bill IS
necessary to enable the Commissioners to
put into operation system of records and
accounts which has recently been adopted,
and which is designed to facilitate the
transaction of business in the assessing and
collecting branches of the government Of
the District, and for the greater convent
ence of the public having business there
with. No advantage is believed to be de-
rived either by the taxpayer or the munich
pality from the existing law prescribing the
payment Of general taxes in two INSTALL
ments. but on the contrary that require
ment IS the cause of much embarra ssment
In the administration of the tax depart
ments."
Condufts in Alleys.
Mr.. Babcock has submitted the report on
Senate bill 1874, as follows:
THE object Of the bill is to allow proper
ty owners to transmit electricity and steam
from one building to another in the same
block by means of conduits in alleys. This
permission is being sought from time to
time by persons who desire to secure eco
nomical light and heat by utilizing the
facilities that exist within a block The
committee believe that private citizens In
the District of Columbia are entitled to all
the rights and privileges that can be ac-
corded to them without detriment to the
public interests, and the committee can see
no public reason why private conduits
should not be laid in alleys under such
suitable regulation as is provided
Reform School Admi.sfOns.
The report on Senate bill $780, relating to
admissions to and dismissicns from the re-
form school for boys, says:
THE bill was introduced at the instance
of the Attorney General Of the United
States, to whom it was recommended by
the board of management of the reform
school. The proposed legislation authorizes
boys to be received up to the limit of sew
enteen years instead of sixteen, and it also
allows limited discharge or parole sys-
TEN. Both changes are In the line of eff
fciency.'
Col. CIay's Letter.
Accompanying the report on the Senate
bill, and which is made a part of this re-
port, is a letter from Mr.. Cecil Clay, pres
ident of the board of trustees of the re-
form school, to the Attorney General, as
follows:
I'm the report submitted to you by the
BOARD OF trustees of the reform school of
the District Of Columbia the following,
recommendations and statements were
made:
The board has seriously considered the
question of asking Congress to change the
age Tor admission to the reform school
from under sixteen years, as now provided
by law. to under seventeen years. Bows
are sent to the Jail or workhouse because
Just too old for admission to the reform
school. who at the same time are probably
not SO bad as younger boys who go to the
school, and it would seem better to keep
them from the associations of those places
In connection with this comes up the
recommendation which the board has made
In its report for a number of years past
Tor such legislation as will make the dis
charge from the school a limited not an
absolute. one, SO that boys who have lapsed
into vicious ways can be returned to the
school when, in the opinion of the board
that is the best for them and for the pub
lie The law as it now stands would seem
to contemplate such action, as the BOYS
are committed to the school until twenty
one years of age, unless sooner reformed.
But certainly boy who has committed a
petty offanse, for which a quite short resi-
dence at the school would seem to be suffi-
Gent punishment, ought not to be allowed,
after going from the school, to fall into
vicious ways and perhaps commit graver
ofenses, without the board having author
lily to reclaim him for further attempt at
reformation.
"One reason why boys are sent to the
jail and workhouse is that the parents fire.
quently apply to the judge to send them
there, for the reason that they not so
long deprived of their services, which they
claim are necessary to help in the support
of the family. thirty or ninety days
sentence to the Jail or workhouse seems to
them preferable to an indeterminate period
in the reform school.
The proposed amendment is simply to
provide for a limited instead of an absolute
discharge from the school-a parole system.
The necessity for this has been called to
the attention of the Attorney General for
years, and as long ago as the first session
of the Fiftieth Congress a bill was reported
favoraby to the House of Representativ
but was not acted upon Since then sue
cessive Attorneys General have recommend
ed legislation to accomplish the purpose set
forth, Including your immediate predeces-
sor, Attorney General McKenna, and At
torney General Harmon before him.
THE limited discharge system is In opera
ton in many Of the states. and the words
proposed to be inserted In section Is are
taken from the laws governing the Penn
sylvania reform school at Huntingdon. The
necessity for this system OF discharge would
seem to be so patent as to need no lengthy
argument to insure the approval of Con-
gress. l have, therefore, the honor to re-
quest that Congress be asked to pass bill
such as 1 submit with this letter, or such
similar act as shall be deemed best to effect
the purpose desired
All these bills were placed on the calendar
of rvt1lh no DIV