Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-05

the old corpora ton of Washington ordi-
nance, when the District stood helpless dur
ing the recent snow storm, with SIX inches
of snow and ice on the sidewalks. In times
gone by the business men and heads OF
families occupying real homes throughout
the city have watched the falling snow
fakes with more or less apprehension. They
have stood behind their front doors, with
shovels in hand, waiting to pounce upon
the sidewalk and clear away the snow COW
ering soon as the white precipitation had
ceased. Or in many instances those less
strenuously constituted have given eager
welcome and a twenty-fve-cent piece to
the colored man with a shovel on his Shout
der who applied after each snowfall for the
job of clearing the way for pedestrians
along the streets. Some there were who
failed to cause the snow to be removed,
and these We're hauled before the Police
Court and required to contribute to the
however, the owners of property abutting
on the sidewalks were non-residents and
could not be reached with District sum-
mons to the bar of justice.
This the condition of affairs up to
last February, when Congress passed law
requiring the citizens to remove the snow
from sidewalks, and providing for assess
ments against the abutting property in the
case of absent owners. All went merrily
for the District officials as a marriage bell
under this law, and hundreds of cases were
instituted against resident and nonresident
Offenders who failed to observe the man.
dates Of the lawmakers and assessments
against property were made galore. This
happy regime for the officials was rudely
interrupted last spring, however, when the
Court of Appeals pounced upon the snow
and ice law, and literally tore 1t to pieces
by applying to it the rights of citizens as
laid down in the Constitution of the United
States.
This winter when the sky became clouded
and later the snowfiakes began to fall
silently in thick covering ON the streets
and sidewalks, and the citizens sat easily
in hnf lie, .I,-, ~
feet to the fire, unmindful OF the snow out
side and secure in their immunity from
punishment for failing to clear away from
the sidewalks in front of their residences
that which the elements had placed there
on, there was peace in the breasts of
the business men and householders and no
visions of the Police Court bar disturbed
the tranquility of their slumbers The Dis
trict authorities were helpless to remedy
the conditions ensuing and the sun refused
TO glow upon the snow-covered sidewalks
and melt the ice that made pedestrian traf-
fic thing to be dreaded
The exact manner in which the old cor
poration ordinance was discovered has not
been made public, but differences on the
subject are not lacking 1t is presumed
that a member of the District legal de-
partment. either the corporation counsel or
one of his assistants one evening was
carefully picking his way along the icy
sidewalks, whistling the strains of the late
popular ballad, 1T Was Not Like This in
'he OiueH lays, IN the DAYS Beyond Re-
call" The difficulties of locomotion, it is
inferred, became so great that the man
of law determined to find some remedy
for the conditions and when he reached
the office next morning he began delyine
into the archives of the department foI
laws on removal of snow and ice. Down
deep in the pile of legal lore, so it is sup
posed, the attorney for the District found
a dust covered volume which had not seen
service since the reconstruction period. In
however.
ficiafs hope, for there, in old English
Gothic print, was mandate requiring cit
liens to remove snow and ice from the side
walks within certain prescribed period
after the cessation of the snowfall
The discovery of the ordinance was i'm.
medately communicated to the Commits.
sioners who received the message eagerly
and at once took steps looking toward put
| ting the old regulation TO work after its
rest of SO many years. Whether the Law
| will prove strong and vigorous in its OPP.
erations after so long rest has not beer
determined. but it is feared that ihe
strength of the regulation will have suf.
fered from neglect and disuse and thai
difficulty may be encountered in securing
its effective enforcement