Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-02-01
Both Branches Oppose Creation of
Office of Civil Police Justice
for Alexandria.
for Alexandria,
vsgnI.@ y: g

against the act passed at ihe iasl
session Of the Virginia Legislature
creating the office Of u civil police
justice for this city. 4 joint meet
ing of the members OF the two
boards was held for the purpose Of
hearing statement of J. F. Birrell,
Delegate in the Legislature from
this city and county, and in the in
terchange of opinion that followed
the great majority of the city faith
ers earnestly opposed the creation
of the office, preferring that present
conditions exist in this city.
:, The Joint committee on finance
and general laws had reported in
favor of passing Mr.. Marbury's res
olution calling upon the Senator
from this district and the Delegate
from this city and county to exert
their efforts towards having Alex
andris exempted from the provls-
ions of the act, and when vote
D.. was taken in the lower board their
report was adopted as was also the
resolution. The resolution was sent
to the Board of Aldermen and their
action was concurred in by a unan-
, imous vote.
!: The clerk Of the City Council will
send copies of the resolution to tho
=: Senator mad DELEGATE as well as I
: the Lieutenant Governor ant
. Speaker Of the House Of Delegates
When the joint session convened
Mr. Birrell began his statement. Hf
said, among other things. that tht
: new law appealed to MIN as being
practical, as under present condl
tiors the office Of magistrate gene
rally went begging. and while lay
men could handle criminal cases. th'
law being plain. civil cases, Will
:, the present complex statutes. need
ed d man versed in law. He also SAT-
the city would gain by the change
as costs would be turned into tn
city treasury which would more
than Offset the additional salar!
which the civil police justice am
), his baliff would receive
He stated, that he would be gov
erned by. the wishes Of council! an'
enGeavoE. to see that the law wa
i repealed
Mr.. Summers, at this juncture
suggested that there was nothing
!, in the act to show that the cit!
g would receive the costs in civil suit
! Mr.. Birrell insited that this wa
!: provided for. He was handed tn:
. act. hut being unable to find the pro
j vision he sought, he turned it ove'
10 President Howard Smith. ii
was shown that the fees which
woald be paid at the beginning of &
..uit would go the city, but nothing
positive concerning the disposition
of the costs was apparent.
Mr.. Birreil, however, said this
: was understood. but the members
who cross-ouestioned him were hy
10 means convinced.
Mr.. Bryan asked some practical
= observations to the effect that this
new law only applied to Alexandria
ard Newport News. and that the
Delegate from the latter city wa;
now endeavoring 10 have the act an
nulled so far as it concerned the
: city he represented. That would leave
Alexandria alone upon which TO ex-
: pertinent He was aversc to this
= city being the testing point. He
wanted Alexandria exempted from
the provisions Of the act, as mad
been Lynchburg. Norfolk, Roanoke.
: Daaville. and other cities in the
state If the new law should prove
satisfactory, Alexandria could ask
for it AT another time
Mr.. Burke----''yes; let them cui
their teeth on some other place"
Mr. Broclett spoke against the
new law, and gave some reasons
why he thought the office Of civil
police justice undesirable and un-
necessary.
Mr.. Burke showed that rhe re-
iceipIs from fines under present con-
editions had reached $4,000 year,
the present police justice receiving
I but s720 annually.
/! MI Bales spoke in favor Of the
proposed change. He believed the
city would gain by it. He estimated
that the magistrates of Alexandra
made, collectively. four Of Ave thous-
and dollars year in fees.
Mn. Brill, while not stating posi- /