Evening star., 1924-07-20
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

With the change of District gov
ernment brought about through the
abolition of the
Pressure on the territorial system
Commissioners. and the establish
ment of commits
sionership administration came a new
adjustment in Capital affairs. The
Star of July 13, 1874. says:
columbian buildings on Az street,
lately so quiet, have again become a
hive of industry. At IL o'clock to-
day the Commissioners had not ar
rived at the building and there were
at that hour 81 vehicles of different
description and three saddled horses
standing on the street, between the
Avenue and C street, and the number
was augmented rather than decreased
afterwards. On the sidewalk and
about the passages Of the building
were at least $50 persons waiting
The Commissioners have just begun
to realize their situation and to feel
the pressure of the patriotic public.
anxious to serve the District. Lieut..
HoXie was present this morning and
was besieged by scores of persons
upon all kinds OF business. AS one
ders have been issued for the bene-
fit of those having business with the
Commission or executive ofhce: All
business with this office must be con-
Quoted in writing. No verbal COM
munication will have any weight or
authority. Visitors will not be re-
ceived until after 1 pm. Applica-
tions for appointments must be in
writing and will be treated as busi-
ness communications. No qualification
will be considered. No vacancies eI-
ist at present.
Rarely nowadays are buildings
moved through the streets of Wash
An Epidemic of cording to the
House Moving. following in The
Star OF July 13,
1874. the capital suffered from a veri-
table epidemic of house-moving fifty
years ago.
Some parties who are moving
buildings seem to be availing them
selves Of the interregnum between
the going out of the board of pub
lie works and the coming in of their
successors to carry on their opera
tions in way that is destroying the
pavements on some Of our finest
streets. Taking advantage of the
smooth pavements in these streets.
these parties have undertaken TO
move a number of frame buildings
over them for long distances and
thus not only occupy the streets to
the disadvantage of the public, but,
what is much more Objectionable, they
ruin the pavements on their line of
travel by driving large iron spikes
down through the concrete, or wood,
as the case may be, to make a pur-
the building. This makes an un-
slightly and damaging hole in the
pavement to begin with, and from
the strain upon the spike afterwards
the fracture In the pavement is en-
larged until it makes a break that is
irreparable, as no patching, mending
or filling up of the hole and neigh
boring fracture will serve to restore
the uniform surface and texture of
the pavement"
"A case of considerable interest to
local politicians" says The Star Of
July II, 1874,
Beer for was recently
Voters. tried IN Baltimore
involving the va
lidity of a contract to influence vot-
ers by means Of such little seductive
creature comforts as lager beer. pref
zels. cigars, etc. In this case the son
of a gentleman who desired to re-
ceiye the nomination for the city
council entered into an arrangement
with the keeper of a lager beer sa-
loon by which the latter was to fur
nish voters with beer and cigars. the
party of the first part agreeing to
paw the bill. When the bill was pre-
sented payment was refused for some
reason and the saloon keeper brought
suit and recovered a judgment for
the full amount. The case was ap-
pealed to the city court and deci-
sion was rendered yesterday revers-
ing the former verdict on the ground
that such contracts are contrary to
public policy. The Judge quoted law
making it . penal onfense for per-