AN ACT GOVERNING THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Section city limits.-All rights under pending suits saved. 12. Shall submit estimates to Sec retary of the Treasury. 13. Shall submit estimates for bridges, charities, etc. 14. The United States retains its present control of public works. 15. Secretary of the Treasury to re vise estimates. - Commissioners to report estimates to Congress. 16. Congress to appropriate one hall. 17. One-half paid by taxation. 18. How taxes are assessed and col lected. 19. Rate of tax on property in cities. 20. Rate of tax on agricultural property in country. 21. Collector to publish notice of payment of taxes. 22. Deduction of tax, when made. 23. Penalties under act of March 3, 1877, suspended. ARTICLE IV. 1. May prescribe duties of asses sors and times of payment of taxes. 2. Taxes where paid, and how dis bursed. 3. All accounts settled by Treasury department. 4. Secretary of the Treasury is to pay interest on the 365 bonds and credit amount to United States. 1 ARTICLE I. Section 1. Limits of the District of Co lumbia. 2. How governed. 3. A municipal corporation.- Com missioners' officers of District. 4. Laws continued in force. ARTICLE II. 1. Two citizens and officers of engineers appointed and detailed. 2. Enter on duty July 1, 1878. 3. Officers detailed to perform no other duty.- Salary of. 4. Qualifications of persons ap pointed. 5. Commissioners shall el a president. 6. Shall take an oath of office. 7. Compensation of civil commis sioners. - Give bonds. 8. Term of office of civil commis sioners. 9. Commissioners and officers dis qualified as bail. 10. Contractors disqualified as bail. ARTICLE III. 1. Commissioners successors of old board, whose functions cease July 1. 2. Powers and duties of commis sioners. 3. Limitation of powers to con tract. 4. Power over hack stands. 5. Penalty for violating orders in reference to hacks. 6. Lawful taxes to be collected. 7. Taxes shall not be anticipated. 8. May borrow $200,000. 9. Power over officers and em ployes. 10. Power to maintain lamps out of ARTICLE V. 1. Costs for public works, repairs, etc., how advertised. 2. Awarded to the lowest bidder. Section 3. Commissioners may reject all bids. 4. Work not to be subdivided. 5. Contracts only made by the con currence of all the commis sioners. 6. Contracts invalid unless re corded. 7. No pavement shall be accepted, but of the best material and work. 8. Contracts secured by penal bonds approved by the com missioners. 9. Contractors to keep work in re pair five years. 10. Ten per cent of the cost of all new works shall be retained as an additional security. 11. Portion of public works charge able to street railroad com panies. 12. How tracks shall be paved. 13. United States pay half of all costs under article 5, except that done by railroad com panies. 14. Paid on warranty of commis sioners by the Secretary of the Treasury. 15. When the District to pave tracks of railroad companies. 16. Commissioners may issue certificates indebtedness against their property, etc. 17. If certificates are not paid prop of Section of public schools. ARTICLE VII. 1. Sinking fund commissioners abolished.— Duties performed by the United States Treasurer. ARTICLE VIII. 1. Board of health exceeded by health officers under control of commissioners. ARTICLE IX. 1. Commissioners appoint sanitary inspector of District.-- Number and qualification. 2. Inspector's report, how and when. 3. Health oficers report to com missioners. erty, to be sold. 18. Duties of railroad companies where tracks intersect. 19. Water and gas mains and pipes to be laid before streets are Improved. 20. Washington Gas-light Company to care for its mains, etc. tailed from army by the ARTICLE X. on recommendation of health officer a reasonable number of clerks. ARTICLE XI. tion. ARTICLE XII. gress.- Drafts of law. 2. To report annually their acts in detail. ARTICLE XIII. 1. The present debt of the Dis trict not to be increased. 2. Penalty for increasing debt of the District. ARTICLE XIV. 1. The act of June 17, 1870, con strued.-- Revised statutes of District of Columbia. erty. ARTICLE XV. ARTICLE VI. ished.- Board of trustees of SECTION I. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all the territory which was ceded by the State of Maryland to the Congress of the United States for the permanent seat of the government of the United States shall continue to be designated as the District of Columbia. 2. Said District and the property and persons that may be therein shall be subject to the following provisions for the government of the same, and also to any existing laws applicable thereto not hereby repealed or inconsistent with the provisions of this act. 3. The District of Columbia shall remain and continue a municipal corporation, as provided in section two of the Revised Statutes relating to said District, and the Commissioners herein provided for shall be deemed and taken as officers of such corporation. 4. And all laws now in force relating to the District of Columbia not inconsistent with the provisions of this act shall remain in full force and effect. SECTION II. 1. That within twenty days after the approval of this act the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, is hereby authorized to appoint two persons, who, with an officer of the Corps of Engineers of the United States army, whose lineal rank shall be above that of captain, shall be Commissioners of the District of Columbia. 2. And who, from and after July first, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, shall exercise all the powers and authority now vested in the Commissioners of said District, except as are hereinafter limited or provided, and shall be subject to all restrictions and limitations and duties which are now imposed upon said Commissioners. 3. The Commissioner who shall be an officer detailed from time to time from the Corps of Engineers by the President for this duty shall not be required to perform any other, nor shall he receive any other compensation than his regular pay and allowances as an officer of the army. 4. The two persons appointed from civil life shall, at the time of their appointment, be citizens of the United States, and shall have been actual residents of the District of Columbia for three years next before their appointment, and have, during that period, claimed residence nowhere else. 5. And one of said three Commissioners shall be chosen president of the Board of Commissioners at their first meeting, and annually and whenever a vacancy shall occur thereafter. 6 6. And said Commissioners shall each of them, before entering upon the discharge of his duties, take an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution of the United States and to faithfully discharge the duties imposed upon him by law. 7. And said Commissioners appointed from civil life shall each receive for his services a compensation at the rate of fire thousand dollars per annum, and shall, before entering upon the duties of the office, each give bond in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, with surety as is required by existing law. 8. The official term of said Commissioners appointed from civil life shall be three years, and until their successors are appointed and qualified; but the first appointment shall be one Commissioner for one year and one for two years, and at the expiration of their respective terms their successors shall be appointed for three years. 9. Neither of said Commissioners nor any officer whatsoever of the District of Columbia shall be accepted as surety upon any bond required to be given to the District of Columbia. 10. Nor shall any contractor be accepted as surety for any officer or other contractor in said District. SECTION III. 1. That as soon as the Commissioners appointed and detailed as aforesaid shall have taken and subscribed the oath or affirma: tion hereinbefore required all the powers, rights, duties and privileges lawfully exercised by and all property, estate and effects now vested by law in the Commissioners appointed under the provisions of the act of Congress approved June twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, shall be transferred to and vested in and imposed upon said Commissioners; and the functions of the Commissioners so appointed under the act of June twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, shall cease and determine. 2. And the Commissioners of the District of Columbia shall have power, subject to the limitations and provisions herein contained, to apply the taxes or other revenues of said District to the payment of the current expenses thereof, to the support of the public schools, the fire department, and the police, and for that purpose shall take possession and supervision of all the offices, books, papers, records, moneys, credits, securities, assets, and accounts belonging or appertaining to the business or interests of the government of the District of Columbia and exercise the duties, powers and authority aforesaid. But said Commissioners, in the exercise of such duties, powers and authority, shall make no contract, nor incur any obligation other than such contracts and obligations as are hereinafter provided for and shall be approved by Congress. 4. The Commissioners shall have power to locate the places where hacks shall stand and change them as often as the public interests require. Any person violating any orders lawfully made in pursuance of this power shall be subject to a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars, to be recovered before any justice of the peace in an action in the name of the Commissioners. 6. All taxes heretofore lawfully assessed and due or to become due shall be collected pursuant to law, except as herein otherwise provided. 7. But said Commissioners shall have no power to anticipate taxes by a sale or hypothecation of any such taxes or evidences thereof. 8. But they may borrow for the first fiscal year after this act takes effect, in anticipation of collection of revenue, not to exceed two hundred thousand dollars, at a rate of interest not exceeding five per centum per annum, which shall be repaid out of the revenues of that year. 9. And said Commissioners are hereby authorized to abolish any office, to consolidate two or more offices, reduce the number of employes, remove from office, and make appointments to any office under them authorized by law. 10. Said Commissioners shall have power to erect, light and maintain lamp-posts, with lamps, outside of the city limits, when, in their judgment, it shall be deemed proper or necessary. Provided, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to abate in any wise or interfere with any suit pending in favor of or against the District of Columbia or the Commissioners |