The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-12-08

NEWS AND GOSSIP.
OPENING OF CONGRESS.
MAsH1NnroN. nan. @ IsaO

SohkLebb opened Win o most dlDaRfoeAS
PIE, day: There was rain this morning,
sleet this noon and snow this evening,
Ihe storm was 90 severe and the walk
Ing so bad that the attendance al the
Capitol was much less than usual. Mr.,
Thornton was the only one OF the For.
eign ministers present, though most OF
The others were represented by their
secretaries. For half an hour before
order was called, the floor Of each
branch OF Congress was thronged with
people, and there was the usual amount
OF handwriting and congrAtulatIon.
Good feeling prevailed. The talk In.
dicated q pleasant and agreeable Res-
sion. All the galleries were pretty well
filled, but none Of them crowded, and
there was noticeable vacancy In the
diplomatic galleries. Among those on
the door Of the Senate during the after.
noon, were General Sherman, Cover.
nor Lowe, the new Minister 10 China,
Governot Bullock. Of Georgia, and
Governor Walker, OF Virginia. Senior
Lemus, late head Of the Cuban Junta,
was In the Senate gallery, with mum.
Der OF sympathizerS. The regular re-
port shows fully enough what was
done In Congress during the day.
GENERAL sATIsFAcTIoN WITH THE
N. MESSAGE. ..
The reading OF the message occupied
about an hour, and 1t was listened to
with the closest attention In both
houses, and the general comment to.
night is very favorable TO lite good sense,
clearness OF idea and vigor OF expires.
sion. The Cuban lobby Is In great
wrath at the manner In which the Pre-.
sldent gives them the cold shoulder,
and see clearly that 1t Is not worth
while for them to expect much from
Congress at present. Senior Lemus
looked very gloomy when this part Of
the message was read. Everybody was
glad 10 hear the President reiterate his
Views of last February on the Alabama
claims question. II will DO noticed
that they are similar In general terms
TO those taken by Mr.. Sumner In his
speech on the Johnson. Clarendon
treaty. The principal discussion In all
circles IL on the financial part Of the
message, and on the report OF the Secre.
tAry OF the Treasury. The last named
document was not read to Congress,
but the tenor OF Its Recommendation
soon got abroad. The Eastern mem.
bers seem more generally to favor
an early return TO specie pay.
nents than those from the West,
many Of whom talk about an in-
crease ofcurrency. The Presidents idea
Of redeeming currency alta fixed price
Is Identical with that presented some
weeks ago by Mr.. Garfield. The tariff
men find the message rather more ia
yorable than they expected It would
be-, more from what is omitted than
from what ls said. The suggestion 10
remand Georgia back to the condition
It WAS In when the State Legislature
assembled took people by surprise, but
It will probably be carried out, and q
bill on the subject comes up In the
Senate on Wednesday. The recon-
mendatlon for the repeal OF the tenure
of the tenure ofoffice act will find some
opposition, though the House is certain
TO pass the bill carrying 1t out, which
Mr.. Butler will bring In tomorrow, II
he can get the floor. II Is yet far too
early to say how the financial recon-
mendationa OF the message and report
will be regarded when members have
had chance 10 carefully consider them,
bat 1t 10 certain that the finances are
going 10 have early attention in both
branches Oi Congress.
ESTIMATES FOR THE COMING YEAR,
The heads OF the various departments
are prompt with their estimates for the
coming year. They are In full as fol-
lows: Legislative, 81, ,SSS. SOL; Executive,
$27, ,SSO, IA: Civil List, $25, ,7SO, ,655: Mill.
tary, $3S. .345, ,747; Naval, S24, ,69S, ,297; In
dian Affairs, $5.O4S, $50, Pensions, $780,
400, 900; Public Works, $34, 900, 900; Mis-
ceIlaneous, $2l ,O0O, ,0OO; Postal service,
Sl2 O0O, 900: total, S2lO, ,97OG55. To these
must be added about SIS, 500, 900 for de-
hcienci9s from last year, making q
grand aggregate OF not far from $685.
000, 900, exclusively interest on the pub.
lie debt. A revision Of postal and mis-
cellaneous estimates Will probably re-
suit In their reduction somewhat, and
It may at once be set down as certain
that Congress will not appropriate any
such sum as S3l 100000 Tor public
works, unless the views OF members
undergo great change. .r
THE CENSUS SCHEDULES.
Tho schedules presented by the Cen.
sus Committee are: l-Popuiation; q
mortality; ;3-agrlculture; 4-manufac.
kuTEdk W 4HAlGI uNu6u O-
mercantile, under which each merchant
must return the amount OF purchases
and sales. number OF persons employ
ed, and capital invested; 6-sooiaI, un-
der which, In addition to school and
churches, is included all reformRtory
and benevolent institutions; 7-trans.
portatlon, to include full returns from
all public carriers and freiGhts, number
OF employees, profits, expenses and ac-
cidents; S--lsherles. Each OF the
schedules has been 30 extended as to
cover far greater ground than In the
census. while Q, and are wholly
new. The bill ls the order Of the House
Tor Wednesday. $500
CONSOLIDATION OF THE STAFF CORPS.
The consolidation of the staff corps,
as proposed In General Garleld's bill
and recommended by General Sher.
man, contemplates aunlon OF the Quar-
termaster, Commissary and Pay De.
partments, to be called the Department
OF Supply. The Ordnance Bureau was
to be merged into the Artillery, and so
pass Into the line. A second depart
ment was formed Of Inspectors and
Adjutant Generals. II has Just, been
ascertained that preolsely anohr q con-
solidation as this ls now going on In
England, It having been brought about
by commission which examined the
leading officers, the same as our House
Committee did. .- Ia h..a.
NOMINATIONS ny THE PRESIDENT.
The President sent 10 the Senate
about three hundred and fifty nomlna-
tiona to-day. They were not read, and