Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-01-11
EDITORIAL BREVITIES.

"A bill tor the re>arrangement OF the
circuits of the Justices of the United States
Supreme Court has been prepared by mem>
Der of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and
will be presented to that body when it reas-
sembles. The circuits, as provided for in the
new bill, are as follows: First circuft-Mas-
sachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
and Rhode Island; Second circuit-Pennsyl
vania Delaware, Maryland, Virginia aud
North Carolina; Fourth observation-disclosures,
Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas; Fifth cir
cuit-South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama and Tennessee Sixth circuit-Ohio,
Michigan, West Virginia and Kentucky;
Seventh circuit-Indiana, Illinois and Wis
consin; Eighth circuit-Nlinnesota, Iowa,
Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri; Ninth Cir
cult California, Oregon and Nevada
The strike among the telegraph opera
tors of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, which commenced in Cincinnati, Mou-
day week, has become very genera! in its char
acter, and threatens, unless the demands are
complied with, to embrace tho operators
the strike is the reduction Of saiaries the
Pacific slope, and although assurances have
been give that no reduction is Intended in this
section, the operators refuse to do further
duty unless their Pacific brethren are placed
on an equal footing with themselves. Tho
organization extends over the United States,
and is said to contain $500 members en-
ployed by the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany.
The California and Oregon Railroad is
making rapid progress. There are now COM
pleted, and in daily use ffty-one miles, from
RoseviIle. the junction with the Central
Pacific Railroad, to point in Butte county,
seventeen miles north of NIarysville. The
company have added two hundred and fifty
Chinese laborers to their force, and will send
one hundred more from the Western Pacific,
besides sixty teams. Sufficient iron and ties
are on hand, and the company feel assured
that the road will be in full operation to Chico,
forty four miles north of Marysville, by the
18th of February. Meanwhile the Oregon
end of the road, under Holidays contract is
building.
- Congress annually throws away many
thousands of dollars on documents that are
utterly valueess. One job costing $3.50
is now lying piled up in volumes which are
only worth what they will bring at the prices
paid for waste paper. The'Snperinteudan of
Government Printing thinks the binding ma
terial might be used again. Hundreds of
thousands Of dollars thus annually wasted.
The Radicals of Congress seem to have no
regard for the tax>ridden masses. They have
lifted high the flood gates of extravaganza,
squandered in thousand ways. It is high
time some effort was made at economizing.
-"Those who have the upper hand in
Georgia never will adopt the fifteenth amend
ment unless under compulsion." These are
the words of Senator Morton, spoken in the
Senate on the 18th ult. This, then, is con-
fessedly the way we amend our constitution,
and induce the States to relinquish certain of
their rights-"u compulsion." But CON-
pulson invalidates all consent, officially and
morally, and an amendment. thus adopted, is
no amendment at all, as the Radicals will find
out one of these days.
- The Governor of Ohio, in his annual
message to the Legislature of that State. which
met on the Sd, recommends the ratification
of the Fifteenth Amendment to the consttu-
ton. Resolutions to ratify the same were in
troduced in the Senate, and referred to the
Committee on Federal Relations. The Leg
islature is Democratic by small majority, and
the question of the ratification is doubtful
one.
"A decrease of s4,S12,7s1 90 in the
public debt during December. is Mr.. Bout
wells New Years announcement to the people
of the United States.