Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-11-25

CONSCIENCE CONTRIBUTION of si5 was re-
| ceiv6d to- day by Treasurer Spinner from Lam
caster, Penn.
CENTENNIAL CoMNIssIorER-TheP President
! this morning appointed +. X. BagwelI, of Vir-
| einia, alternate commissioner to the Centennial
| celebration for that state.
To BE CLOSED ON THANKSGIVING DAY
| The Secretary of War has issued a circular di-
recting that the various offices of the War de-
| partment be closed on the 9th instant, that
dav being set apart by the President as a dayo
national thanksgiving and prayer.
TIE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCAT to-day
received valuable package of educational
| documents from the American consul at Basic,
| Switzerland. Among the interesting subjects
| treated is one on the education of girls in
Switzerland in household industry.
SUICIDE OF AN ARMY OFFIcER.-Lieutenan
| j. X. Veitenheimer. of the 4th Unitei States
infantry, committed suicide yesterday at Fort
ID. A. Russell by shooting himself through the
| head Mental depression, resulting from illness,
| was the cause.
PRESIDENT GRANT has directed the Secre-
tary of State to afix the seal of the United
States to his proclamation of a convention with
| the republic of Ecuador relative to the natu-
| ralization OF citizens of the United States and
| Ecuador.
| ENoNERATEp.-Dr. Linderman reports to the
| Secretary of the Treasury that a thorough ex-
animation of the charges against General La
Grange, superintendent of the San Francisco
mint, failed to show anything against the per-
sonal or official integrity of that officer.
AN AMBITIOUS POSTMASTER REBuKEp.-
Postmaster Pendleton, OF Westerly, Rhode
Island, having issued una uthOrized and I'M
grammatical call for a convention of postmas-
tiers, TO be held in Washington. January 9, the
postmaster General has directed Mr.. Pendleton
to abandon the project
STERN MEASURES WITH THE CoMANCHEs.-
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs has ordered
| the Indian agent at Fort Sill to issue no more
| annuities to the Comanches, and also directs
| that if the demand for the five Comanche raid
| ers and murderers is not complied with in ten
days; their rations be cut of. In case they
should still refuse to deliver up the murderers.
| they will be turned over to the military. He
| directs the agent to assure the Indians that the
| government is in earnest, and that arrange
| ments are already being made to compel the
| COmanches to do right.
| PROSPECTS FOR INCREASED TAXATION
During the approaching session of Congress at
| tempts will be made to secure additional reve
| nue. from taxation. Among the articles talked
| OF for taxation are tea and coffee, and for in
crease are distilled spirits and tobacco. The
restoration of the tax upon tea and coffee would
| increase the revenue about SIS 600 600 1t l.
urged in this connection that coffee is higher to
| day than il was when il was placed upOn the
| free list, result il is claimed which is due t.
| the enhanced export duty levied by the Cuban
| authorities. An increase of ten cents per gallon
| upon distilled spirits, and of four cents PEI
| pound upon tobacco would yield an additional
| revenue Of about 81 200, 900.
DIR. MARY +. WALKER has not yet abandoned
her efforts to obtain a pension for disabilities
| contracted while serving in the Union army.
| The Surgeon Generals Office at first refused to
| certify that she was ever commissioned
contract surgeon, but she finally laid before II
conclusive evidence on this point, and the neces-
saTy certificate was given. It then remained
| Tor her to show that her particular disability
impaired vislOn) was contracted. as she claims,
| while in Libbey prison, in order to Justify the
| Commissioner of Pensions in ordering medical
| examination in her case. She has already filed
| considerable evidence of this character but not
| enough as yet, the Commissioner thinks 10
| warrant him in ordering her before an exam
| lining surgeon.
| TIE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE CoUN-
| TRY.-With respect to the statement printed in
the New YORK Tribune as a dispatch from here,
| that the financial condition of the government
| continues daily to grow worse, and that thu
| treasury is practically bankrupt, it nav be
| stated the Treasury department has to-day a
| reserve of $50 100000 in legal tenders aud
| SSO,OO0,O00 in gold. The actual amount OF legal
| tender notes outstanding on Saturday, NCvem-
Der y, was S3Gi ;! 23l, which includes 50 ,00O
| 900 in cash in the treasury. Deducting from
this sum the S}J6, 900 900 of minimum legal ten
DER circulation, II will appear that up to Satur-
Gay last there had been issued from the sil O0O-
4 W.
| leaves bslance of $50 900 600 of legal tenders
| available from the maximum circulation OF
| Sto0,OO0,OOO There were besides in the vaults
OF the treasury, $50 0G0, 900 gold. The only gold
| which the treasury will need To use between This
date and January list, will be S26, 200 600 to nav
| the January interest on the public debt. The
| S5O6O,000 of called bonds which are to be re-
| deemed before January LIST, have already been
| subscribed for in bonds of the new loan, and no
money will be taken from the treasury for their
| redemption.-lFG Cor. ". Y. Times.
PRoMPTNBss AND ECONOMY IN THE PUBLIC
| PR1NTING.-The report Of A. NJ. Clapp, the
| congressional printer, gives a detailed state
| ment Of the operations of that establishment
| 1t appears that the orders made by the third
session Of the Forty second Congress for public
documents, exclusive of the usual number,
| 1850, amounted to 223 0SS volumes; 362 Isl
| copies of documents were finished between
| March 4th and July 1st last, and 2G. 100 since
| ceedlngs and debates during the special session
| Of the Senate gave a fair Opportunity for test
| ing the capacity of the Office for the work and
| the congressional printer il fully convinced
| under that experience that p.Omptness and
| economy are secured by the transfer. The IA
| cilities are so extensive that prompt publica-
| ton OF the proceedings and debates of any davis
session, no matter how extended or vOluminous,
| viii be assured the following morning without
| peradventnre, if the copy thereof is promptly
| turnlshed. The resources OF the Office are so
| manifold, and its economy of labor and material
| are such that at least thirty per cent of the
money heretofore expended in accomplishing
Il
| through the present arrangement which places
| IT. under the superintendent of the congress
| sional printer.
The IMMEDIATE ARMAMENT OF OUR SEA
| COAST DEFENCRs REcoMMENDED.-In his
forthcoming annual report the chief of ord
| nance of the army will earnestly recommend
| the Immediate armament of our sea coast de-
| FENCES He says il is not the part of wisdom to
wait LOT ultimate perfection in gun construc-
| Ilon, which may never be attained, or for the
| hrst rumbling of approaching strife, when guns
are needed In the fortresses and not in the fOun-
| deries, to commence the tedious and costly
work OF construction. In the modern, Quick
and decisive settlement of differences by the ar
| Ditrament of arms, there Is no time for prepara-
| tion after the declaration of war, and a nation
| may SINK beDeaththe powerful blows of a we'll
| armed adversary in less time than Ii takes 10
| manufacture single gun. He says that the
number OF guns of all Kinds required to arm our
| io1ts, as far as yet determined, amounts toa
| total or Isl, completely to arm all the forts
! VI these i,isi guns, 2s0l-including those on
4 hand-will be needed on the 30th OF next June
4 q m. Aaw..