The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-01
CAPITAL CHAT.
A PLAN FOR GOVERNMENT CONTROL
OF TIE TELEGRAPHS,
sOmething About Our National Hanks
Agricultural Expenditures = River
Improvements - Secretary GOii
Back-PFOspsctS OF the In.
RuguFRtIOn Festivities.

WASHINGTON, January Sl.-The inau'
gural ball promises to be grand success,
and every endeavor is being made to make
1t the most elaborate occasion OF the kind
in the history Of the country, In view OF
the expense attending the preparations
no complimentary tickets will be issued )
excepting to President.elect Garfield and
his family, Tie work on the decoration
Of Pennsylvania avenue will be COM
menCsd at once. The escort OF the Presi.
denteleCt will consist Of about 20, 900 mill
tia and fourteen companies OF regular
troops and marines. Previous to the ball
a reception will be held in the Museum
building by General and Mrs, Garfield, the
President and Mrs. Hayes, and General
and Mrs, Grant, General Hancock has
also been invited to take part in the re.
cePtion, and 1t is thought from the assn.
RANGES received by the Committee that he
wiz accept.
Gen. Sherman will be Grand Marshal Of
the parade, and will make presentations
at the reception. Tho Corresponding
Secretary Of the Committee, Assistant Ad.
jutant General Oorbin, has received a large
number OF orders for tickets from persons
outside the city.
THE CHINESE TREATIES.
The Senate Committee on Privileges
and Elections to-day examined the fore.
man OF the Government Printing Office,
and the foreman in chief OF It's Confden.
tial printing division, both OF whom testi.
fed that no copies OF the Chinese treaties
could have gotten out In advance oil their
transmission under seal 10 the Senate.
POSTAL TELEGRAPH PROJECT.
Representative Springer introduced into
the House to-day, bill to provide for the
appraisement Of telegraph lines owned
and operated by companies acting under
the provisions Of the act OF Congress, pass.
ed July 'GG, entitled "An Act to Aid In the
Construction OF Telegraph Lines, and to So.
cure 10 the Government the use OF the
same, for Postal, Military and other Pur.
poses, and TO procure Information con.
Cerning Postal relegraphs in other Coun.
tries" The first section provides for the
appointment OF Board Of Appraisers,
under the act mentioned, consisting OF five
persons, two appointed by the Postmas.
ter General, two by the company inter.
ested and one by the four previ.
ously selected, who are authorized
to ascertain the actual cash value OF all
the plant, property and effects OF the Com.
pany interested, including the value and
character Of all the leases, contracts and
franchises, and also the receipts--ot such
company from all sources; the operating
expenses, rates charged for transmitting
messages, royalty paid to inventors, and
all other facts necessary to a thorough
knowledge OF the subject. The apprais.
ers tor each company shall meet in the
city OF New York within one month after
the passage Of this act to take oath for the
faithful performance OF their duties; ap.
point clerks and experts and are required
to keep q record Of their proceedings;
preserve all evidence taken have power,
and are required to examine the books,
contracts, abstracts OF titles, leases, and
all papers deemed by said appraisers nee.
essary, In order TO enable them 10
ASCERTAIN and report the true and actual
cash value Of all the plant, property and
effects Of such company. The reports are
to be forwarded to the Postmaster. Gener.
al by the let Of September, and by him
printed and transmitted to Congress at It's
next December session,
The President OF the United States is
authorized and directed to address circular
letters 10 diplomatic and consular officers
of the United States residing In govern.
ments having adopted the postal telegraph
system, requiring them to report on the
workings Of sich systems In the govern.
ments to which they are accredited, and
furnish all the required information on
the subject, which reports shall also be
printed and transmitted to Congress at the
next December session.
The bill was read twice, ordered printed
and referred to the Committee on Post Ot.
fees and PoPt.roads, The bill is drafted In
accordance with the act mentioned In its
title, which was passed In July, 1868. By
the provisions OF this act OF 1905 the tele.
graph companies are required TO accept
from the United States the amount OF the
appraised value on their property, and all
three oil the companies now prominently
before the public have each filed itH &C.
ceptance Of this provision Of the law, and
obligated itself to accept the amount Of its
app raised valuO when the same is rendered
by the United States.
APPROPRIATIONS.
The subcommittee OF the House Com.
mittee on Appropriations having the bill
In charge reported to the full committee
to-day on the Legislative, Executive and
Judicial Appropriation bill The commit.
tee will meet on Wednesday, when the
bill will be agreed to and reported To the
House.
IMPROVEMENT OF TIE MISSISSIPPI.
The House Committee on Commerce
continued lie work Upon the River and
1Iatbor bill to-day and agreed upon several
small items Of appropriations on The upper
tributaries Of the Mississippi. The amount
agreed on for the improvement OF the
Mississippi river as II now stands In the
bill is 81 100000 for the Misslssippi from
Cairo 10 its mouth and 5000, ,0O0irom
Cairo to lie headwatefs. Ills by no mesns
settled, however, that these amounts will
not be subject to revision before the bill Is
finally adopted by the committee.
MONEY FOR LIZ DUC.
Representative Covert, Chairman Of the
Committee on Agriculture, reported 10 the
House to-day the Agricultural Approptla.
tton bill. Among the miscellaneous items
are the following: