The Russellville Democrat., 1876-12-14
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE,
lContinued.)

his post, leaving bis work to done by substitute. The postmaster general thinks this case sufiicient- ly suggestive to justify him in recommending that more severe punishment should be provided for the offense of assaulting any person in charge of the mails, or of retsrding or otherwise abstruc- ting them by threats of personal injury. A very gratifying result is presented m the fact that de ficiency in this department during the last fiscal year was reduced to $40S, l79,0lS as against $6l6,993, SSS, of the proceeding year. The difference can be traced to large increase in it's ordinary receipts, which greatly exceeded the esti.- mates therefor, and slight de crease in the expenditures. The ordinary receipts of the postoffice department for the past seven fis cal years have increased at an av craze of over eight per cent. per cent per aDnum, and the decrease, ot deficiency in. the revenues has been at the rate of ? per cent. per annum. S9@Gg
 AGRICULTURE.
 The report of the. commissioner of agriculture accompanying .his message will be found ofN great interest, marking as it does the great progress of the last century; the increase of the products otthe products of the soil. and the knowledge and skill in the labor of producing, saving and manipu- latlng the same to prepare them for the use of 7 an in improve ments in machinery to aid the az riculturist in his labors; and in the knowledge of those scientific subjects necessary to q thorough system of economy in agricultu
 ral productions, namely chemis- try, botany, and entomology. This report. by those interested in agriculture and deriving their support from it, will be found of value, in pointing out those arti- cles which are raised in greater quantity than the needs of the world require, and must sell there fore for less than the cost of pro- duction, and those which com
 mand a profit over the cost of producing because there is not an over production. 1 call special attention to the need of the de- partment for new gallery, for reception of the exhibits returned from the centennial exhibition, in
 cluding the exhibits donated by very many foreign nations, and to the recommendations of the com missioner of agriculture general 1 ly. @-'Aa A'-as- @ a. Ss.'f s
 The reports of the District of Columbia commissioners, and the bo,rd ofhealth are just received !; too late to read tl,etn,i and to make recommendations thereon, and are herewith submitted. ee,
 CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.
 The international exhibition held in Philadelphia, this year, in honor of the commencement of the Tooth anniversary ofame-ican independence, has proven great success, and will no doubt be sof enduring advantage to the cmn try. 1t has shown great progress in the arts, sciences and mcchan- ical skill, made in single centu- Try, and demonstrated that we are Ibut little behind the older nations in one branch, while in some we scarcely have a rival. It has served too, not only to bring peo- pie and products of skill and lab or from all parts of the world to- gether, hut in bringing together people from all sections of our country, which must prove'a great benefit Tn the information impart- ed, and the pride of country en- gcndered. It has been suggested hy scientists Interested in and connected with the Smithsonian institute, in a communication, that the government exhibit be removed to the capital, and suit able buil,linfr be erected or pur' chased for it's accommodation, as a permanent exhibition. l earn
 eetly recommend this, and be Ilieving that congress would sec
 ond this view L directed all gov
 err ment exhibits at the centennl
 al should remain wher, they are
 exhibits such as might beinjureo by remaining in building moi intended as protectionin inclen
 ent weather, or such as may ht wanted by the deparment furnish ,ng them, until the question of permanent exhibition is acted on
 Although the moneys appropri ated by congress to enable the
 participation of the several execu tive departments in the interna tional exhibition of 1876 were no sufficient to carry out the under , taking to the full extent at frs $ contemplated. it gives me pleas . ure to refer to the very efficien