The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-12-08

Guiding the exhibits donated by very many
foreign nations and to the Tecomm endations
Of the Commissioner Of Agriculture generally.
District of Columbia.
The report OF the District commissions aad
the Board OF Health are just received, too late
TO read them and to make recommendations
thereon, and are herewith submitted.
The Centennial Exposition.
The International Exhibition held in Phila-
delphia this year, in commemoration OF the
ono hundredth anniversary OF American indie
pendence, has proven a great success, and will
no doubt be of enduring advantage TO the
country. 1t has shown great progress in the
arts, sciences and mechanical skill made in
single century, and demonstrates that we are
but little behind the older nations in
any one branch, while in some we scarcely
have rival. II has served, too, not only to
bring people and products OF skill and labor
from all parts OF the world together, and in
bringing together people from all sections OF
| orr own country, but must prove a great
| benefit in the information impaired and pride
! Of country engendered.
| 1t has been suggested by scientists interested
in and connected with tho Smithsonian Insti.
tute, In a communication herewith submitted,
that the Government exhibit be removed TO the
| Capital, and a suitable building be erected or
purchased for its accommodation IA a perma-
nent exhibit. / earnestly recommend this, and,
believing that Congress would second this view,
! directed that all the Government exhibits
at the Centennial Exhibition should remain
where they are, eXcect such might be in
| jured by remaining in a building not intended
az protection in inclement weather. or such
as may be wanted by the departments furnish
ing them, until the question of q permanent
| exhibition is acted on. Although the moneys
appropriated by Congress to enable the partic-
| ipation Of the several executive departments in
the International Exhibition Of 1876were not suf
| ficent TO carry out the undertaking to the full
extent Ak first contemplated, it gives me pleas
ure to refer to the very efficient and creditable
manner in which the boards appointed from
the several departments to provide an
exhibition on the part Of the Government
] have discharged their duties with the
| funds placed at their command. Without a
precedent to guide them in the preparation
OF such display, the success OF their labors
was amply attested by the sustained attention
which the contents of the Government
building attracted during the period Of the Ex-
hibition, from both foreign and native people.
| / am strongly impressed with the value of the
collection made by the Government for the
purposes Of the Exhibition, illustrating as it
does the general resources Of the country, the
statistical and practical evidences OF our
growth as a nation, and the uses OF the mer-
camille arts and the application of sci
ence in the administration OF the affairs OF
re Government. Many nations have volun-
ariiy contributed their exhibits to the United
States to increase the interest in any permanent
! exhibition that Congress may provide for For
this act of generosity they should receive the
thanks OF the people. and respectfully sug-
gest that resolution OF Congress to that effect
be adopted.
The Electoral System.
The attention of Congress cannot be too
earnestly called to the necessity of throwing
some greater safeguard over the method Of
choosing and declaring the election of Presi-
| dent. Under the present system, there seems
TO be no provided remedy for contrasting the
election in any one State. The remedy is par
italy, no doubt in the enlightenment OF the
electors. The compulsory support of the free
schools, and the disfranchisement of all who
cannot read or write the English language,
| after a fixed probation, would meet my hearty
| approval. would not make this apply, how
ever. to those already voters, but / would to
| all becoming so after the expiration of the
| probation fixed upon. Foreigners coming to
| the country to become citizens, who are ed
ucated in their own language, would acquire
| the requisite knowledge of ours during the
| necessary residence to obtain naturalization
| II they did not take enough interest in our
| language to acquire sufficient knowledge of it
| to enable them to study the institutions and
laws of the country inteligently, would not
confer upon them the right to make such laws
nor to select those who do.
| - DeI6nuS his SanJO domingo Scneme.
append to this Message, for convenient
reference, a synopsis of administrative events,
and OF all the recommendations to Congress
made by me during the last seven years.
| Time may show some of these recomm enda-
tions not to have been wisely conceived, but
believe the larger part will be no discredit
TO the administration. One of those recon-
mendations met with the united opposition of
one political party in the Senate, and with a
strong opposition from the other, namely, the
treaty for the annexation of Santo Domingo
to the United States, to which shall specially
refer, maintaining, as do that if my views
had been concurred in, the country would
be in more prosperous condition to-day,
both politically and financially. Santo Do
mingo is fertile, and upon it's soil may be
grown just those tropical products of which
! the United States use so much, and which
are produced and prepared for the market
now by slave labor almost exclusively, name
ly, sugar, coffee, dyewoods, mahogany, trop-
| ical fruits, tobacco, etc. About IS per cent
of the exports of Cuba are consumed in the
United States. A large percentage of the ex-
! ports of Brazil also find the same market.
| These are paid for almost exclusively in ooin.
legislation, particularly in Cuba, being I'M
favorable to mutual exchange Of tho products
of each country. Flour shipped from the
Mississippi river TO Havana can pass by the
very entrance to the city on its way to portion
Of Spain, then pay duty fixed upon articles TO
be re-exported, transferred to Spanish vessel,
and brought back almost TO the point of start
ing, paying a second duty, and still leave q
profit over what would be received by direct
shipment. All that is produced in Cuba
could be produced in Santo Domingo
Being a part of the United States,
commerce between the island and the
main land would be free. There would be no
export duties on her shipments, nor import
duties ON those coming here. There would be
no import duties upon the supplies, machinery,
ETC., going from the States. The effect that
would have been produced upon Cuban COM
merce with these advantages to rival is OBJ
servable at a glance The Cuban question
would have been settled long ago in favor OF
Free Cuba. Hundreds Of American vessels
would now be advantageously used in trans
porting the valuable woods and other products
Of the soil of the Island to market
and in carrying supplies and emigrants to it.
The island Is but spsrsely settled, while 1t has
area sufficient for the profitable employment
of several millions of people, and the soil
would have soon fallen into the hands Of Uni
ted States capitalists. The products are so
valuable in commerce that emigration there
would have been encouraged. The emancipa-
ted race OF the South would have found there
congenial home, where their civil rights
would not be disputed, and where their
labor would be much sought after, and
the poorest among them could have
found the means TO go there:
In casee of great oppression and