The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-12-08

necessary for the good of the good of the
service as well as for the interests of the /
Government, and urgently recommends
that the compensation of the elass |
postmasters above mentioned be bassd |
upon the business of their respect
i've offices as ascertained from the sworn |
returns TO The Auditor Of stamps cancel
ed A few postmasters in the Southern
States have expressed great apprehen-
sion of their personal safety on account
of their connectioa with the postal ser
vice, and have specially requested that
their reports of .pprehended danger
should not he made public, lest it should
result in the loss of their lives. But no
positive testimony of interference has
been submitted, except IN the case of .
mail messenger at SPartansburg, in
South Carolina, who reported that he
had been violently driven away while in
charge, on account of his political affil
iations. An Assistant Superintendent
of the railway mail service Investigated
this case and reported that the messen-
ger has disappeared from hi- post, leav
ing his work to be performed by a sub
stitute. The Postmaster General thinks
shis csae is sufficiently suggestive to jus-
tify him in recommending that q more
'svere punishment should be provided
fer the offeuse of assaulting any person
in charge of the mails, or Of retsrding
or otherwite obstrucsiug them BY threats
Of personal injury.
A very gratifying result ia presented
in the fact that the deficiency of this
Department during the Last fiscal year
was reduced to 4,0s1. 100 IS, As against
IS, 169,93S So of the preceding year.
The difference can be traced to the large
increase in it's expenditures.
The ordinary receipts Of the Post-ofhce
Department for the Psst seven fiscal
years have increased at an average OF
over eight per cent per annun, while
the increase of expenditures for the
same period has been about $50 pc,
, cent per annum, and the decresse Of de-
6ciency in the revenues has been at the
: rate of nearly two per cent. per annuM
= DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
z The report Of the Commissioner o.
: Agriculture accompanying this message
n will be found one Of great interest, mark
= ing, az il does, the great progress OF th'
:. last century, the increase of the produc,
: of the soil, and of knowledge and skill
d in the labor of producing, saving ant
: manipulating the same to prepare then
, for the use of man; in the improvement.
e in machinery, to aid the agriculsurist il
g his lsbors and in the knowledge Of thos
g scientific subjects necessary to thorousl
y system of economy in agricultural pro
q ducsions. namely chemi.try, botan.
and entomology. This report, those in
% tereated in agriculture and deriving thei
70 their support from it, will find Of valu
i in pointing out thoss articles which aI
'e raised in greater quantity than the need
" of the world require, and must sel
J. therefore for less than the cost of pre-
duction, and those which command
r profit over cost Of production, beeaus
70 there is not an production. I ca
IN special attention to the need Of the DE-
Ia partment for new gallery for the n
40 ception of the exhibits returned fror
the Centennial Exhibition, includin
the exhibits donated by very many fo
eign Nations, and to the recommend,
a. tions of the Commissioner of Agricu
u, ture generally.
of =