The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-12-27

SOu1S HESdtCl oA1CSud1o v AlS o4SsAAOo -
choosing and declaring the election Of a
President. Under the present system there
seems 70 be no provided remedy for contest
ing the election of any one State. The remedy
is partially, no doubt, in the enlightenment
of electors. The compulsory support of the
free school, and the disfranchisement Of all
who cannot read and write the English Ian
guage after a fixed probation, would meet my
hearty approval. I would not make this
apply, however, to those already voters, but
I would to all becoming so after the e1pi-
ration of the probation fixed upon. For
eigners coming to the country to be-
come citizens, who are educated in their
own language, would acquire the re-
quisite knowledge of ours during the
necessary residence to obtain naturaliza-
ton. If they did not take interest enough
in our language to acquire sufficient knowl-
edge Of tito enable them tostudythe institu-
tions and laws Of the country intelligently,
I would not confer upon them the right to
make such laws, nor select those who do. I
append to this message, for convenient
reference, q synopsis Of administrative
events, and Of all recommendations made
by me during the last seven years. Time
may show some of these recommendations
not to have been wisely conceived, but l
believe the larger part will be no discredit
to the administration. One Of these recon-
mendations met with the united opposition
of one political party in the Senate and
with a strong opposition from the other
MEMBERSHIP treaty for the annexation Of
sANTo DOMINGO
to the United States--to which I shall
specially refer, maintaining as l do that if
nv views had been concurred in the coun-
try would be in a more prosperous condi-
ton to-day, both politically and financially:
Santo Domingo is fertile, and upon Its soil
may be grown Just those tropical products
of which the United States use so much, and
which are produced or prepared ior market
now by slave labor almost exclusively,
namely, sugar, coffee, dye-woods, ma
hogany, tropical fruits, tobacco, etc. About
.eventy-fre per cent. of the exports Of
Cuba are consumed in the United States.
A large percentage Of the exports
of Brazil also find the same market.
These are paid for almost exclusively in
coin. Legislation, particularly in Cuba,
being %unfavorable to a mutual exchange
of the products of each country, -four
shipped from the Mississippi river to Hav-
ana can pas, by the very entrance 10 the
city on its way to a port in Spain, then
pays a duty fixed upon articles to be re-ex-
ported, transferred to q Spanish vessel, and
brought back almost to the point OF start
ing, paying a second duty, and still leaves
a profit over what would be received by
direct shipment. All that il. produced in
Cuba could be produced in ST. Domingo.
Being a part Of the United States, com:
merce between the island and mainland
would be free the,e 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
commerce, with these advantages to .