The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-09

large increase IN It's ordinary receipts, which
: greatly exceed the estimates therefor and q
} slight decrease in its expenditures. The or
-. binary receipts of the Postoiiice Deparlmc0,
for the past seven fiscal years have increased
; at an average rate Of over s per cent per an.
!: mum, while the increase OF expenditures for
: the same period has been about 81 per cent
per anuum, and the decrease of the deficiency
IN the revenues has been at the rate of nearly
; , per cent. per annum.
The report Of the Commissioner OF Agricul-
) ture, accompanying this message will be
found one OF great interest, marking, as 4.
} does the great progress Of the last century
: in the variety Of products of the soil, ucrcas
!, ed knowledge and skill in the Ianor OF pro-
=. ducing, saving and manipulating The same, to
prepare them for the use Of man; IN the i'm
provemcnis Of machinery To aid the agricul.
/, turists IN his labor, and IN knowledge of the
} scientific subjects necessary to a thorough
system IN economy in agricultural produc-
ton, namely, chemistry, botany, Chronology,
etc. study of this report of those interest.
} ed in agriculture, and deriving their support
from It, will find it Of value IN pointing out
those articles which are raised in greater
quantity than the needs Of the world require
and must sell, therefore, for less than the cost
I OF production, and those which command a
profit over cost of production, because there Is
not an production. | call special atten-
ton to the need of the department fora new
gallery for the reception of the exhibits re
turned from the Centennial Exhibition in
GLIDING exhibits donated by very many for
egn nations, and to the recommendations of
the Commissioner of Agriculture generally.
TIE reports of the District Commissioners
and the Board OF Health are Just received, too
lateto read them and to make recommends
tions thereon, and are herewith submitted.
The International Exhibition held in Philadel-
phia this year in commemoration of the one
Ihundredth anniversary of American indcpend
ence has proven Il 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 demonstrated that we are but little behind
the older nations in any one branch, while in
some scarcely have a rial. 1t has served,
too, not oAly to bring people and products Of
skill and labor from all parts o! the world to-
gether, but in bringing together people from
all sections OF our own country, which must
l prove Il great benefit in the information impart
ed and pride Of country cngendercd.
4 1t has been cSted by scientists Interested
in and connected with the Smithsonian lnsti.
tute, in a communication herewith, that the
| Government exhibit be removed to the Capitol
and Il suitable building be erected or purchased
! for its accommodation as permanent exhibit
| | earnestly recommend this and believing that
Congress would second this view, directed that
all the Government exhibits M the Centennial
cept such as might be injured by remaining in a
| building not intended as protection in inclcm.
cnt weather, or such rs may be wanted by the
department furnishing them, until the question:
of permanent exhibition is acted on. Although
the moneys appropriated by Congress to ena-
bic the participation OF the several executive de
partmcnts in the international Exhibition of
1876 were not sufficient 10 carry out the under
taking to the full extent at first contemplated,
it gives pleasure to refer to the very efficient
and creditable manner in which the boards APP
pointed from these several depal tmcnts to pro-
vide an exhibition on the part OF the Govern
mcnt, have discharged their duties with the
| funds placed at their command, Without pre-
ccdeut to guide them IN the preparation OF such
a display, the success OF thelr labOrs was amply
attesled by the sustained attention which the
| contents of the Government Building attracted
during the period OF the exhibition, from both
| foreign and native people. | am strongly I'M
pressed with the value of the collection made by
the Government for the purposes OF the exhibit
ton, illustrating as II does the general resources
of the country the statistical and practical evi-I
dcnces OF our growth as II nation and the uses
| of the mercantile arts and the applications of
applied science i'll the administration OF the al
fairs of the Government. Many nations have
voluntarily contributed their exhibits to the
| United States, to increase the interest III any
permanent exhibition that Congress may pro.
vide for. For this act of generosity they should
receive the thanks OF the people, and respect
fully suggest that resolution Of Congress TO.
| that effect be adopted,
The attention OF Congress cannot be too earn
estly called to the necessity of throwing some
greater safeguard over the method OF choosing
and declaring the election OF Il President. Iu-l
der the present system, there seems to be no
provided remedy for contesting the election III
any one State. The remedy Is partially, no
doubt in enlightenment OF the Electors, the
compulsory support OF the free schools, ana the
dI>frunchisemCnt OF all who cannot read or
write the English language, aitct u fixed proba-
! WDul1 |
not have this apply, however, to those already
voters, but would to all becoming so after the
! expiration of the probation fixed upon. For
eiguers coming to the country to become citi-
zens, who are educated in their own language
would acquire the requisite knowledge oil ours
during the necessary residence TO obtain natur-
aliZaton. If they did not take enough interest
in our language 10 acquire sufficient knowledge
of it to eIablc them to study the Institutions
and laws of the country intclligentIN, would
mot confer upon them the right to h'"hc such
laws nor select those who Go.
I | append to this Message, for cuuN' H.'nt rel
cIvuCc, Il synopsis OF administrative I,,.,.. ala
/ of all the recommendations to congress Inauc ~
me during the last seven years. Time may shO"
! some of these recommendations not 10 nave
been wisely conceived, but believe the larger
/ part will bc no dlscredit to the Administration.
One of these recommendations met with the
united opposition of one political party in tue
Senate, ana with a strong opposition from the
other, namely, the treaty for the annexation OF
SantO domingo 10 lIc Nilcu S'd'cS, " Nhi'H
| shall specially refer maintaining Is do, that
if my views had been concurred IN, the country
would be in more prosperous condition to-day,
both politically and financially Santo Domingo
is fertile, and upon its soil may be grown just
those tropical products Oi which the United
i States use so much, and which are produced
and prepared 70. the market now by slave labor
almost exclusively namely: sugar, coffee, dye
woods, mahogany, tropical fruits tobacco, etc
! About - per cent. OF the exports of Cuba are
CON sum,d in the United States \ large per
centa..e of the exports Of Brazil also find the
same market. These are paid for almost eXclu-
sycly in coin, legislation, pan ticuarly in Cuba
being unfayOrable To a mutual exchange OF the
products of each country. Flour shipped from
the Mississippi River to Havana can pass 10y the
very entrance TO the city on its way to portion
of Spain, then pay duty fixed upon articles 10
bc rc-eXported, transferred l. a Spanish vessel