Year: 1877

adopting at your present session the
necessary legislation to enable the
the people of the United States to par
ticipate in the advantages of the Inter
national exhibition of the agricultural
industries and the fiue arts, which is to
be held at Paris in 1878, and in which
this government has been invited by
the government of France to take part.
This invitation was communicated to
this government ic 1876 by the Min
lister OF France at this capitol, and
a copy thereof was submitted to the
proper committees of Congress at its
last session, but no action was taken on
the subject. The Department of State
has received many letters from various
parts of the country, expressing de-
sire to participate in the exhibition,
and numerous applications of a similar
nature have also been made at the U.
S. legation in Paris. The Department
Of State has also received official ad-
vices of the strong desire on the part





United States should participate in this
enterprise, and space has hitherto been,
and is still reserved in the exhibition
buildings, for the use of exhibitors from
the United States, to the exclusion of
other parties who have been applicants
therefor.


In order that our industries be prop
erly represented at the exhibition, an
appropriation will be needed for the
payment of salaries and expenses of
commissioners, for the transportation
of goods, and for other purposes in
connection with the object in view, and
as May next rs the time fixed for the
opening of the exhibition, if our citi-
zens are to share the advantages of this
international competition for the trade
Of other nations, the necessity for i'm
mediate action is apparent to enable
the United States to cooperate. In
the international exhibition which was
held at Vienna in 1873, Congress
passed joint resolution making an ap-
preparation of 100000, and authoriz-
ing the President to appoint certain
number of practical artisans and scien-
tifc men, who should attend the exhi-
bition and report their proceedings and
observations to him. Provision was
also made for the appointment of a
number of honorary commissioners.
have felt that prompt action by Con-
gress in accepting the invitation of the
government of France is of so much
interest to the people of this country,
and so suitable to the cordial relations
between the governments of the two
countries, that the subject might prop
erly be presented for attention at your
present session.


INTERNATIONAL PRISON CONGRESS.


The government of Sweden and Nor
way has addressed an official invitation
to this government to take part in the
International Prison Congress, TO be
held at Stockholm next year. The
problem which this congress proposes





one in which all civilized nations have
an interest in common. and the Con-
gress at Stockholm seems likely to
prove the most important convention
ever held for the study of this grave
question. Under the authority of
joint resolution of Congress, approved
February 10th, 1875, a commission was
appointed by my predecessor to repre-
sent the United States upon that occa-
sion, and the prison congress having
been, at the earnest desire of the Swe-
dish government, postponed to 1878,
his commission was renewed by me.
An appropriation of $4,000 was made
in the sundry civil service act of 1875,
to meet tile expenses of the commits
sioners. / recommend a reappropria-
tion of that sum for the same purpose,
the former appropriation having been
covered into the Treasury and is no
longer available for the purpose without
further action by Congress. The SUBJ
ject is brought to your attention at this
time in view of circumstances which
render it highly desirable that the COM
mission should proceed to the discharge
of its important duties Immediately, as
the several acts of Congress providing
for detailed reports from the different
departments of the government, re-
quire their submission at the beginning
of the regular annual session. l defer
until that time any further reference to
subjects of public interest.


[Signedl R. B. HAYES.


MANIA