Year: 1876

} this view, I directed that all Govern
} ment exhibits at the Centennial Exhibi
tion should remain where th3y are, ex
cept exhibits such as might be injured
, by remaining in building not intended
as a protection in inclement weather, o.
) such as may be wanted by the depart
ment furnishing them, until the ques
ton of permanent exhibition Is acted on
Although the moneys appropriated by
Congress to enable the participation Of
the several executive departments in the
international exhibition of 1876 were
: not sufficient to carry out the under.
taking to the full extent at first contem.
J plated, it gives me pleasure to refer to
the very efficient and creditable manner
J in which the Board, appointed from
these several departments to pro-
vide for an exhibition on the
part of the Government, have
discharged their duties with the
funds placed at their command, without
precedent to guide them. In this pre-
paration of such display the success of
their labors was amply attested by the
sustained attention which the contests
of the Government building attracted
during the period of the exhibition, 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, illustrat-
ing, as it does, the general resources ofthe
country, the statistical and practical evil
dences of our growth as nation, and
the uses of the mercantile arts, and the
applications of applied science in the ad-
ministration of the affairs of the govern
ment. Many nations have voluntarily
contributed their exhibits to the United
States to increase the interest in any
permanent exhibition Congress may
provide for. For this act of generosity
they should receive the thanks of the
people, and / respectfully suggest that
resolution Of Congress to that effect be
adopted.


CHOOSING A PRESIDENT.


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 President.


Under the present system there seems
|
the election in any State.


The remedy is partially, no doubt, the
enlightenment OF electors. The COM
pulsory report of the free school, and
the disfranchisement of all who can not
read and write TIE English language
after fixed probation would meet my
hearty approval. ! would not make this
apply, however, to those already voters,
but would to all becoming 20 after the
expiration of a probation fixed upon.
Foreigners coming to the country
TO become citizens who are educated in
their own language would acquire the
requisite knowledge of ours during the
necessary residence to obtain naturaliza-
tion. If they did not take enough inter
est in our language to acquire sufficient
knowledge of 1t to enable them to study
the institution and laws of the country
intelligently, l would not confer upon
them the right to make such laws nor set
them over those who do.


/ append to this message for con-
venient reference, synopsis of ad-
ministrative events and of all recon-
mendations to Congress by me during
the last seven years.





mendations not to have been wisely con-
ceived, but I believe the larger part
will be no discredit to the Administra.
tion.


AGRICULTURE.


The report of tho Commissioner of
Agriculture will be found one of great
interest, marking, as it does, the great
progress of the last century. The in
crease Of produce of the soil, and of the
knowledge and skill in the labor of pro-
ducing, saving, and manipulating the
same to prepare them for the use of man:
in the improvements in machinery to
aid the agriculturist in his labors,
and in the knowledge of those scientific
subjects necessary to thorough system
of economy in agricultural productions,
namely, chemistry, botany, and ento-
mol0gy.


Those interested in agriculture, and
deriving their support from it, will find
this report of great 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 of production, and
those which command q profit over the
cost of production, because there is not
an over production.


/ call special attention to the need of
the Department for new gallery for the
reception of the exhibits returned from
the Centennial Exhibition, including
exhibits donated by very many foreign
Nations, and to the recommendations Of
the Commissioner of Agriculture gen.
orally.


The report of the District Commits
sioners and the Board of Health are just
received, too late to read them, and to
herewith submitted.


SAN DOMINGO.


One of these recommendations met
the united opposition of one political
party in the Senate, and with q strong
opposition from the other, namely, the
treaty for the annexation of San DO
mingo to the United States, to which /
shall specially refer, maintaining, as
l 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 which the United States use 30
much, and which are produced or pre-
pared for the market now by slave labor
almost. exclusively, namely, sugar,
coffee, dye-woods, mahogany, trop-
ical fruits, tobacco, etc. About seventy
five 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, par
ticularly in Cuba, being unfavorable to
mutual exchange OF the 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 a port in Spain, then pays a duty
fixed upon articles to be re.exported,
is transferred to q Spanish vessel,
and brought back almost to the point OF
starting, paying a second duty, and still
/ laavo a nrofit ovar vbot uouId ho re-