Year: 1872

1 American Independence --- T h e

 Grand Exposition and Celebration 1 of that Year.

 PHILADELPHIA, PA, May 29, 1872.

 In March 1871, Congress enacted a

 law providing the initial steps for

 suitable international exposition,

 which shall specially include a dis

 play of the products of the soil and

 mines and of the works of art within

 the United States, in the city of Phi

 ladelphia, in the year 1876. Pro-

 visions of this act require the appoint

 ment of one commissioner and one al-

 ternate commissioner in each State

 and Territory, whose duties shall con-

 sist in developing the scope and details

 of said exhibition and to control its

 affairs from first to last. All these

 appointments are made by the Pres.

 ident, though he has no choice in

 their selection, they being nominated

 by the several Governors and then

 the law requires the President of

 the United States to commission them.

 In partisan sense, the commissioners

 represent, as rule. the views of the

 several Governors who were in office

 at the time of their nomination. Thus

 the California, Oregon and Nevada

 commissioners are Democratic, and

 those of Massachusetts and Vermont,

 Republican, and so on through the list. l am particular in stating this, for while Congress was desirous of having the exhibition purely under national auspices, it was wise enough to avoid the possibility of its being made a partisan machine. and there fore the discretionary power of ap- continent was not given the Presi- dent or any other one officer. And these facts make the commissioners @ body of men whose association is specially desirable. It embraces red hot secessionists and Union men-men who talked, wrote or fought on both sides. but who now, and will from time to time until October 19, 1876, assemble in Philadelphia, all bent on one purpose, intensely anxious to make the Centennial Exhibition not only more attractive and grander in it's display as 6 whole and in detail than any former exhibition in the worlds history, but also determined to finally close up and heal out of sight all wounds and damages of the late rebellion, and better cement the several parts of the Union by more thorough understanding of the aims of each. It is now anticipated that the glorious period in the nations history and the magnifcence of the exhibi- ton, combined with the ease, speed and cheapness by which the whole people can get there, will bring face to face large proportion of the coun- try's population; and it is also believed that coming together chiefly imbued with a holiday spirit, viewing each other and their products and contribu- tions in that kindly mood, they will return to their several and diverse To- calities with 8 better opinion each of the other, end all wondering how such a terrible war was possible among people who acknowledge but one country and who really aim at its and their own aggrandizement. Mem bers of the Commission (which just closed a seven days session to-day), from every part of the Union, believe firmly, after careful consideration, that the United States can not expend fifteen O. even twenty millions of dol lars to so benefcent and, in the end economical purpose, as in the pro- motion of the approaching Centennial Celebration. They believe its infu- ence would do more to make this na- tion one of @ friendly, sympathizing people for the next hundred years, than any and all other possible in- strumentalities. And if the associa- tion of the people generally has meas urably as cordial effect as that of the gentlemen composing the Commission has already developed, the most en- thusiastic estimates of the good na- tional benefits of the exhibition are !, o% avo