a vast amount of educational
details of great interest. The bill now pending before Congress,
providing for the appropriation of the net proceeds of the sales of
public lands for educational purposes, to aid the States in the general
education of their rising generation, is a measure of such great
importance to our real progress and is so unanimously approved by the
leading friends of education that I commend it to the favorable
attention of Congress.

TERRITORIES.

Affairs in the Territories are generally satisfactory. The energy
and business capacity of the pioneers who are settling up the vast
domains not yet incorporated into States are keeping pace in internal
improvements and civil government with the older communities. In but one
of them (Utah) is the condition of affairs unsatisfactory, except so far
as the quiet of the citizen may be disturbed by real or imaginary danger
of Indian hostilities. It has seemed to be the policy of the legislature
of Utah to evade all responsibility to the Government of the United
States, and even to hold a position in hostility to it.

I recommend a careful revision of the present laws of the Territory by
Congress, and the enactment of such a law (the one proposed in Congress
at its last session, for instance, or something similar to it) as will
secure peace, the equality of all citizens before the law, and the
ultimate extinguishment of polygamy.

Since the establishment of a Territorial government for the District of
Columbia the improvement of the condition of the city of Washington and
surroundings and the increased prosperity of the citizens are observable
to the most casual visitor. The nation, being a large owner of property
in the city, should bear, with the citizens of the District, its just
share of the expense of these improvements.

I recommend, therefore, an appropriation to reimburse the citizens for
the work done by them along and in front of public grounds during the
past year, and liberal appropriations in order that the improvements and
embellishments of the public buildings and grounds may keep pace with
the improvements made by the Territorial authorities.

AGRICULTURE.

The report of the Commissioner of Agriculture gives a very full and
interesting account of the several divisions of that Department--the
horticultural, agricultural, statistical, entomological, and
chemical--and the benefits conferred by each upon the agricultural
interests of the count