education wherever adequate provision therefor has not already
been made.

The Utah Commission has submitted to the Secretary of the Interior
its second annual report. As a result of its labors in supervising the
recent election in that Territory, pursuant to the act of March 22,
1882, it appears that persons by that act disqualified to the number of
about 12,000, were excluded from the polls. This fact, however, affords
little cause for congratulation, and I fear that it is far from
indicating any real and substantial progress toward the extirpation of
polygamy. All the members elect of the legislature are Mormons. There
is grave reason to believe that they are in sympathy with the practices
that this Government is seeking to suppress, and that its efforts in
that regard will be more likely to encounter their opposition than to
receive their encouragement and support. Even if this view should
happily be erroneous, the law under which the commissioners have been
acting should be made more effective by the incorporation of some such
stringent amendments as they recommend, and as were included in bill
No. 2238 on the Calendar of the Senate at its last session.

I am convinced, however, that polygamy has become so strongly
intrenched in the Territory of Utah that it is profitless to attack
it with any but the stoutest weapons which constitutional legislation
can fashion. I favor, therefore, the repeal of the act upon which the
existing government depends, the assumption by the National Legislature
of the entire political control of the Territory, and the establishment
of a commission with such powers and duties as shall be delegated to it
by law.

The Department of Agriculture is accomplishing much in the direction
of the agricultural development of the country, and the report of the
Commissioner giving the results of his investigations and experiments
will be found interesting and valuable.

At his instance a convention of those interested in the cattle
industry of the country was lately held at Chicago. The prevalence of
pleuro-pneumonia and other contagious diseases of animals was one of the
chief topics of discussion. A committee of the convention will invite
your cooperation in investigating the causes of these diseases and
providing methods for their prevention and cure.

I trust that Congress will not fail at its present session to put Alaska
under the protection of law. Its people have repeatedly remonstrated