Excerpt from The Statesman's Manual, Vol. 1 of 4: The Addresses and Messages of the Presidents of the United States, Inaugural, Annual, and Special, From 1789 to 1854; With a Memoir of Each of the Presidents and a History of Their Administrations: Also, the Constitution of the United States, and a Select IN the compilation of the work which is contained in these volumes, we are confident that we have performed an acceptable service to the American public. Former editions Of the presidents' messages have been imperfect and incomplete in many respects; particularly in having been taken, in some instances, from incorrect copies, and abounding in typo graphical errors; also in the omission of numerous important special messages. These defects we have now endeavored to remedy; in the first place, by a careful comparison of the copies in these pages, with Official documents; and, secondly, by diligent research, to supply the special messages and inaugural addresses omitted in former compila trons. It is hoped that this collection will be found to contain every address and message of all our presidents, from Washington to the pres ent chief magistrate, which may be deemed important to elucidate the political history of this country, or to satisfy any reference that may be made by inquirers. The copious index, which is inserted at the end of the fourth volume, is a new feature of this compilation, that former editions have wanted; and, of course, their value for reference has been greatly impaired, by that omission. The communications of the executive of this great republic to the national legislature, and the expositions Of his policy and principles to his fellow-citizens, on entering upon the duties of his high office, must always be Of interest to every intelligent and patriotic American. To most of these productions of statesmen who have been elevated by the voice of their countrymen to the chief magistracy Of the nation, we may point with satisfaction, as containing lessons of political wisdom which will endure through all time. In this respect they will compare favorably with similar productions in the annals of any other nation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.