work as contemplated when the resolution
authorizing the compilation was passed, nor when the act was passed
requiring the preparation of the Index; but with the approval of the
Joint Committee on Printing I have inserted the articles, believing that
they would be of interest. They contain facts and valuable information
not always easily accessible, and it is hoped that they will serve to
familiarize the young men of the country who read them with its history
and its trials and make of them better citizens and more devoted lovers
of our free institutions. There has been no effort or inclination on my
part to give partisan bias or political coloring of any nature to these
articles. On the other hand, I have sought only to furnish reliable
historical data and well-authenticated definitions and to avoid even the
appearance of an expression of my own opinion. It is proper to add that
these articles have all been read and approved by Mr. A.R. Spofford,
Chief Assistant Librarian of Congress, to whom I now make acknowledgment
of my indebtedness.

In pursuance of the plan originally adopted certain papers were
omitted from the earlier volumes of this work. Referring to these
papers, the following statement occurs in the Prefatory Note to Volume
I: "In executing the commission with which I have been charged I have
sought to bring together in the several volumes of the series all
Presidential proclamations, addresses, messages, and communications to
Congress excepting those nominating persons to office and those which
simply transmit treaties, and reports of heads of Departments which
contain no recommendation from the Executive." In the Prefatory Note to
Volume IX the statement was made that this course was a mistake, and
"that the work to be exhaustive should comprise every message of the
Presidents transmitting reports of heads of Departments and other
communications, no matter how brief or unintelligible the papers were in
themselves, and that to make them intelligible I should insert editorial
footnotes explaining them. Having acted upon the other idea in making up
Volume I and a portion of Volume II, quite a number of such brief papers
were intentionally omitted. Being convinced that all the papers of the
Executives should be inserted, the plan was modified accordingly, and
the endeavor was thereafter made to publish all of them. In order,
however, that the compilation maybe 'accurate and exhaustive,' I have
gone back and