Excerpt from Union League Club of New York: Address of the President, June 23, 1866 When I acknowledged from Naples the notification of my election as President, I proposed to address you at an early day in reference to the pending national issues in which the country is so deeply interested, and in regard to which our countrymen in Europe are neither unobservant nor indifferent. The fast-changing issues, however, reminded me that it would be more than superfluous to attempt advice in detail from such a distance, to a body thoroughly conversant with the whole subject, and accustomed not simply to judge wisely, but when the occasion demands it, to act promptly. With this apology for my past silence, and the renewed expression of my regret at my prolonged absence from the post with which you have honored me, I beg leave to offer a few thoughts, not so much upon specific questions immediately before the country, whose aspect may change from week to week, as upon the political situation generally, and the ends which I think should be kept in view in our efforts to give tone and scope to the national policy. 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.