MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES [virtually a complete issue of "Democratic Expositor and United States Journal for the Country"].
Washington, DC: The newspaper (edited by Theophilus Fiske and Jesse E. Dow), December 13, 1845. Vol. 1, No. 23 [this issue only]. 8vo. [353]-368 pp. [printed double-column]. Polk's first Annual Message to Congress covers pp. [353]-367 of this issue of the newspaper, preceded by short reports on the opening two days of the congressional session on the first page and followed, on the final page, by reports of congressional activities on two succeeding days and several news and commentary shorts. In his first "State of the Union" message, Polk gives an update on the annexation of Texas which he signed into law later in December, after all the remaining procedures outlined here had been fulfilled: "The terms of annexation which were offered by the United States having been accepted by Texas, the public faith of both parties is solemnly pledged to the compact of their union ... questions deeply interesting to Texas, in common with the other states, the extension of our revenue laws and judicial system over her people and territory, as well as measures of a local character, will claim the early attention of Congress, and therefore upon every principle of republican government she ought to be represented in that body without unnecessary delay ... if we consider the extent of the territory involved in the annexation, its prospective influence on America, the means by which it has been accomplished, springing purely from the choice of the people themselves to share the blessings of our union, the world may be challenged to furnish a parallel." Much of the rest of the first half of the message covers other situations that would lead to further expansion by the United States during Polk's term, as he related in detail problems with Mexico that would lead to war the following year and negotiations with Great Britain over the status of the Oregon Territory; in the second half, Polk addressed financial issues and other domestic policy, closing with a short eulogy for Andrew Jackson, his mentor who died the previous June. OCLC records 8 copies of this issue as part of runs (Stanford, Library of Congress, Newberry, American Antiquarian Society, New York Public, Dickinson College, Texas-Austin, Western Reserve Historical Society). Completely untrimmed and unopened, quite rare thus; accompanied by two other issues, Vol. 1, Nos. 17 and 23, the former with a celebratory poem on the prospect of Texas becoming a state, the latter with a note that Ex-Republic of Texas President Mirabeau Lamar and Gen. Thomas J. Rusk had been nominated to be the first U.S. Senators from that state (Rusk and Sam Houston were elected to fill the seats). Original self wrappers (a little soiled). (10775). Item #64426
Price: $450.00