US Presidency
1887

The Constitution provides that the President shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the Union. It has been the custom of the Executive, in compliance with this provision, to annually exhibit to the Congress, at the opening of its session, the general condition of the country, and to detail with some particularity the operations of the different Executive Departments. It would be especially agreeable to follow this course at the present time and to call attention to the valuable accomplishments of these Departments during the last fiscal year; but I am so much impressed with the paramount importance of the subject to which this communication has thus far been devoted that I shall forego the addition of any other topic, and only urge upon your immediate consideration the state of the Union as shown in the present condition of our Treasury and our general fiscal situation, upon which every element of our safety and prosperity depends.