St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-02-12
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
A New Edition OF Great Historic
Value Now Offered

Nineteen years ago, Congress au-
thorized "a complete compilation of
all the annual, special and veto mes
sages, proclamations and inaugural
addresses of the presidents of the
| United States" from 1889 down. The
| joint committee on printing award
ed the job of compilation and editing
to Hon. James d. Richardson of Ten
nessee (then a congressman with
full power and discretion" The
| comilation (printed at the Govern
ment Printing Offee) was published
in 1896. Mr.. Richardson followed
it up with a (copyrighted) appendix
and index in 1899. We have been
making use of this Richardson edi-
ton of the messages ever since, and
we are not unmindful of the proverb
that bids one speak well Of the
bridge that has brought him over. II
left several things 70 be desired,
however: Mr.. Richardson was not at
all points an experienced editor.
The Army and Navy Magazine"
has now brought out (under copy
right a revised and notably improv-
ed edition that will take and hold
a place on the shelves not only of all
welI-directed public, college and
newspaper libraries but of competent
teachers and really serious students
of American political history. This
new edition is in eleven volumes and
runs to S,643 octave pages. 1t is,
literally "up to date" it contains
the Thanksgiving proclamation OF
President Taft last November, it con-
tains Gas an appendix) the roll of
the Sixty-third Congress. The orr
ginal edition stopped short at jan
uary 20, 1899-in President Nc
Kinley's time. There was good deal
of deadwood in that edition-unimr
portant, ephemeral matter-that Las
been judiciously excluded from the
new one, making room for other
and desirable matter. The new IN
dex (956 pages), as far as we nave
had time to examine II, seems a1e-
uuate and admirable-greatly en-
HANGING the value of the work for
all who have occasion to consult IL
and for busy men (such as new spapeI
writers) in particular. Besides the
messages and other state papers,
these volumes contain the Declare
ton of independence, the Articles OF
Confederation, the Constitution.
brief biographies of the Presidents.
their portraits, many illustrations IL
color and steel engravings, maps.
and reproductions of historic man
uscript in fac smile.
Take for instance the Panama Can
al, this new edition will gle you
splendid idea of it's practical nature
1t covers the history o. the subject
from 1927, down 10 the present can
al commission, and Immediately toi-
lowing the brief you are referred to
the other volumes where will be
found papers discussing the subject
by Presidents Arthur, Buchanan,
Cleveland and others, down to Roose-
Velt
The Monroe Doctrine, something
We read of, but as a matter OF Tact,
we knew little of until this work
was published, here in this brief we
get a correct review of what the doc
trine really is, citing all OF the pres
idents who have re-asserted it, as in
the case of Cleveland in the Vene-
zuelan controversy and the very Ian
guage he used. 1t surprises many
people to know that Monroe did no
originate This doctrine but 1t was
Monroe who first put it into effect,
so you see the beauty and value OF
the messages and papers CT the
President and the distribution is be-
ing made Systematically throughou
the country. aoV'