The Second, Sober Thought Of The People

We Remain At Peace With All Nations, And No Efforts On My Part Consistent With The Preservation Of Our Rights And The Honor Of The Country Shall Be Spared To Maintain A Position So Consonant To Our Institutions.

In Receiving From The People The Sacred Trust Twice Confided To My Illustrious Predecessor, And Which He Has Discharged So Faithfully And So Well, I Know That I Can Not Expect To Perform The Arduous Task With Equal Ability And Success.

If Laws Acting Upon Private Interests Can Not Always Be Avoided, They Should Be Confined Within The Narrowest Limits, And Left Wherever Possible To The Legislatures Of The States.

I Shall Tread In The Footsteps Of My Illustrious Predecessor.

To Avoid The Necessity Of A Permanent Debt And Its Inevitable Consequences, I Have Advocated And Endeavored To Carry Into Effect The Policy Of Confining The Appropriations For The Public Service To Such Objects Only As Are Clearly With The Constitutional Authority Of The Federal Government.