er reluctantly, and
only in cases where his convictions make it a matter of stern duty,
which he can not escape. Indeed, there is more danger that the
President, from the repugnance he must always feel to come in collision
with Congress, may fail to exercise it in cases where the preservation
of the Constitution from infraction, or the public good, may demand it
than that he will ever exercise it unnecessarily or wantonly.

During the period I have administered the executive department of
the Government great and important questions of public policy, foreign
and domestic, have arisen, upon which it was my duty to act. It may,
indeed, be truly said that my Administration has fallen upon eventful
times. I have felt most sensibly the weight of the high responsibilities
devolved upon me. With no other object than the public good, the
enduring fame, and permanent prosperity of my country, I have pursued
the convictions of my own best judgment. The impartial arbitrament of
enlightened public opinion, present and future, will determine how far
the public policy I have maintained and the measures I have from time
to time recommended may have tended to advance or retard the public
prosperity at home and to elevate or depress the estimate of our
national character abroad.

Invoking the blessings of the Almighty upon your deliberations at your
present important session, my ardent hope is that in a spirit of harmony
and concord you may be guided to wise results, and such as may redound
to the happiness, the honor, and the glory of our beloved country.

JAMES K. POLK.

SPECIAL MESSAGES.

WASHINGTON, _December 12, 1848_.

_To the Senate of the United States_:

I nominate Second Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant (since promoted first
lieutenant), of the Fourth Regiment of Infantry, to be first lieutenant
by brevet for gallant and meritorious services in the battle of
Chapultepec, September 13, 1847, as proposed in the accompanying
communication from the Secretary of War.

JAMES K. POLK.

WAR DEPARTMENT, _December_ 11, _1848_.

The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

SIR: The brevet of captain conferred on Second Lieutenant Ulysses S.
Grant (since promoted first lieutenant), of the Fourth Regiment of
Infantry, and confirmed by the Senate on the 13th of July, 1848, "for
gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle of Chapultepec, September
13, 1847," being the result of a misapprehension as to the grade held by
that o