Resumen:
Upon receiving the powers which this high Legislative Body has deemed appropriate to vest in me in response to my message of the 12th instant, I consider it my duty to appear before you and set forth, with all clarity, the motives which prompted my request. We are facing a
highly sigñificant moment of our history, beset by grave responsibilities. It is therefore fitting that I speak to the nation with true understanding of the situation confronting us.