The evening world., 1894-05-09
PRESIDENTS PR0CLAMATIONS
LOTS OF RED TAPE ABOUT THEN,
MT NOTHING ELSE.
They Are Prepared Quietly and
Given Out without Noise.

The procedure OF Presidential procla-
nations Is altogether "A very tame AFFAIR
compared with the Importance which Is
attached TO 1t by those VINO are unfa-
miliar wlth the ways OF government.
says the Chicago Mail. The prevailing
idea that the President proclaims some
thing. in the generally accepted sense
OF the word, s wholly erroneous. cspe-
cially In the case Of such a proclamation
as that relating to Behring Sea.
In many foreign countries, whore
official gazrttcg are published, proclama-
tlonS are literally proclaimed. but in the
United states. II II were not for the
wide publicity given to Presidential ac-
tion, IT IL exceedingly doubtful II more
than forty pie would have ever heard
Of the Presidents warning II the seal
pOaChcrs.
When Congress passed the bill placing
the decision of the Paris tribunal on the
United states statutes. and 1t became a
law by Presidential signature. 1t was
binding on every American citizen from
that moment. The pleading OF ignorance
considered worthless In any court In the
land. Some of the ablest advisers OF
the Government held that no further
action was necessary to insure the pun
ishment OF any one found violating Its
provisions.
There were others, however. who con-
tended that additional security was to
be found In n formal proclamat ton Of the
new law, as international questions were
involved. and in order to forertall any
possible flaw that might be raised to
cause future trouble the the PROCLAMATION
great red.tape machines Of the Gov
ernment was called into action
There Is printing establishment In
the unknown regions of the State De-
| partment whore some OF the best typo
graphical work in America Is produced.
Secret documents are printed there, sur
rounded by more precautions than are
| this establishment was taken care
| fully compared typewriter copy OF the
| Presidential proclamation, which con
| sisted OF an ordinary print of the act
OF Congress with a couple of perfume
| tory phrases "proClalming' its provisions
| and stating that the President had there.
unto set hiT hand and caused the, seal
Of the United States. to be affixed. all
of which was done at the city of Wash
| ington, this ninth day of April. In the
year of our Lord one thousand eight
dependence OF the United States OF
| America the one hundred and eigh-
teenth," with an abnormal number OF
capital letters. punctuation marks, and
| varieties OF type.
| Proofs were corrected dozen times by
a dozen different men and women, wh)
| nevertheless, overlooked at least seven
| typographical errors and finally several
hundred copies were printed upon the
heaviest blue bond paper. A few OF these
were filed away In the archives OF the
State Department. while the remainder
| were delivered to the Secretary OF the
| Navy to be distributed among the COM
| manders of the twelve vessels which
are to patrol the forbidden waters and
by them handed to the captains of YES
sells in officially warning them not tc
| take seals.
| No one will ever see the actual procla-
maons or be officially aware of their
! existence except these warned skip
pers and the few officers who handle
| the documents before their delivery
| Probably less than 100 copies will bt
| used altogether None of thin will be
posted in the Custom II ouses or along
| the wharves of the Pacific Coast where
| Interested persons could see them; II
fact, the utmost secrecy has been ant
| will he maintained regarding them. AL
| though the act was signed on April
| and the proclamation was sealed anC
done" on April ., 1t was not until Apri
10 that the officials Of the White Hous,
and State Department could be induced
| to confess that such a thing as proc
| lamation existed. and even then no in
terest in securing Its wide publicity was
| manifested.
That IL the true story of the Who'll,
| proclaimng business