Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-11-27
THANKSGIVING DAY.
From the Washington Times.

1HhNNoUlfINUD Dai'
From the Washington Times.
The custom of issuing national
proclamation has been annual only
since Lincoln's time, though George
Washington issued, as early as 1889, q
proclamation, which has served as q
model for his successors.
The Revolutionary fathers believed
they had particular reasons for giving
thanks, and they lost few opportuni'
ties of doing so. Thus, in the Cont
mental congress, there were resolu'
tions passed setting aside days for
acknowledging the kindness of Provi,
dence IN giving victory to the Revolu'
ZIONIST forces.
The chaplains of congress were the
prime movers in this. But the thanks
of the nation were given rather grudg-
ingly afterward, and it was due to a
Boston women's efforts that President
Lincoln made a habit of proclaiming
"a special day for giving thanks.
Since Lincoln's time the presidents
have all issued Thanksgiving proclama,
tions early in November. These proc
lamations are composed usually by the
presidents themselves, and in most in
stances they have been written with
the presidents own hand. From the
White House they have gone to the
state department, where they have
been copied with exactness on that
officials blue paper.
The proclamation is never type.
written. The typewriter is used in all
the departments freely with the ex'
ception of the state department
Here Secretary Gresham used it for
bis correspondence but before him ii
was not even used for the secretary's
letters. No official document emana.
ting from the state department is ever
written on the typewriter. 1t is in
variably engrossed in flowing script
on the departments blue bond paper
When the proclamation has been
engrossed, it is sent to the office of the
clerk of pardons and commissions. He
has the custody of the great seal. Nc
impression of this seal can be made
without a special warrant signed by
the president of the United States
himself. This seal is kept constantly
under lock and key, except when it is
in use for the attesting of pardons,
commissions, or proclamations of the
president. 1t is an elaborate affair,
which cost $1,000, and the making oi
the impression is accomplished with
much ceremony and not little labor
When the seal has been affixed the
document is copied by clerks, and
copies are sent to the governors of all
the States. 1t is given to the press at
the same time, and the press associa,
tions telegraph it to all the quarters ot
the country for publication. 1t finds
its way into a good many thousand
newspapers, and probably is read by
100000 or 15,OOOO,0OO of the people
of the United States.
The first thanksgiving proclamation,
that of President Washington, was
issued in New York, October 8, 1889
President Washington, it will be seen,
took time by the forelock. There was
no telegraph in his day and no United
Press to transmit the proclamation to
the uttermost parts of the United
States. 1t had to reach the interior by
stage and carrier, and no doubt many
of the people who had some reason to
give thanks did not hear of this ap'
pointment of November 26 for that
purpose until November was long
past.
The original of the Washington proc
lamation is in the hands of the Rev,
J. w. Wellman, who inherited it re-
motely from his great grandfather,
William Ripley, of Cornish, n. H. 1t
was much like the proclamation OF
to-day. 1t began with the formal: "By
the President of the United States oi
America-A proclamation"