Bisbee daily review., 1907-11-24

OAAly VAtLC OA AE1Aas plAC AAtNA lure ever officially issued from the White house is the proclamation ap- pointing day of thanksgiving. All other papers written by the president are business documents. the phraseol- ogy of which is technical; but this an nual message to the people is always q painstakingly worded and grateful composition 4 fairly illustrative ex- ample will be found in Mr, Rooseyelt's proclamation setting aside the last Thursday of the present month for the Thanksgiving of 1906.
 It is the duty of Mr. Loeb (who runs the machinery of the presidents busi- ness, arranging all his engagements for him) to call Mir. Roosevelt's atten- ton to the fact that Thanksgiving ap- breaches, and to remind him that a proclamation must be written. Of course, it requires considerable time to do this, and so busy a man as the chief executive of the nation might be excusable if he handed over the task to some subordinate, contenting him. self with afTixing his signature. But custom demands that the work shall be pe=tprmed by the president himself.
 Ace6rdingIy, when the proclamation has ta be nrepared. the president de votes sohsc time to thinking out new shape in which to put the more or less stereotyped ideas which are to be ex-
 sr.E- | few memoranda in pencil on a paper pad. Then, touching a buzz-button he summons one of the dozen stenograph- CTS who are always in attendance, and dictates to him carefully the wording sf the document. It is short-not more than 100 or 500 words-but daintily and tersely phrased. This, however, is only rough draft It is copied in typescript by the stenographer, with Ines twice the ordinary distance apart, so as to be convenient for corrections and interlineations, and in this shape ks handed back to MT Roosevelt. He alters 1t a bit, modifying sentence here and changing a word there, until 1t suits him-whereupon fair copy is made, again submitted for correc- iion, and finally sent over to the de partment of state.
 At the department of state the proc hmation is beautifully engrossed on q great sheet of fine parchment by eserk highly skilled in this kind of pen nanship. It is considerable task, and occupies some days, at the end of which the document is sent back to fhe white House to receive the presi- deut's signature, and is thereupon re- turned to the department to be signed by the secretary of state and sealed with the great seal of the United States.
 This seal, by the way, is a sort Of federal fetich. It is the most sacred sf all things that belongs to the gov ernment; and no print of it Is ever al ,azad to be given away or sold though, of course, it is attached to all military and naval commissions. and to various other executive documents. if was made by New York jeweler at a cost of s10.0o0. and is kept in beautiful rosewood box at the state department In order that it may be used for stamping the Thanksgiving proclamation. printed order to that effect must be signed by Mr. Roose- welt
 The department of state is the per manent depository of executive procla- nations. All the Thanksgiving proc gamatIons ever issued by the presi- dents of the United States are filed away in its archives-back even to 1zs5. when George Washington set aside the 18th day of February, in that year. as a date on which the people should thank Cod for exemption from foreign war and from insurrection." Consequently. tho engraved proclama- kion ls retained by the department for