Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1907-11-22
APPOINTING THE DAY OF THANKSGIVING
PROCLAMATION FROM THE WHITE HOUSE IS ONE OF THE
MOST SERIOUS DUTIES THAT DEVOLVE
UPON THE PRESIDENT.

The only piece of really pure litera-
ture ever officially issued from the
White house is the proclamation ap-,
pointing a 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
a painstakingly worded and grateful
composition. A fairly illustrative ex-
ample will be found in Mr.. Roosevelt's
proclamation setting aside the last
Thursday of the present month for the
Thanksgiving of 1906.
1t is the duty of Mr.. Loeb (who runs
the machinery OF the presidents busi-
ness, arranging all his engagements
for him) to call Mr.. Roosevelt's atten-
ton TO the ract that Thanksgiving ap-
proaches, and to remind him that a
proclamation must be written. or
course, it requires considerable time
chief executive. of the nation might be
excusable If he handed over the task
to some subordinate, contenting him
self with affixing his signature. But
custom demands that the work shall
be performed by the president himself.
Accordingly, when the proclamation
has to be prepared, the president de-
votes some time to thinking out new
shape in which to put the more or less
stereotyped ideas which are to be ex-
pressed, and, as he does so, jots down
few memoranda in pencil on a paper
pad. Then, touching buzz-button, he
summons one of the dozen stenograph-
ers who are always in attendance, and
dictates to him carefully the wording
of the document. 1t Is short-not more
than 400 OF 500 words-but daintily
and tersely phrased. This, however, is
only a rough draft. 1t is copied in
typescript by the stenographer, with
lines twice the ordinary distance apart,
so as to be convenient for corrections
and interlineations, and in this shape
is handed back to Mr.. Roosevelt. He
alters it a bit, modifying sentence
here and changing word there, until
| II suits him-whereupon a fair copy
| is made, again submitted for correc'
ton, and finally sent over to the de-
| partment of state.
At the department of state the proc
Iamation is beautifully engrossed on
a great sheet of fine parchment by a
clerk highly skilled in this kind OF pen
manship. 1t is considerable task, and
| occupies some days, at the end OF
which the document Is sent back to
the white House to receive the presi-
dents 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 sort of
federal fetch. 1t is the most sacred
of all things that belongs to the gov
ernment; and no print of 1t Is ever al
lowed to be given away or sold
though, of course. 1t is attached to all
military and naval commissions, and
to various other executive documents
II was made by New York jeweler at
a cost of $4,000, and is kept In
beautiful rosewood box at the state
department. In order that 1t may be
used for stamping the Thanksgiving
proclamation, a printed order to that
effect must be signed by Mr.. Roose
velt.
The department of state is the per
manent depository OF executive procla
nations. All the Thanksgiving proc
lamations ever issued by the presi
dents of the United States are filed
away in its archivcs-back even tc
1895, when George Washington sci
aside the 18th day of February. in tha
year. as date on which the people
should thank God for exemption from
foreign war and from insurrection.
Consequently. the engraved proclama