The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-26
BY JOHN ELFRErn WATKINS.

TT HE official thanks prompter of the
United States is, ostensibly. the
President. but actually, another
high functionary of State
For the past generation that astute
and indispensable diplomatist OF ours.
Mr.. Alvey Augustus Adoe, second AS
sistant Secretary OF State, has COM
posed we'll nigh all OF our Thanksgiving
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES little classics
whose diction has almost rivaled that os
the Episcopal liturgy itself or course.
all Presidents within this time have hal
the privilege of editing Mr. Adees
drafts of these proclamations, and in a
few instances a President or Secretary
of State, while keenly alive to the nov
city of his high authority, has pre-
ferrsd to compose this important In
strument but :hese instances have
been unusual and scattering. Which of
these exceptional proclamstions have
been composed by minds other than that
OF Mr.. Adee is one OF the State secrets
which our premiers department Keeps
under seal. Theoretically tho nations
thanks and the nations defense Is per-
sonally engineered by the President
himself.
An Indispensable Public Servant.
Were these the lays when mems
names We're suffixed by qualifying ad-
Jectives. our official thanks prompter
would be known as 'Adee, the Indis-
pensahle." For over forty-two years he
has officiated in our diplomatic service,
ind although originally elevated there
to by Republican President. he was
persuaded TO remain an assistant secre-
tary under the Democratic premiers,
who found that they absolutely could
not spare him, despite the fact that
many Of the faithful hankered for his
Office. Mr.. Adees has LONG been the
master hand In the wording OF treaties,
the writing o. diplomatic notes to the
powers. the construction OF State docu-
ments. He Is the memory centre OF
the Department OF State and its index
OF diplomatic precedents. as well as
It's sTbiter OF social precedence When
d!stinE uisheo foreigners visit our coun-
try II Is he who erranGes their seats at
state functions and their places in
parades or ceremon!als. Like all true
seniuses he is among the most modest
OF men, and cares little for the shams OF
so-called society" after concentrate
ing his energies upon his official work
: for ten months OF the year, he cuts
icose each summer, expresses his BIZ
cycle to New York. takes 1t aboard an
ocean steamer, mounts IL on the Euro
pean side of the Atlantic and. with his
camera elung across his back, rides
through Europe for two months. Dur
'h6 vac past summer, although In MIS-
HiNty-ninth year. he thus rode 1000
miles through France. Belgium and
Holland. taking snapshots all the way.
The Nlodus operandi.
After Mr.. Adees draft OF the
Thanksgiving proclamation has been
O. KID by the President 1t is handed
TO the State Department expert PEN
man, who in his copper plate chiro-
graphy tswrites. 1t upon large sheet
OF excellent parchment which is sent
70 the President-ths year almost
across the continent-for his sigma
ture, and then returned 10 the State
department. TO be signed by the Sec
rotary of State. Next II must be
pressed with the great seal Of the
United States. whose custodian will
refuse to impress 1t even upon so i'm
portant document unless authorized
to do SO by a formal warrant signed
D. Mr.. Taft. for the use OF the great
sea- or the possession of an impress
sion thereof without the chief cx-
ecutiHe's written authority is a grave
orense. punishable by law Indeed.
Inc great seal-which was made by n
Jeweier at II cost of 10000, and which
liz Kept locked In a great rosewoo,j
case-is the most sacred instrument
used by the government Having had
this cipher OF the republic pressed into
~, the new Thanksgiving proclamation
Is MED away in the State Department
archives, later to be bound in It's
chronological order, with other ac-
cumulatAd poclamations.
Thus Uncle Sam takes all OF these
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