New-York tribune., 1911-11-26
Almost Every Year for a Gen
GRAFTON State Department
Official Has Composed
Proclamation.

ccopyrisht. 1911. by John Eifreth watlSins)
"%HE official thanks prompter Of the
United States is ostensibly the Pres
II ident, but actually another high
functionary of state.
For the last generation that astute and
Indispensable diplomatist Of ours, Alvey
Augustus Adee, Second Assistant Secretary
Of State, has composed wellnigh all Of our
Thanksgiving proclamations-those little
classics whose dicton has almost rivalied
that OF the Episcopal liturgy itself OF
course. all Presidents within this time have
had the privilege Of editing Mr.. Adee
drafts of these proclamations, and in te"
instances a President or Secretary OF state
while keenly alive to the novelty of ms
high authority has preferred TO compose
this important instrument. but these IN
stances have been unusual and scattering
Which Of these exceptional proclamauons
have been composed by minds other than
that Of Mr. Adee is one Of the state Sc
Cre,s which our Premier's department keeps
under seal Theoretically. The nation
thanks and the nations defence are person
ally engineered by the President himself
Were these the days when mems names
were suffixed by qualifying adjectives our
oHcisl thanks prompter would be known
~ "Adee the Indispensable. For over
forty-tvo years he has otficiated in ouI
Diplomatic service and. although originally
elevated thereto 10y Republican Presi-
dent, he was persuaded to remain an assist
mt secretary under the Democratic pre-
iniers. who found that they absolutely could
not spare him. despite the fact that many
of the faithful hankered for his Office.
Mr.. Adee's has long been the master hand
On tho wording Of treaties. the writing OF
diplomatic notes 10 the powers, the con-
EtrjIction Of state documents He Is the
menory centre of tho Department OF state
aud its index of diplomatic precedcnts, a.
VOL as its arhitcr II social precedence.
Wien distinguished foreigners visit our
6ountrv il is me who arrangcs their seats
o. state functions and their places in pa
Yadcs or corcmonials Like oil true genius
O. DC is among the most modest Of mon
ard cares little for tho shams of 'soci,ty.'
After concentrating his energies upon his
official work for ton months Of the year
ho cuts loose each summer. expresses his
bicycle 20 Now York. takes IL aboard an
ocean steamer. mounts II on the European
eide of tho Atlantic and. with his camera
for two months During the last summer,
although I'm HIS siNty-ninth year. ne thus
rode ZOO miles through France. Belgium
snd Holland, taking snapshots all the way.
After Mr.. Adec's draft of the Thanksgiv-
ing proclamatin has been O. K.'d by the
president il is handed TO the State De
partment expert penman, who, IN his cop
per plate chirography, writes it upon
large sheet Of excellent parchment, which
s. sent 10 the President-thiS year almost
ECroSs the continent-foT his signature.
end then returned 10 the State Department
80 be signed 10y the Secretary Of state.
Next 81 must be pressed with the great
seal Of the United States, whose custodian
will refuse 20 impress II even upon so i'm
portant document unless authorized 10
do so by a formal warrant signed by Mr..
Taft, for the use of the great seal or the
possession of an impression thereof with
out the Chief Executives written authority
IS a grave offence, punishable by law. In
deed, the great seal-which was made by
u ieweler at a cost Of $4,000 and which
IS kept locked in a great rosewood case
S. the most sacred instrument used by the
government. Having had this cipher of
the Republic pressed into It, the new
Thanksgiving proclamation is filed away
in the State Department archives, later
10 be bound In its chronological order with
other accumulated proclamations