Show F first s presidential thanksgiving P proclamation r started a more bitter dispute than change in 1939 date by ELMO SCOTT WATSON ine irtel eased by western tin union lon E you going to celebrate lk AE thanksgiving day on november 30 the traditional last thursday in the month or on november 23 the now new date a announced n noun ced by president rode roosevelt one hundred and fifty years ago americans have any such choice for george washington named thursday november 26 as the day for them to celebrate lie he did it in the first presidential thanksgiving proclamation ever issued which was incidentally the first proclamation of any kind to come from the hands of a chief executive of the united states in view of the discussion that w started when president Roop roosevelt ovelt changed the dato date of thanksgiving rig day this year it is interesting to recall tho the controversy that raged around the first it thanksgiving day the story back of that historic event Is not one in which we can tako take much pride any more than we can be especially proud of tho the kind of celebration that resulted for politics played a port part in it and it did so because of the jealousy and rivalry of two great americans thomas jefferson and alexander hamilton hamilton started it the idea of a thanksgiving day celebration apparently originated with hamilton who broached the subject at a meeting of cabinet in new york city then the ahe nations capital in august 1789 A prime mover in securing tho the adoption of tho the constitution ution hamilton had but recently succeeded in getting his own state of now new york to ratify it despite the tact fact that two states had not yet ratified this made enough acceptances of the constitution to assure tho the permanence magence 61 flie naw new government so hamilton evidently felt that the nation as well as he personally so nally had cause for th thanksgiving n aks it is quite likely that the secretary of the treasury instead of pressing the matter in the babl 4 A V gik K 4 Y I 1 GEORGE washington net where it would woula be opposed by thomas jefferson the secretary of state and hamiltons Hai nilton s political enemy engineered it so that the movement for a national thanksgiving dg day would oine come from congress at any rate on september 25 1789 ellas dondl nut not a member of congress from new jersey offered a resolution calling upon the president to issue a thanksgiving day proclamation rha tion in moving that the resolution be adopted boudinot said sald that he could not think ot of letting the session pass over without offering tin an opportunity to all the citizens of the united states of joining with one voice in returning to almighty god their sincere thanks for the many blessings ile he had poured dewri down upon them Boudin resolution was not uri unexpected expected and jeffersons supporters in congress principally southerners immediately opposed tho the idea rep addamus burke of south carolina declared that he did not like this mimicking of european customs where they made a mere mockery of thanksgiving hg ile he pointed out that two parties at war frequently sang te deum for the same event though tor for one it was victory and to the other a defeat feat rep thomas tudor tucker of south carolina thought the house had no business to inter fere fare in a matter which did not concern tim IT IP ug that it 1 art he be AW tr HM ft 47 oy et ww Tr arff ff ay y yeii f f A auf A fc M amm H 4 a aft t tf an fn 37 sy y A d A 0 ye 4 fy V rv rv y 4 y ay i aji t M W As e 4 edw W M waa aa A y i ass M ash ca CAW 0 x A f zdan A aella I 1 ao ah 7 tm oce mat mu Mi eimu 0 4 mf as 4 M 1 rna 1 wa 0 1 o M i uw j 5 n y afu 3 fX tt f if aw w A M afy auf IM fayr fw 4 ff it ssi s u tm i aw fv t MH wt ws kiy sa ST 4 0 O ga a 4 4 a 74 0 a 14 y e si fd 40 ww idi ff ra u ae tf S y t S oy adaa ss haxo xo ra aa A va p M r arfa ir fa A A a sf gs arla ix 04 n al A all c 0 s 4 A sash if Z 9 S ft 4 t y 1 l yat tr hrvat y vat e tf a hm 0 o www am S aw tea abts ye IW we W e iu y at AW 4 f 14 ia i at 44 I 1 as Z u atsy 0 i y 25 the first presidential thanksgiving proclamation inclined to return thanks for a constitution until they have dx experienced perien perlen ced that it promotes their safety and happiness ile he said further that if a thanksgiving day must be held the states could institute it ile he suid said that it is a religious matter and as such is proscribed to us jeff jeffersons dersons spokesmen through the words of these spokesmen spokesman we can hear the voice of jefferson protesting against a monarchial trend in the new government against encroachment upon the boundary line which had been fixed between church and state and against any invasion of states rights in answer to these protests boudinot quoted further precedents from the practice of the late congress and rep roger sherman of connecticut rallied to his support declaring that the practice of thanksgiving was warranted by a number of precedents in holy writ for instance the solemn thanksgivings and rejoicings rejo icings which took place in the time of solomon after the building of the temple was a case in point the resolution was carried and representatives boudinot sherman and peter silvester of new york were appointed by the house committee to wait upon the president the senate on the following day adopted the resolution appointing senators william samuel johnson of connecticut and ralph izard of south carolina to be the senate members of the committee accordingly this committee waited on the president and on october 3 washington issued the proclamation in which he recommended om that thursday november 28 26 be observed by the people of tho the united states as a day of thanksgiving hamilton had won the first skirmish but there were still htiu stormy days ahead for now arose the question of how the celebration eb ration should be carried out andoe and of course the two statesmen were at odds on that hamilton proposed a monster parade of military officials and governmental dignitaries headed by president washington jellerson opposed as he was to all displays plays of r pomp and circumstance protested agai against ast such a celebration he apparently won his point for it was determined that the day was a domestic holiday and should be observed in the p privacy ri of the home after the new england tradition marthd plans a levee accordingly mrs washington began making plans for a levee in the true colonial style at the executive mansion in franklin square to which everyone of consequence in new york was invited it promised to be a great social occasion so it was eagerly looked forward to by the beaus and belles of the city but even though jefferson had outmaneuvered him in this respect hamilton was not yet ready to admit defeat he began organizing gan izing all kinds of public festivities tivi tivit ties les to upset the plans of those who wished to celebrate quietly the festivities opened with a parade in the morning as hamilton had planned and the secre tory tary of the treasury reviewed it from in front of fraunces tavern after the parade hamilton was host at a great feast in the tavern and it is this farst official thanksgiving dinner to which we can look back but not with any great pride for it degenerated into a disgraceful brawl hamilton could not be present for the entire affair he was to have remained long enough to respond to a toast and then leave for the presidents mansion but hamilton han if iton was late in arriving at his own party and his guests impatient to be at their feasting sat down without him and began to eat cat almost immediately med lately a disagreement arose among the diners A certain lieutenant st clair who had toasted the festive day not wisely but too well felt called upon to assert upon his honor as a gentleman that he was perfectly sober saber whereupon alderman of the city council who had probably also been toasting the festive day extensively disputed the statement and called upon st clair to prove that he was sober the result was a fight from which the lieutenant erper emerged ged with a broken nose order was finally restored so hamilton made his speech and left unfortunately for him however news of the disorder at the tavern had preceded him an angry president when hamilton arrived the president questioned him about what had taken place when he learned that a young soldier of the united states army had been injured in a disgraceful brawl especially at a gathering presumably for the purpose of giving thanks to god for the blessings of good government peace and concord his anger was aroused and he demonstrated again that he knew how to uie uge strong language when n th the e occasion called for it it is disgraceful by sirl spoke george washington and there was nothing left for alex ander hamilton to do but meekly agree and discreetly withdraw from the presence of his chief without further comment thus did the political rivalry of two of his cabinet members have a part in detracting fro from n the solemn character which our first pre president client had wished the first thanksgiving day to have although this may have had nothing directly to do with it the fact is that not lor for five thereafter did washington again proclaim another official thanksgiving that was during his second administration and it is interesting te to note that this thanksgiving day was celebrated not in november at all but in february I 1 on january 1 1795 in P philadelphia hila delphia which was then tile the nations capital washington called upon his fellow americans to set apart and observe thursday the nineteenth day of february next as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer and on that day to meet together and render their sincere and hearty thanks to the great ruler of the nations fort for a long list of blessings which the country was then en enjoying oy g |