The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-14
PRICES OF SOME NAMES.
What Autographs Of Noted Men Fetch
in the Market.
Even the Dignified Senators Do Not
Refuse to Write Their Signatures
for Pages Who Sell Them.
from the New York Advertiser.

From the New York Advertiser
Washington, Oct. 27.-The obligation TO
give autographs is a part of the penalty
which greatness infiicts Mr.. and Mrs.
Cleveland both grant them freely to cor
respondents who send respectful requests.
inclosing stamps. OF course they must
draw the line somewhere, as the Presi-
dent did the other day when a woman
wrote to ask for nine specimens of his
signature, one for each of her children.
Mr.. Cleveland's autograph just after he
was first inaugurated was worth from 81
to So 1t will still fetch 81 written on a
card. while his signature and that of his
wife on the same card represent a value
of s. in the market for this sort of curios.
Gen. and Mrs. Harrison gave their signs
manual generously to petitioners. Most
of the Presidents have done the same.
Much of the Presidents business con-
sists of signing his name, which must be
attached to all appointments, commits
sions, promotions, and thousand and
one other documents. So exacting is this
part Of his duty that he cannot perform
the whole of it. One employe of the gov
CLuLAOAV SCAo el'~oN q yCuL AOL W IIbluR
Mr.. Cleveland's name on land warrants.
He does nothing else but that.
There are other officials in Uncle Sans
employ, by the way, who do nothing else
practically, but sign their own names.
This is almost the sole duty of the regis
ter of the treasury, who is kept hard at
work signing documents from 3 a. m. to 4
p. m. every day. The assistant treasurer
of the United States is another slave to
his own signature, which he is perpetu-
ally engaged in afiXing to warrants for
money.
Mr.. Cleveland's messages to Congress
are all written in autograph originally.
He does all his writing with his own
hand,
The literary method pursued by Presi-
dent Harrison was wholly different. He
found it very hard to write with pen.
and so he would keep by him a pad of
paper and soft pencil. With these he
would jot down notes from time to time
during leisure moments, and from the
memoranda thus made he would after
ward dictate to a stenographer. The
messages sent to congress are careful
copies from the originals
Senator Edmunds, while presiding
officer pro. tenn. of the upper house, re
fused to receive type-written message
from the President. He claimed that the
law required message in writing, " and
that typescrlpt was not writing in a
proper sense. This ruling established a
precedent which has been followed ever
since, Nevertheless, the famous Gillian
message was sent to Congress in type
script by Decentralization.
This was done because it was desirable
to save time, the document being anx-
iously, awaited by the nation. Suisse
quently written copy was substituted in
the files. The same thing has been done
on few other occasions OF course the
point involved is purely one of red tape.
A message from the President E oes to the
public printer before it reaches congress.
and the clerk of the Senate reads it to that
body not from the original but from a
certified printed copy.
Gen HarFison's signature was always
exactly the same, as if it were printed
from cOpperplate. Mr. Clevelaud's auto
graph is small and cramped, as if the
work of writing was difficult. Mrs
Cleveland's, on the other hand, is large,
open and clear. Dan Lamont's hand
writing is beautiful, the best in the cabi-
net. Secretary j. Sterling Morton does
not take his pen off the paper from the
beginning to the end of his name. The
signature Of Attorney General Olney is
large and heavy; that of Mr. Herbert is
dainty and old-fashioned, while Hoke
Smiths IS very plain and businesslike.
4 AAC pages VI btlt OeudlH duu largely TO
their incomes by collecting autographs
for all sorts of people who are victims to
that hobby. The business is a well rec
ognlzed industry at the Capitol Persons
with the mania furnish blank albums to
the boys who gather the statesmen's sig
natures by contract. The prices obtained
for these memorabilia are surprisingly
low. Five cents name has been the
quotation hitherto, but, perhaps on &C
count Of the hard times, only cents
name is asked now.
For So one can procure an album with
the autographs of the entire Senate. A
prominent man from New York paid $40
the other day for the signatures of thirty
members of the Upper House, but that
was fancy price. The Senate and Su-
preme court together may be purchased
for s.. Double price is obtained for a
book of photographs, with the autographs
written on the margins of the portraits.
OF course, the buyer supplies the book
and the likenesSes. A complete album Of
the House of Representative has never
been secured, beca-se some of the mem
Ders are always absent. Collectors usu-
ally content themselves with the sigma
lures of the best known men on both
sides.
Nearly all of the legislators for the
nation are liberal with their autographs.
Even the most dignifed senators are
amlable enough in this respect The
pages say that the most difficult signature
to get is that of Senator Coke, of Texas.
HIS name they can ordinarily secure only
by means of some subterfuge One
method of theirs is to persuade the SER
geant-at-arms TO offer the album to him
with statement TO the effect that the
request is made by some important per-
sonage. Senators German and Hill, on
the other hand, will write their names
Tor anybody. Mr. Allison always insists
on knowing for whom the autograph is
intended before he will sign.
Some Of the senator's are queer about
such things. Cockrell always writes his
autograph IN blue indelible ink, as if he
uld not want his name TO fade. COnger
would never put his signature ON the left
hand page of an album. Apparently he
Gad some superstition on the subject.
John Sherman invariably puts dot in
'front.' of his name when it is intended for
an autograph. Perhaps he does it for
reason, somewhat similar to that on ac-
count of which George, Of Mississippi, in
SlSts upon signing at the top of the page.
senator Georges notion is to prevent any
9lshonest person from using the signature
Iraudulently by writing an order for
money over it. Leland Stanford en-
Poyed the same precaution.
One of the finest collections Of auto
graphs of American statesmen is owned
ny Arthur Simmons, who is dOOrkeeper !