The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-19

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mail that is written with embossed or per
forated letters. Correspondence in this
shape Is more bulky than ordinary writing
ard they think that they ought not 70 he
obliged to pay irst-class letter rates on it.
The department, however, entertains a diff
ferent opinion.
THE MILLION STAMPS BELIEF.
The tims-worn million stamps" lie stm
survives. and is likely 10 prove immortal.
People all over the country are trying to
accumulate l,000,0G0 Cancelled pos age
stamps, in the belief that standing offer
is made by the government. OF by some
body, Of Zig prize for such a collection.
Some think that Sl0,0 900 is the sum guaran-
teed, while others Imagine hat the reward
is the endowment of a permanent bed in
hospital. The popular notion on this sub
ject being somewhat underlined, letters ask
ing about IL are constantly received at the
postoiiice department. But no denials serve
to destroy the widespread faith in this
strange faith.
INDELIBLE INKS IN THE TREASURY.
The question of indelibIe inks has come
up IL different shape in the treasury de-
partment. Obviously it is very important
that the records Of the government should
not fade. w hen typewriters we're intro
duced il was found that some of the work
done with them vanished from the paper
that only black and blue ribbons shall be
used. No aniline colors are allowed. Even
thus, no very thorough confidence is enter
talned in the enduring quality of documents
written in type script. What gives perman-
ency TO inks is nut gals. but iron oxides are
commonly substituted for the sake Of cheap
ness. Some years ago a real estate agent
named Goodall was arreste in New York
for washing Internal revenue stamps and
selling them. One Of his customers eventu-
ally proved to be Mr.. Drummoud now
chief OF the secret service. Goodali got
three years In the penitentiery, But the
worst trouble the treasury has had with
washable inks was caused by the celebrated
Pete Mccartney, who invented the ingeni-
Gus plan of washing 81 bills clean and print
ing $40 note designs upon them, thus pro-
vidiug himself with Uncle Sans own 6ber
paper for his counterfeits.
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
The most precious document in the pos
session of the nation-namely: the decla.a
ton of independence-hes faded to such an
extent as to be almost indecipherable. This
m sturtuue is not due to the age of the
writing, but to a process which it under
went in the making of a fac smile of it
when John Adams was Secretary of State.
In order to lithograph it, 1T was wetted,
and the historic manuscript was nearly
ruined in the performance. Nearly all Of
the signatures have wholly vanished, while
the body Of the text Is In great part illegi-
BILE When Frelinghuvsen was Secretary
OF State that department submitted the
question OF restoring the declaration to
scholars and chemists. Many persons vol-
unteered to do the work, buj it was thought
best not to attempt 1t. On the other hand e,
the rough draft OF the same document,
made previously, is as good a. new to-day,
the ink in which it is written being per-
tectly black.
ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES
is in an excellent condition of preservation,
though the edges OF the paper are somewhat
broken, owing to the fact that it used to be
kept rolled up in a cylindrical tin box. To
avoid this kind of damage the document
was transferred TO a portfolio made ex-
pressly for it. But at length it was decided
that the manuscript should not be sub
mitted to handling, and so it is now framed
the five sheets of it in as many cheap
wooden frames covered with glass. The
ink of the words. We, the people" in
great letters. with which it begins, Is some
what ''crumbled" by the roll
ing, but otherwise the text ia per-
feet. A superb case has recently been
constructed for it Of oak sheathed with
| steel, SO as to be freproof. The frames con-
| tanning il will be placed in five drawers,
while above will be displayed the declara-
| ton Of independence, framed in an inner
door. Similarly framed in a smaller door
| beneath will be the rough draft of The decla-
| ration. Other historical papers will rest on
| shelves behind the declaration. Ii these
| priceless documents so to the Chicago fair
| they will be shown in the case described,
| carefully guarded. The articles of coufsd-
| GRAFTON of the colonies are sxquisitely en-
crossed and look almost as il they were
| written yesterday. they are on q long roll
| Of the finest sheepskin parchment, the
sheets being sewn together with the utmost
| dslcRcy.
| RESTORING HISTORICAL PAPERS.
The department of state 10 making steady
| progress with the important work of re-
| storing the historical papers in chs archives
| OF the nation. Already the writings of
| President Monroe have been repaired and
| bound in twenty-five large volumes, each OF
which is inclosed in pasteboard box. Each
| letter or other bit of manuscript is mounted
| on separate sheet in such manner thatlt
| can be examined without handling. The
| Madison papers are being similarly prepared
| and will eventually make about forty-four
| volumes. The papers of George Washing
| ton, likewise in process Of preparation, will
| compose at least 300 volumes. They are Of
great bulk, including thousands OF letters
| addressed to him by his generals. by
various historical INDIVIDUALS, etc. Inc
| skill exercised in the work Of restora-
| ton IS wonderful. In the case
| of certain papers of Benjamin Franklin a
famous expert of the British museum was
employed to replace certain missing words
which had been eaten out by mice. His
charge was something ike pound sterling
for each letter. which is not TOO much when
it is considered that he had to put in the
missing frag ments Of paper and counterfeit
the writing, performing his task so beaui-
fully that it left no trace visible One
branch Of this art is called ''inlaying." For
example, the sheets on which are the last
words which Washington wrote tefore be
died are inlaid in the pages # an album by
splitting the edges OF The thin paper of the
sheets themselves and glueing these edges
on both sides OF the thinned margins of the
pages cut out to tit the sheets.
IN THE BUREAU OF ROLLS.
All of these historical papers are in the
keeping OK the bureau of rolls in the depart
ment OF state. All tie laws that are passed
by congress go to this bureau to be copied
This must be done verbatim ct literatim. II
there is a wrong spelling it must not be
changed 10 the copy sent by the bureau to
the printer. Sometimes the misspeling of
a word has changed the meaning II a law
or has rendered it imperative. Even the
omission or misplacing of a comma may do
enormous damage There was such au in
stance in the case OF the tariff act
which preceded the Mckinley bill.
comma put by accident be-