Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-07-05
R00SEVELT'S AUTOGRAPH
Pdes of Same k .s1.O0 Highest EYsI
 paItBy Collectors.

Washington, D. C., July 5.-As as. sessed by the general public. the value of the presidents autograph is one dol lar. That price is higher than ever be- fore paid by collectors for n living Presidents signature. It is regarded as odd, too, that the price should be so much. because comparatively little difficulty Is experienced by anybody who proceeds in the right way to get an autogoraph of President Roose- welt.
 Since Mir Roosevelt became prcsi. dent # has been his practice to grant propsr requests for his autograph Indeed. Secretary Loeb has had pre- paral white bristol cards. bearing the Insignia of the white house on which, practically every day, the president places his signature on request from somebody. urfng the presidents cam paign. the president autographed thou sands of photographs of himself for friends or acquaintances and for peo- pie connected with the campaign in va rious capacities throughout the coun- try. Since his election to the presidency the demands for his autograph and for autographed photographed has di- unfinished somewhat: but it still s ac- tive Strangely enough, it has increased du.tng the past two or three months in an almost phenomenal way. Scarce ly single mail passes over the desk of Secretary Leob that does not con- tain one or more requests for the presidents autograph and many re- quests for his photograph also are re- ceived.
 Almost the last thing President Roosevelt did before he left the White House last Saturday night to go to Oyster Bay for the summer was to autograph pictorial postal card on the request of a young woman visit ing in Washington. The letter from the young woman was received by Secretary Leob late Saturday night. It was a prettily written and beauti- fully wortled appeal that the president should sign his name to a post card, which was enclosed with the note. The picture on the card was repre- sentation of the White House. The writer said she desired to send the card to his sister who was too i'll to make the trip to Washington with her. She enclosed in the note a one dollar bill to pay for the trouble the securing of the autograph of the presi- dent might occasion the secretary. Although the president had been sign ing his name almost constantly dur ing the day to laws. to commissions. to appointments and to other forms of official and state documents and his hand was cramped from holding q pen. he said that young woman should not be disappointed. He wrote his name on the post card and with 1t pretty little sentiment that the recipient. in her sick bed somewhere In this broad land. will treasure prob ably above all of her possessions. The card was sent to the young wo- man and the dollar bill was enclosed with 1t, an explanation making 1t clear to her that the president, in the circumstances, was glad to give her the autograph and that theive was, of course, no charge for it.
 This is simply m illustration of the demand for the presidents signature. Scores of people send similar re- quests to the white house and the great majority of the requests are &C., companied by one dollar or two dol lar bills to pay for the autographs and for the trouble in mailing them. Invariably the money Is returned to the sender. although. in some cases. the autographs are forthcoming. The sending of the autographs depends en. tirely upon the nature of the request.
 Senators and representatives in con gress frequently request the presi- dents autographs for one of their con stituents and sometimes the presi. dent sends to the person an auto. graphed photograph of himself. Such requests, coming from members of congress. are not declined.