en by nineteen inches in size, and bound into book form.
The penmanship is coarse, but very regular, and all of the signatures
are originals, not copies, because this form of the law is the one that
all copies must conform to--the one that the President of the United
States is sworn to execute."

[Illustration: THE "SHERMAN" SILVER LAW--TITLE PAGE.]

"But let me tell you just how the Sherman silver-purchase law looks. You
remember this law. Or at least you recollect how Congress sat in extra
session for several months of 1893 in order to repeal one clause of it.
At the top of the large parchment sheet there is a printed heading:

"'FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,

"AT ITS FIRST SESSION,

"Begun and Held in the City of Washington,' etc.

"In the middle of the line are these words,

"AN ACT.

"Immediately thereafter follows the writing, which extends in a single
line across the entire page. It describes the bill thus, 'Directing the
purchase of silver bullion, and the issue of Treasury notes thereon, and
for other purposes.' There is a space, and then follows the enacting
clause, 'Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives,' etc.
The text of the law, written in this large hand, fills two and a half
pages, the right-hand page containing the text, and the left-hand page
being blank. Around the edge of both written and unwritten pages is a
pale red line or border rule.

"At the head of the first sheet, and written over the printed title,
appears the name 'Kennedy,' carelessly written with a blue pencil, and
the initials 'C. B. F.' scrawled across the top in red. These are the
attests of the Representative and Senator, respectively, who examined
this engrossed copy of the law before it had been sent to the President
for his signature, to make certain that the engrossing clerk had
committed no errors, and that this original was the same as the form
that passed Congress."

[Illustration: THE "SHERMAN" SILVER LAW--LAST PAGE WITH SIGNATURES.]

"At about the middle of the third page are the signatures of the
presiding officers of the Senate and House. Vice-President Morton did
not sign the original Sherman silver-purchase law on behalf of the
Senate, but Speaker Reed did on behalf of the House. Senator Ingalls, as
President _pro. tem._ of the Senate, signed on behalf of that body, and
when he had affixed his name he thoughtfully noted in the margin the
hour of the day--'12.37 P.M.' The signatu