The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-04-10
KEEPING OLD BILLS.
Catacombs OF the Capitol Where Record
Are Filed

Are Filed.
1t is not generally known that every
bill, every report, every executive COM
munication-in short, everything that
comes before Congress is preserved
the original, but such is the fact.
There is place devoted to the pre-
,ervation of these relics, and man
specially charged with preserving
them. The room is q succession of
iron corridors, one above the other,
lined with receptacles for holding
! rye volumes.
Commencing on the roof of the
house the records run downwards in
chronological order. The books are
of all sizes down 20 about forty years
ago, when they assume uniformity.
They are all leather covered, and are
strongly bound. Inside of them are
thick leaves upon which bills, reports
and other Congressional documents
are pasted in the original. Every
kind of paper is there. The history
of the improvement in paper manufac-
ture can be traced in these volumes
from the first session of the Continent
tai Congress down to the present day.
It's noted, too, in delving among
these old tones that the later ones are
better prepared than those preceding
them. For instance, there is evident
slovenliness in the volumes of the
First Congress. improvement goes
on as the dates become more recent.
But very little is missed in this vast
collection. The First and Second Con-
crosses are not complete, and there
n cnr,,auhat haH l.,-aoly in tha
tinuity of the records in the years just
before the British burned the capitol.
The break was caused by fire and by
the British taking away some of the
volumes. There are number of vol
umes on hand which show the effects
of British depredations. They are
charred and their contents smoked
and covered with dirt. But not a
word is there in them that can not be
read. Thus from the date of the first
meeting of Congress there is almost
an unbroken collection in the original
of all matters that came before that
body. In later years great deal of
ingenuity has been shown in making
the edges of the contents of the leather
backed volumes as smooth as those of
any first class publication.
The ingenuity is the. more apparent
when it is remembered that all sizes
and kinds OF paper are used in prepar-
ing bills for introduction and in writ
ing reports and other matters pertain
ing to Congressional business. The
originals, when ordered to be printed,
go to the Government printing office,
but strict care is taken that they are
returned. The printers marks are to
be seen on many of the papers.
For the past thirty years these vol
umes have been prepared by an old
gentleman who is now nearly seventy
years of age. He has room in the
basement of the Capitol set apart for
his own use. There he locks himself
up and gives receipt for the docu-
ments which are sent to him. He then
arranges them in his books in regular
order. When he has finished a vol
ume he turns it over to the proper Off
Ger and gets receipt. The volume
then goes to the place set apart for
such records.
One would not think that there
would be much inquiry for what is
contained in the dust-covered old
books, but there is. There is hardly a
day but that somebody wants to get
q copy of an original document of
years and years ago. They are al
ways accommodated.
The old gentleman who prepares
the original matter for preservation is
but seldom seen. One of the gentle
men in charge of the iron corridors
says that he does not see the old man
more than two or three times year,
when he appears to hand over the vol
umes that he has prepared. Washing.
ton Critic.