St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-15
REBELLION RECORDS.
No Person Having Authority Has
Been Refused Access to the
Records

Been Refused Access to the
Records.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-the secretary
of war to-day made answer to the reso-
luton passed by the house at the in-
stance of Representative Grosvenor,
calling upon him for information as to
the scope of the compilation of the Off
cial records of the rebellion, particu-
larly all changes made or contemplated
while the publication was in charge of
the late Lieut.. Col. Scott and since his
death, and the reasons and authority for
making these changes. The resolution
also inquiries whether any person has
been forbidden access to the records,
and for what reason? In reply, Secretary
Endlcott inclOSes a report from Lieut..
Col. Lazelle, in charge of the war rec
ords publication office. The secretary
says that since Col. LaZelle assumed the
office, June 13, 1887, 20 changes from
the instruction and plan adopted in
1880 and required by provisions of the
act OF July 81, 1856. have been made,
ordered or contemplated, either in the
method, the work SO far as relates to the
arrangement, or in the subject matter to
be published, but on the contrary, these
instructions and requirements have
been rigidly observed. In reply to so
much Of the resolution as requests in
formation as to whether persons have
been refused access to the records, and
ii so by whose authority. the secretary
says that several months before Col.
ScOtt'S death a circular was issued
to the department repubiiShlng para
graph t21, OF the army regulations Of
1881, prohibiting the giving of official
information to any person not on duty
in the department without proper au-
thority, and it applied to all the bureaus
Of the department as well as to the war
records office. This regulation was first
made by Secretary Stanton in 1864. and
the subsequent order of 1881 differs
from it only in extending to chiefs of
bureaus the authority to give informa-
ton from the record, which was first
limited to the secretary of war himself.
The reason for the order was to prevent
the improper use of information irregu-
larly obtained and to provide for the
orderly and methodical transactions of
the government business. The secre-
tary says the officer in charge of the
war records office is permitted to exer-
else the authority of the chief of a
bureau under the paragraph of the
regulations above referred to. and as is
shown by the correspondence accom-
panying Col. Lazelle's report, the re-
quirements of this regulation were en-
forced upon at least one of his SubOrd-
mates by the late Col. Scott. Subject
to the restriction imposed by the regu-
lation, the privilege of inspecting the
war record has been freely granted by
Col. Lazelle to applicants for historical
matter within the respective limits of
their inquiries, except in two cases, in
which, not deeming himself authorized
TO give the information asked for, the
applicants were referred to the secre-
tary of war, who gave one of them the
information desired. The other made
no further effort, although informed at
the publication Office that favorable ac-
tiOn would probably be taken upon his
request if addressed to the secretary of
war.