New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-06
RECORDS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
WORK OF GREAT VALUE. BUT MARRIED
BY MANY BLEMIsHEs.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WAR DEPARTMENTS RE
CENT ORDER FASTENING THE WORK.
rBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrnryE.l

CENT ORDER FASTENING THE WORK
fBy TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrnryE.l
Washington. Oct. 5-An order recently issued
by the Acting Secretary OF War not
To have attracted much attention Cts i'm
portance deserves. II relates 10 the official records
OF the Civil War. and says that the publication Of
them must be completed withou: further unneccs-
sary delay on the part Of this Department" This
OF course implies that there has been unnecessary
delay. for which the War Department has been re-
sponsble The language of the order which 1t is
not necessary to quote in full. further implies that
heretofore money appropriated account OF this
great work has been paid for the compensation Of
persons mot actually and necessarily employed In
the said work OF preparation. publication and dis
trioution. and It forblds further expenditures for
the compensation OF any person whose employment
Is not actually necessary" IT also appears from
the order that the War Department has at last dis
covered what became evident to many other per-
sons years ago, that the publication was being
padded 10 an unconscionable extent-to such an ex-
tent in fact as to justify a strong suspicion that
some OF the compilers, who received fat salaries
from the Government and naturally did not care 70
lose them. anxious nurse their Jobs" and
prolong them Indefinitely, as well as to magnify
themselves
Whether the suspicion was just or not, the fact
was that the "Omcial Records OF the War OF the Re-
belon, which were originally designed 10 be what
the title imported. a record of the Union and Con-
federate armies and their operations has been
made repository for a vast amount OF irrelevant
matter-fragmentary accounts OF naval movements
and operations documents culled from the archives
OF the State Department including those which
lated to the Trent affair and the seizure Of Mason
and Slidell admiralty court records in the cases
or captured Confederate privateers. etc. together
with an enormous OF rubbish absolutely desti-
tute OF historical or other value A thorough
animation OF two volumes which had been printed
and stereotyped showed that, after eliminating tho
matter which possessed historical value
which irrelevant or had already been published
In other volumes, the contents which filed nearly
two thousand printed pages. could be condensed
into a single volume Of a thousand pages without
the sacrifice of any valuable pertinent material
whatever.
EXCESSIVE COST TO THE GOVERNMENT.
The cost OF the publication inclusive Of the ex-
pense OF compilation. proof-reading indexing. etc.
which is much more than half of the total. Is
about $ n page. In other words. II half the ma
terial published Is OF historical value. is
duplication Of matter already published. or is i'm
pertinent, the Government pays than 1900
for two volumes where IL ought TO pay only $4,000
for one volume Since the compilation OF the work
been published In addition to these there is an
atlas which contains 10 plates. consisting OF maps
of forts. etc. and Photographic views OF prominent
scenes pl aces and objects. To complete the work
even with strict adherence to the plan laid down in
Acting Secretary Meikejohns order. OF these four
are already In type and eight more are ready for
the printer.
As nearly can be ascertained, the total cost Of
the work from the beginning to June 30. 1853.
amounted to 81 5S5. 400. This however does not by
any means cover the total cost to June 30 Money
has been expended from time 10 time account
of salaries, transporta ton. contingent expenses and
so on, which for the and benefit Of the
War Records Office but not directly Chargeable to
II by tho terms OF appropriation acts. and these
Items have probably amounted to several hundred
thousand dollars in the course of the last twenty
four years. 1t Is evident that Congress cannot be
Justly accused OF niggardliness in dealing with ap-
propriations for this great work. The reverse is
true. Several years In order to expedite It
and hasten the completion Of the publication the
annual appropriation was increased. The result
precisely the contrary OF what had been OK
pected The work has not only continued to drag,
but the proportion of trivial. irrelevant and worth
less matter imported into sections of Il Ia 3
steadily increased II even proposed 10 re-
publish in the prisoners OF War series the report
and proceedings OF the Wirz trial Whch res pub
lished years go by order Of Congress and0d
uted as a public document. In the same series IL
the original purpose Of the compers ia carried
will appear several thousand pages OF matter
equally Irrelevant all OF which s extant in printed
form. 70
or course. the value Of the publication as a whole
Is great, and when completed II win be monu-
ment 10 the magnanimty we'll the power OF
the Nation. but II Is pity that such work should
be marred by so many costly bemlshes which seri-
ously impair its usefulness and value and hinder It's
speedy completion.