Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-12
HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT MAY
ELIMINATE SOME OF MINOR
NEWSPAPERS.
PRESERVING ALL PUBLICATIONS
OFFERED TO THE DEPARTMENT
Some Of the Weekly Newspapers of
Questionable Value to the State
State Librarian Gathering Files of
Observation-Disclosures of Record From
Van Buren, County Covers 44s Pages.
Special to Times Republican

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Oct. 12.-Thirty-thre
daily newspapers and 2Os weeklies are
On file in the historical building here
At the end of each year they are bound
and properly preserved. And not a
week passes but Curator Harlan has a
request from somewhere in Iowa for
information from these files. Frequent
~ he is subpoenaed by the district
court of Polk county to appear with
the bound volume of some newspaper
to offer in evidence as proof that some
legal publication appeared on the dates
required. Frequently he receives re-
quest from bond companies for de-
positions and sworn statements that
publication of bond issues appeared on
the required dates. Sometimes these
go back for period of ten years or
more.
The newspaper files in the historical
building now fill an immense room in
the basement of the historical building
and the room is getting pretty we'll fill
ed. The question has arisen as to
whether or not some of the minor pub
locations ought not be dispensed with.
The department attempts to keep every
newspaper and publication in the state
on file and those that are willing to
send their publication free to the de-
partment have it placed on file. The
state makes no appropriation to pay
for papers.
When the question is raised as to
eliminating some of the papers the
question comes up where to draw the
lines. The British museum in London
has an immense building in which to
store files and for many decades has
kept on file every newspaper and publi-
cation printed anywhere in the United
Kingdom. Obscure little weekly papers
on the frontier of Canada are filed
away each week and bound at the end
of the year and placed in the racks.
! The theory is carried out there that
whatever is worthy of publication is
worthy of preservation somewhere and
that the government is the only agency
capable of preserving them all.
1 Aside from the preservation of legal
notices it is claimed that the weekly
newspapers furnish one means thru
which TO trace genealogical records and
/ the history and development of town
l
advertisements have an historical value
or will have hundred years from now.
While the problem is not a pressing
one just at this time if the policy Of
preserving everything is carried out it
will necesistate erection of a building
some day quite as large as the histori-
cal building itself for $50 big news
paper files each year( and some of the
111, q
each YEAR, take up considerable space
and are bulky product to store. I'M
til the problem becomes a more press
ing one than it now is. Curator Harlan
will continue TO follow the plan started
by the late Curator Aldrich of pre-
serving every newspaper file in the
state as we'll as every other publica-
ton in the state. AS far as has been
possible files of state papers from the
beginning of the publication are Sc
cured and saved. Since the building OF
the historical building almost every
4 paner in the state has put the historical
building on the mailing list and the
q rapers are received each week as they
\ annear. However. files of old state pa
pers of prominence running back t
the beginning Of the publications have
been secured In one way or another
MANY Of them as gifts from prominen
men who have taken an interest in th'
department and some of them from tht
editors of the papers.
In the state library Johnson BRIG
3 ham, the state librarian, has been fo
4 Years gathering files of magazine pub
Z liea.ions running back, some of then
N the very earliest beginnings of mag
4 azine publication They are one of TIT
e most valuable features Of the state IL
4 hrarv and a feature possessed bv bu
z eaw hig libraries In these nagazin
8 vnhlica.ions covering the entire realm
y If literature and history and the news
q paper and magazine publications o
a Iowa covering the state field a grasl
\ of the history of the world Is to be hat
a in the regular publications on file II
Z the historical building.
"A An abstract of record that takes "A
a pages to produce has been filed in tn
i office Of the clerk of the supreme cour
n in the appeal of the case of e. H. Rock
II we'll. appellant, VS.. B. F. Ketchum an
others. 1t is appealed from Van BureI
county and is the record of scrap o
considerable local historical interest u
b the town Of Pennington, once one o
r the principal cities of the state Of Iowa
Rockwell was arrested on a charg
Of libel. in February, 1906. In March
= 1907, the county attorney dismisse
the case for want of evidence. The
r Rockwell sued tilose who had cause
his arrest for conspiracy to drive hin
out of town. Rockwell was the pub
Usher of the Pennington Herald. On
of the men whom he accused Of bein
in the conspiracy was W. H. Knot
!, editor of the Pennington News, an
another was the mayor Of the towr
The charge of conspiracy was file
~ against nine persons in all.
h< In the trial in the district cour
Rockwell lost and he has now appeale