The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-29

current work OF the Department. 1t
was found necessary, therefore, to
adopt n strict rule to the effect that
| such copies or transcripts should not
be furnished to any one,
1.-THE rules relating to the matter In
question were originally adopted In
1889, and have been substantially adj
since that date, although applications
from Senators, Representatives in
Congress-. Governors of States and
other distinguished persons for re-
penl or a modification thereof nave
been numerous and urgent These
rules have been applied uniformly to
all organizations and individuals, and
If they should be modified so as TO
enable the officials of one state or Oh
one society or association to obtain
the data which they desire, or any
part thereof, by access to the RECORDS
or otherwise, then the modified rule
should, in common fairness, be made
to apply equally to all of the states
and to all of the hundreds of me-
mortal and historical associations that
are equally as solicitous and nave
equally as good reasons to receive
copies of or transcripts from the rec
ords
''As you are doubtless aware, all ths
information pertaining to the CIVIL
War that has any general historleai
interest has already been published IN
the 'Omcial Records of the Union and
Confederate Armies and while this
publication does not contain data con-
corning the membership of particular
organizations, yet in order to meet the
desire for such information, the De-
partment is now engaged, under the
provisions of the act of Congress, APP
proved February %. 1908, in compiling
a complete roster of the officers anu
enlisted men of the Union and Confed-
crate Armies. All the available force
Of the Department is now employed in
compiling this roster, and you VIII
readily see that 1t would be most IN
advisable to divert any portion of the
clerical force from this important work
of making copies of muster rolls, es-
pecially in view of the fact that the
publication of the roster now In course
of compilation by the Department VIII
make the historical information that
the roster contains readily accessiblo
TO all who are interested in 1t, and VIII
relieve the States as we'll as societies
and individual citizens from the en-
pense of making copies of rolls of sep
arate State organizations 1t was for
these reasons, as well as to save tho
Department from the labor and inter-
ference with current business involved
in making copies of rolls and other
similar records, that the Department
urged upon Congress the compilation
and publication of the roster men,
toned.
THE work of compiling and publish
ing the records already In the possess
sion of the Department will involve the
expenditure of much time and labor,
and while the Union records available
are complete for the purposes of the
roster yet the collection of Confeder-
ate records In the possession OF the
Department is far from complete. aud
even now Confederate rolls and re-
cords are being received from time to
time at the Department. Pending tho
completion of the compilation of the
roster, provision is made in the orders
of February 90, 1897. copy of which
is inclosed herewith for your informa-
ton, by which such data as the records
afford and as may be necessary for
substantially all practical purposes, in
GLIDING all pension and other claims.
and applications for membership in
patriotic or memorial organizations,
based on service in either the Union
or the Confederate Army, can be fur
nished, within reasonable limits, to
any applicant. These orders, which
We're adopted to protect the public in
terests in the charge of the War De-
partment and to preserve the official
records on file, are applied tmpartially
to all, to the North as well as to tho
South, to the Union States as we'll as
those which belonged to the Confed-
eracy, to the Grand Army of the Re-
public as well as the United Confed-
crate Veterans. Indeed, as already
stated. all the information afforded by
either the Union or the Confederate
records that, under the rules OF the
Department as embodied in these or
ders, can be furnished, is always
promptly and cheerfluly supplied to
any person authorized to receive It,
and no deviation from nor exception to
these rules is ever made for the bene-
fit Of any one. In view of this practice,
any real need for information from the
official records is always promptly met,
without the necessity of furnishing
copies OF rolls or other records TO
any one"
The writer of this article has never
had any occasion of complaint against
the head officers or their subordinates
in any of the Departments at Wash
ington,
We can very well believe that an
invarlable rule has been adopted in all |
these agencies of the Government re- |
curing courteous demeanor towards |
all persons, and we know that 1t Is a |
fact that many people are swift to pro-
claim that they have been treated, dis |
courteously whenever they fail to OBJ
tain anything that they ask for, no
matter how unreasonable their request
may be or how strong the reasons for
refusing them or how courteously the
refusals may be made. We can also
understand how necessary it Is to pre-
scribe rules and regulations for the
conduct OF all public officers without
such rules and regulations there would |
be endless confusion. We thank Mr..
oliver for the courtesy and completes
ness OF his statement.
--------r-----
WITH HIS FACE TO THE FOE.
In our satisfaction at the defeat of
Mr.. Bryan by his own people, we failed
to note the credit to which he Is