The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-01-25
Frederic Haskin's Lett
Our Perishins Records.

toric facts to prove Or dr..
mors and legends.
Or the tons Of these nan...
tential historic value, scss.s,
are now stored in fireoro,s
tanners. Some are in neal. ~
vaults which means thas n.
would not be protected in a.. j.
real need for protection
treasury department has :
built under its front yard. n -.
some Of the most important ~.
Of our financial history lie IN j.
must necessarily be a damn ~.
phere, even with a heatinr 49,
And dampness is a more ins,s.s
destroyer Of papers than 49,.
works slowly but steadily.
The great mass Of sovsr,.
records is not so well cared ~
those in such a vault. In Az
any department. even in som.
the newest buildings. You can ~,
down long corridors lined ~
open shelves and you will ga ~
| these shelves are crammed n.
upon tier, with papers. In .os
corridors the walls appear maSs
| a solid mass of bundled docums,,l
, bound with red tape. You can -
this in the Easements and Ton y. Nv
ries of almost all of the 800.
! Patents Not SaiA
! In the patent Office, where o,e. /
million patents are filed. NO ,tteual
is made 70 safeguard them, exec
the ordinary precautions Of hayi1l
guards to watch out for fire I'M
hatchets and fire extinguish,,l
hung about the walls. The builiis1
is supposed to be freprooi, n
true, but the papers are in vood,1
file cases or on open shelves.
In such conditions as these
lighted match is dropped, or a a,
aret flicked over some ones shou.
der. and you read next mornin, .
the sore of fire that has Just d,m
aged the census bureau. In IN
case records that cannot be repla,
ed by two years work were a,
stroyed not SO much by flames. /,
by smoke and water.
! After every such occurrence the
! is an agitated demand for beu
care for important papers. 3
where congress will cheerfully D
up half a million dollars to buI
a Greek temple postoffice in "
City and other half millions
similar postoffices in similar TOW!
a demand for s2,00O,oOO to store
records of our national exister
always calls for remarks abb
economy and "a more seasonal
time"
This time a resolution has b
introduced into the house, prop
ling that the public buildings 90
mission inquire into the advisal
lily of immediate work on an
chives building and report to
house and senate. This means
congressional investigation.
committee referred to is a b
committee Of senators and rep
sentatives. 1t is to get around
the resolution this week but BY
time a conclusion is reached an
report made. indignation over
100000 census fire will probal
have simnered down below
point where the need for the bul
ing can be made convincing.
II the report should be favoral
; 1t would not be necessary to d.
a bill. for the Osborne bill app
, priating the required sum is
hanging over from the last sessl
The congress was seized with ~
; lent attack of economy before
measure was adopted, The pres
congress is also inclined to 9
morey where convenient And
coming congress is expected to
, a new and startling record for
lar squeezing. Still. the most
. timistic congressman aver
when we have had few more I
, the archives building will bestr
: be taken seriously.