Norwich bulletin., 1921-07-22
A Bulletin To Let
 Advertisement Will Rent It

them son of Governor Trlmbull) to collect "ali public and other papers re- lating to the affairs Of this colony which l properly belong to the colony. in whose | custody soever the same might be found, ] except those in the 1aaus of his honor | the present governor" and in IzSI the l governor cTrumbuill ito collect all the l public letters and paper which may 1 hereafter in anyway affect the interests ! of the colony" In May, Is4s. g2is communication was referred to the same committee Of the
 society, but MT. Davis asked to be ex- cused, and F. C. Gray was named in hss stead. A report was presented in Novembet It rested on the simple fact that these papers have been in the dis disputed possession ok this society for
 more than half a century" and this ifs of itself a sufficient answer to suoa a
 claim" (as that of Connecticut) and
 that the society could not break or al-
 ter the trust implied. in accepting the
 gift from the Trinibull family-"at any ] rate it is not for this society to call in question the rigat to these papers. on
 the part Of those from whom it thus holds them in trust"
 The following considerations are pre- scented:
 1. The papers are Of a public char
 acter and do not contain private papers
 of the TrumbVll family. They are sucf; as would constitute the records ot the
 TrumbuH. describes them as the most important official papers which passed
 through his CCtae governOrs) hands"
 ?. They are not confined to the gov
 ernorship of TrumhUn but contain pap
 CTS of his predecessors in office. and no
 other papers or a like character are
 known to exist The presunDticn is
 that they. as well as sle Trumbuii pap
 CTS, were collected under the resolutions
 of the general assembly.
 g. No colony or state then under
 stood the keeping of official papers and
 the office s7Older took awzy with him the ] records of ais service. This was the
 practice in England as well as in Amer
 ica, and many examples may be named of
 private possession of public hles-Blath- wayt, Dinwiddie Wentworth, Golden
 Washington and Weare being instances. 4. No properly guarded place of de posit for such collections apparently then existed in Connecticut, and this society offered the best at the time. The as sumption that. other Eings being qual, l l GovrnoT Trumbull would have seieced a | public institution outside of Connecticut Is not supported by any evidence. 4. In ten years the papers have not
 been consulted more than half dozen | times by anyone rot making a journey from Hartford to see them. They have little relation to Massachusetts history 5 and the society 1Gs published from them all that it ever will. They are not es- sential to it's uses or purposes.
 6. These papers are not now placed
 where they would be first sought and
 their usefulness is diminished by being
 away from the related material
 :. In its State Library, Connecticut
 has a building, one of tn. safest and best equipped in the country. Tiere the pap CTS will be bettre cared for and more con- veniently used than thes- can be here. Thus the conditions existing at the time the papers were given to the society have
 entirely changed.
 Your committee feel that the time eas
 come when these papers can and should
 be returned to the state of Connecticut q in full recognition that they are prop n erly a properly part Of the public re l. eords of Connecticut Such return
 made with fitting public ceremony, wil e be in itself striking example of gene y rosity and justice on the part of the so o ciety. It will be a step in te right di 'f direction of placing collections Of pap l. CTS where they belong and where tn n best use can be made of them. B. It is understood that the suggestion of concerns only the tweaty-two bound vol r. unes Of 'srrumbull Papers, four lette .e books of Governor Trumbull, a volume o e William SamVel JohnsoR's letter, and - volume of letters addressed to the Gov l. ernor of Connecticut and signed b, Ie Washington, evidently a part of the Con II necticut collection and will not apply | B. any other collection or papers in the soci le ety.
 Respectfully submitted,
 le Henry Cabot Lodge.
 at James Ford Rhodes,
 ie Arthur Lord,
 tn Worthington Chaunccy Ford. IS Letfe from AIr. Tuttle ls Julius H. Tuttle, for fCrty-taree year ' librarian of the Historical society. rt ;n gently wrote to Mir. Goddard his opinio .r of the value of the papers as historic, V. documents and as valuable assets to tf in Connecticut archies. His letter reads C Al follows:
 '. '%nhe state of Connecticut is to ! . congratulated upon the return of u G Trumbun papers to their early home
 be safely house in the possession of the :; tightful owner. Tkey recall forty-thr, ,a- years of my intimate association wit 5r them, whios impressed me with the p great historical value. The sever as thousand pieces n the twenty-nine vo ~, tunes could hardly be limited to tens ,,a thousands rather do they reach into Il -r hundreds of thousands of dollars in mi ,s tenial value
 ,,- The collection among your treasur n. will find Its place of highest honor ar ad usefulness, surrounded by fitting histori en al associations. It will be a good obje - lesson in impressing constantly the gre ITS my ta-.cS oA continuing the splend ,rs work you are doing to gaSxer. preser nn and safeguard against danger of loss -b- historical material of your state. 70 nd tune has indeed favored the preserva of these papers until they could find sa V abiding place with you. They were | he rfeh basis of our library; now they a ss the gem Of yours"