Pueblo chieftain., 1921-01-25
By Frederic ]. Haskin

Washington, u. C. Jan. 2a--F1re in
tho Census Bureau causing S2.pc,rNv
loss in documents has started up the
old tune, why don't VIC have an ar
chivos building7"
1t is the positive belief OF every
congressman NC have talked to that
some day the United States will have
An archives building. II may not be
in the next few decades. but in the
course of timc-maybc you and ] viii
bo totterinE around-there is TO be a
place where government records will
be properly preserved. II there arc any
left to preserve.
For years now. Congress has been
talking about this building. II Is TO
be proof against fire and water. dust.
rats. and burglars sort of heaven
for documents that have done their
share - making our history and pass
on into the oblivion of tho national
archives
Here. in say 1876. will be carefully
! laid away the tattered papers showing
that We paid for the Philippine Islands
and Alaska and the Canal Zone, II
they were destroyed the United States
government might have dificulty in
proving that 1t did indeed settle its
obligation In these deals. In the ar
chives building too Will ho tho big
treaties that tho United States made,
with historic signatures on thcm-that
is, tno tfeAucS VIII DC thsfs II nptninS
happens TO them In the meantime. Tho
State Department has been asking fIr
SO. 900 for years so that it could build
fireproof vault for some OF its un-
protected papers. Congress has never
felt. however. that II could spare that
much money. especially as there Is
only ono chance In n good many OF
fire in the State Deps rtmont.
The archives building Is TO contain
many other thousands of documents.
from such important papers as tho
Declaration OF Independence to ordi-
nary army enlistment records and land
patents. There aro tons OF these ma
tional documents VIC arc not speak
ing at all OF state records which arc
kept by the Individual states. Nobody
could possibly figure exactly how many
federal record papers there are so VIC
will just say. after tho manner OF our
best mathematical sharks. that there
| arc enough so that II they were placed
end to end and side by side they would
carpet most OF the United States. And
most of this mass OF deathlcss iitera-
| turc is TO be crammed into the safe
haven OF tho archives building.
Say All Are valuable
A rcaliza ton of tho extent OF tho na-
/ tional records has caused some argu-
\ Incnt as to whether unimportant pa
pers might not be safely. destroyed.
| Those in favor of reducing the records
by few tons maintain that high gov
crnment officials should have the right
| to say that certain papers are worth
less and need not be placed in the ma
| tional morguo.
Most historians hold n contrary view.
They say that the stacks of enlistment
| papers OF past wars. for instance. may
look liko SO much junk to the unini-
| tiatcd, but TO the student of history
| nf In. r.,
very obvious case: Suppose, years ar
tor the war there is a question as to
| whether a certain national hero served
| In that war as a boy. The official re-
cord would be his enlistment papers
and oven if 1t required long search 10
| locate these documents. when found
| they would be worth the trouble. Again
and again just such papcrs-land
| grants, pension claims. army records
have supplied actual historic facts
to prove or disprovc rumors and leg
ends.
OF the tons of these papers of potcn-
| tisl historic value. scarcely any arc
now stored in fireproof containers
Some arc in near -fircproof vaults which
means that they would not bc protcc-
ted in case of n real need for pro,cc-
ton. Tho Treasury Department has
vault built under its front yard, in
| which some of tho most important re-
what must necessarily be "A damp at
mospherc. even with a heating system
| And dampness is moro insidious de-
stroycr OF papers than fire: i, works
slowly but steadily.
| Tho great mass of government re-
cords is not so well cared for as those
| in such vault In almost any de-
| partment even in some of the newest
| buildings, YOU can walk down LONG,
corridors lined with open shelves, aud
you VIII sec that these shciyeg arc
| crammcd, tier upon tier, with pspcry.
In some corridors tho walls appear
mado of a solid mass of bundled dozen.
ments bound with red tape. You can
sec this In the easements and top stor-
les OF almost I'll of the buildings.
Patents Not snSe
I'm the Patent Office, where over "A
| million patents are filed, no attompt
is made TO safeguard them, except the
| ordinary precautions OF having guard.
to watch out for fire. and hatchets.
and fire extinguishers hung about the