The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-02-21

that the new structure will In no way
Interfere with The general 9istas Of
the Washington Mall.
For a great many years various or
CARNATIONS of the country, scholars,
research men, and persons patrlotical-
ly inclined, have been urging congress
to take means to preserve for all time
the historic papers which Uncle Sam
owns. These papers are invaluable for
research purposes, to say nothing Of
their sentimental value. Some of these
archives have escaped damage by fire
on several occasions only by the
prompt action Of government EN-
ployees and the fire department.
Congress always has recognized the
danger to the documents and always
has been ready to say they should be
saved. While money in the past was
generally forthcoming for other struc-
lures less important from a historic
and sentimental point Of view. the plea
Of economy has prevented action to
save these priceless records of the
past.
All Archives in One Building.
Every winter students, men who in
tend to write articles or exhaustive
histories, come 10 Washington to con-
suit the records. They are compelled
to go hither and yon to find what they
want. Some things are In the Congress
sional library, others in the War de-
partment, others in the library of the
Navy department and others in this
department and that department. The
plan is. If the archives building meas
ure shall pass, to gather all the
archives together and to place them in
the new building where they will be
catalogued and made accessible under
proper conditions 10 the seeker after
information-and all this in absolutely
fireproof surroundings.
1t may be that the original copy of
the Declaration of independence, which
is accounted the most valuable of all.
the governments paper or parch-
ment possessions, will be kept
where it is today, in a corner
of a vault in the State, Wal and Navy
Duilulug. II lS sdlu tndl the Decldfd-
ton will be safe where it is now
ever if the building in which the vault
Is located should be destroyed by fire.
Whatever is done with the Declara-
ton, it is certain that all the other
records and archives. except the
modern ones in almost daily use, will
be moved to the new building.
The Declaration of Independence Is
shown only on the rarest of occasions.
Light affects ink, and 1t is said there
are evidences of fading. A facsimile
Of the Declaration is on public view al
most constantly.
Within the keeping of the govern
ment are letters. orders. and commune
cations of various kinds concerning all
the wars and greater peace activities
in which the government has been en-
gagged. There are documents Of
Colonial times, of Revolutionary war
times, of early days of the established
republic, of the times of the Seminole,
the Mexican, the Civil, the Spanish
and the World wars. The autographs
attached to these letters If placed at
public auction would bring a fairly
staggering sum of money. The govern
ment looks at these documents not
only from the cash value viewpoint,
but from that of the historic and senti-
mental.
Weeks Resents Insult to Harbord.
The statement of Secretary of Wal
Wy a. H. 1efaot tbot aonnraec hos
offered an insult to Major General
Hartford. to the government and to
the United States by recent legisla'
tive action, has aroused considerable
feeling in Washington, the p%reponder'
ance of which, at least seemingly, is
charged with sympathy tor what the
secretary had to say.
The house of representatives amend
ed the army appropriation bill in such
a way as to deny retirement pay to
Mai. Gen. James G. Harbord, who
upon leaving the active service after
40 years of labor therein, became
president of the Radio Corporation OF
America.
The reason that the house took this
action was because General Harbord
is to draw some pay from the company
for his work, and members of the
house said that some time the cor
poration might have dealings with the
government, and therefore the intima-
ton was that the general might use
his personal influence with the govern
ment authorities to secure some priv
ileges for the corporation.
General Hartford commanded the
second division of the American troops
in one of the most brilliant campaigns
in the war. Later he served as the
director of the service of supplies in
France, a service upon which the
armies depended for everything which
was necessary for operations, food,
munitions. and all the things that lie
between. His record is what some one
has called a monumental one. This is
perhaps beside the mark in connee-
ton with what has been done or is
likely to be done unless the senate or
the President shall intervene.
To say that General Hartford. be-
cause he is on the retired list of the
army, might use his influence in some
4 particular way to seek fevors for the
comnanv for which he is working. is