The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-12-29

y
ed that he had to have without del y
some vital information about where
Maryland's sovereignty ends and Vir-
ginia's begins. The Potomac, you say.
Of course, but what part of the Poto-
mac? Midstream, or the left bank or
the right? In matters of enforcing
fish game laws this is obviously impor-
tant.
Maryland's traditional control had
been called into question and Governor
Ritchie in evaporation had scar he'd
long and in vain for the fundamental
authority to support that tradition,
for action in the case required some
thing more substantial than common
belief. At length he summoned Ar
thur Trader, chief clerk of the Land
Office, that remarkable institution
barely known to the layman, housed
on the ground floor of the Court of
Appeals Building. He explained the
urgent need.
In half an hour Mr.. Trader appeared
in the Executive Office with photo
stat copy of an agreement solemnly
made by the sovereign State of Vir-
ginia many years ago, providing pre-
cisely the authority the Governor
needed. Compliments to Mr.. Trader
on his skill met with a wave of the
hand.
"That's easy" said the chief clerk.
"We have real hard Jobs once in a
while"
During the summer member of
the history faculty of a Northern col
lege dropped into the Court of APP
peals. He had heard vaguely of liter
ary-historical treasures there-a can
didate for Phi. ID. degree at Column
bia years ago, in fact, had spoken of
Maryland as supplying an admirable
example of smooth transition from
monarchial to popular government
and he thought day or two might be
proftably spent in studying original
sources probably still existent here on
a small scale. He gave an amazed
look and abandoned his plans for what
remained of his summer time, spend
ing a month in delighted study of
treasures laid before him and leaving
With regret.
= Another historical student expressed
his surprise and remarked that no
where else in America is there such
treasure chest of original sources con-
cerned with the Colonial period in
America.
There is one admirable reason for
outsiders being amazed at the almost
incredible wealth of venerable docu
ments assembled in the fireproof vault
of the Court of Appears (Chief Judge
Bond and his associates maintaining
a jealous guard over the treasure,
most fortunately in the basement
storage rooms used by the court and in
the Land Office itself. The reason is,
candidly, that no one in Maryland is
aware of just how great the treasure
is. Even the judges do not know, for
the documents never have been fully
examined and if Judge Bond has his
way they never will be fully examined
until full arrangements are made for
their preservation.
The problem is no easy one. Some
of the documents date back well into
the seventeenth century and the folds
have become creased and so hard that,
on unfolding, they almost certainly
will crack and fall apart. They can
with safety be opened even once only
by an expert prepared to glue them
instantly and securely with stout
transparent paper so that they will
not crumble away. Thus repaired,
they must be kept fiat.
The Court of Appeals has no space
for such display. The State itself
has none. And only day of enlight-
eminent which provides spacious mu-
scum to house them and scholars to
supervise the work of discovery and
repair and classification will bring the
full disclosure of just what literary
treasures exist at Annapolis. Until
that day comes, the Appeals Court
judges hope to continue their deter
mined protection of the papers from
ignorance and carelessness and theft
which probably would accompany their
temporary release from custody.
The documents and maps in the
Land Office are much more accessi-
!, BILE, due very largely to Chief Clerk
Traders jealous interest in them and
his long service with the State-he
has been twenty-six years in the Land
Office. Commissioners have come and
gone, but Mr.. Trader stays on. A for
tunate thing for antiquarians, for he
now knows his carefully indexed tones
so thoroughly that after watching him
in action one suspects that blindfolded
he could by sense of touch distin-
guish patents, Certificates and War