Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-12
Fifty Years Ago
I'm The Star

For more than so years attention
has been called to the lack Of proper
Urgent Need for keeping sstIan Of Of t the
Hall of Records, rscord p y 7 r. 7 !
Government, and even now. with an
extensive Government building pro-
gram under way. the project for the
proposed Hall of Archives is not vet
advanced to the stage q immediate
contamination. In The Star of August
6. 1878, is the following.
Attention Of Congress should be
called TO the urgent need of making
provision for the safe storage and
preservation of the records of the pub
lie departments and OF Congress itself.
Thousands Of clerks in Washington are
constantly engaged III preparing. exam
ming and in handling papers which,
when finally acted on, must under the
laws be kept, but Of which compare
lively few are ever again consulted
Yet it is almost impossible 10 determine
which of these papers may be found
Of great Importance 10 save the United
States loss of money. or to yiudicate
the character OF a public officer under
unjust suspicion. or to convict de-
iaulter or criminal. Under existing
laws 1t Is forbidden to destroy any of
these public records. except Cancelled
bonds and currency. The accumulation
is immense and increases constantly
The number Of clerks in the various
executive departments is less than dur
ing the war and extensive and most
costly additions have been made 70
the public Offices, yet they are probably
at this time more crowded than ever
before. Files of papers I'LL all the place
and space vacated by reduction in ths
number of clerks.
The burning Of the Patent Office is
a consequence Of this accumulation.
and the inspection by board Of ensi-
neers. called after that cOntiagration,
shows that scarce 81 public building III
WASHINGTON is free from similar ac-
cumulations of intIammable material,
filling up all the -the~way
corners. all the dark rooms and all the
roof spaces of executive and of legis-
lauye offices, The Capitol itself Is this
in danger
In the QuartermaSter Generals
Once are many thousand perhaps
twelve or thirteen thousand, claims for
quartermaSter stores taken by the Army
in loyal States during the war, with
the testimony for and against them.
furnished by claimants and their at
torneys or collected by the quarter
masters department employed in the
Investigation They constitute q verV
large bulk Of papers, Heretofore il
has been the custom Of the quarter
master general when he has completed
the examination. under the Law at
ia6a, OF any enc of these claims 20
nd all the papers. often yoiuminouS.
tn the third auditor for preservation,
whether proved To be Just OF no. but
the file room of the third auditor 1t
appears, Is now SD burdened that that
officer has been compelled to request
the quarteEmastcr general hereafter to
send him only such claims as he reports
favorahly for allowance, The Others
accumulate I'M the building occupied hy
the quaftcrmaSter general and are 80
much fuel 60 add to the dangerous
condition OF that office These records
ought to be preserved, they embrace
the evidence which defeats claims
against the Treasury amounting ia
many millions, perhaps sixteen million
dollars
THE proper provision for safe keep
Ing Of these and 0f all records and
papers not In current uSe is a fheproof
hail of records There is no occasion
tn spend a million dollars upon such a
storehouse. but Il will greatly relieve
buildings which have already cost
twenty 10 thirty million and which are
now obstructed and endangered hy
these piles OF infiammable materials
We think that IL should cover a largs
space Of ground and be- OF a single
story, with paved floor and flreprauf
roof and divided by fre walls into !
spaces Of moderate size. So secured that /
even considerable flIe would be en- /
tifely continued 10 the cell III which ii /
Il