Evening star., 1930-05-11

~ and the Capitol reveal Uncle San AS
" a careless custodian of his invaluable
documents and historical records.
- AS long ago as 1910 Josiah Quincy
of Massachusetts, reported to Congress the
necessity of making some provision for the
preservation of the Nations archives and recon-
mended fireproof rooms for their protection.
Many bills have been introduced to establish
Hall of Records in the 100 years sir.ce, but
it not until last year that Congress au-
thorized the expenditure of $8,76O,0OO for an
archives building part of its $50,OOO0OO
. building program Many studies have been
made but no definite plans have so far been
adopted though the site has been selected on
lower Pennsylvania avenue. Now historians
and photographers all the country are
hoping that the fires will speed action on the
building and that the project will at last be
started.
One of the most enthusiastic proponents of
such a Hall of Records is Miss Adelaide r.
Tasse the first librarian of the Public Docu-
ments Library when that library started
35 years ago in connection with the Govern
ment Printing Office
Miss HaSse, who is now chief librarian and
photographer Of the Brookings Institution of
Economics, &c Jackson place, has the unique
distinction of being the first person to begin
the official collection of public records ever
made for the United States Government. This
work was begun when Long Jim" Richardson
of Tennessee put through his bill providing
that all inactive documents, both congressional
and departmental should be collected in the
new Public Documents Library.
FOR thrills Miss Hasse's story of how she
found some Of the early documents relat-
ing to the history of the United States cannot
be equaled. Searching for them was like con-
Quoting treasure hunt, as, in fact, it was, and
included all the paraphernalia of such hunt
pickaXes, candles and even black servitors
with gunny sacks to carry away the hidden
treasure!
For many years." Miss HaSse said, "there
had been rumors Of hidden room in the old
Capitol which was full of priceless documents.
wandered along the dusty lttle-used corri-
dors in the subcelar, tapping here and there
on the walls until at last located bricked-
up door, With me was Joel Grayson former
head of the House document room Mr. Gray
son sent man for pickaxes, and in little
while we had torn down enough bricks to
make an opening big enough to crawl through.
I'm those days electric lighting was little
used Flashlights were in existence, but all
we had to work by was candle light. Armed
with our candles. we clambered in and found
thousands of documents, just we had
hoped. 1t was thrilling moment. I had
on big apron and, gathering it into sack,
r piled it full of these old papers, which had
been hidden for half a century, With the
help of my men, carried them to the old
warehouse on G street opposite what is now
fIecht's Department Store, where we organized
the first Documents Library.
Another find was made in an attic room
of the Capitol into which climbed with Mr..
5rayson holding the ladder. Still another
in an inside room of the old Interior Build
ing, on Ninth street, which had also been
sealed up for years. This room was literally
damned to the doors with old documents and,
10 get them out with the least possible effort,
strung my men along the halls at intervals,
ike an old-fashioned fire brigade, until they
reached the sidewalk, where six gunny sacks
abeled Indian Affairs, Public Lands, ETC., were
placed.
standing on top of the pile, with my head
bent to avoid the ceiling, I picked up the
documents one by one, called out the division
@ which it belonged, then tossed it down to
he man at the door. He repeated the name
hnd tossed it to the next man. This was re-
beated all the way to the street, where the
document was placed in the right sack. In
his way we sorted and roughly filed the con-
ents of the room before our gunny sacks were
bumped into bins at the warehouse for further
examination.
ONE of the most important of Miss Hasse's
finds was the original manuscript files
f messages of the early Presidents to Con-
ress. These she discovered near boiler
oom in a Subcellar of the Capitol, protected
My by a wire grating. Any one could get
81 It them and when the papers were finally
urned over to the Library of Congress it was
ound that many Of these valuable manu-
cripts were missing or mutilated and others
artially destroyed by damp and mold.
"It has always been supposed" Miss Hasse
# ommented, "that the Congressional Library
lad a fine collection of national Htera-
e Alre It is true that from time to time it has
cquired much that is of great Importance in
his respect, but this was not one of its func-
ions. It was established a library for Con-
ress and not as a repository of its archives.
The Eberality of our Government a
Iublisher cannot be questioned. The results
E the activity in the various scientific bu-
eaus are promptly and fully given to the
nblic in bulletins and reports. The editions
these publications enormous when
bmpared with private publications OF like