Evening Star Newspaper, November 26, 1935, Page 12

ARCHNES BULDING INPORTANGE TOLD 'Robert D. W. Conrior Details Records Denository to Forum Audience. ‘The erection of the National Archives Building solves & century-old problem of the Government, Robert D. W. Con- nor, archivist of the United States, said last night in an address in the National Radio Forum. ‘The forum, arranged by The Star, | goes over a Nation-wide network of the National Broadcasting Co. Connor emphasized the importance of having a depository for the priceless | records which he explained constitute “the first and foremost of all the sources of the Nation’s history.” telling what the lack of such facilities has meant in years past when there was damage from one source or another. Sold as Junk. “Stamp collectors, autograph hunters and thieves mutilated or purloined wvaluable documents also,” he said. “In one case a cabinet official sold 400 tons ©f official records to a junk dealer.” From an administrative point of wiew, Dr. Connor said, the Archives Building, which cost $12,000,000, “is perhaps the most nearly perfect build- | ing of its kind to be found anywhere.” Each State of the Union, the archivist told his audience, contributed either services or materials for the structure. Along with the documents to be stored there, motion picture films and sound recordings of historical events alzo will be preserved.” Mr. Connor’s address follows: ‘The erection of Archives Building in Washington | marks the consummation of a move- | ment for the centralization and scien- tific preservation of the archives of the United States Government that‘ was launched more than a century ago. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, this movement at times ran with great rapidity and power, at other times it has been sluggish and weak, but never since Congress in 1810 ap- propriated money for the building of @ fireproof depository for “the preser- vation and orderly arrangement” of *“the ancient public records and archives of the United States,” has it | entirely subsided. In the erection of | the National Archives Building the movement reached its high water mark. In this building, for the first time In our history, is provided a safe d>- pository where the sarchives of the United States Government may be centralized, arranged, catalogued and preserved. | country, T have frequently been | Tells Story THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON,' D. C, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1935.’ of Archives ROBERT D. W. CONNOR. precarious. In 1814, 1833, 1877, and at other times, fires threatened their | existence. The danger from this source | | was shown by a report presented to | the National | Congress in 1915, which listed more | than 250 fires on Government prop- erty in the District of Columbia since 1873. Losses and destruction of archives were, caused also by their frequent removal from one place to another, by inexpert handling, by dampness, extremes of heat and cold, and by insects. Stamp collectors, auto- graph hunters, and thieves mutilated or purloined valuable documents. In one case, a cabinet official sold 400 tons of official records to & junk dealer! The situation finally attracted the attention of President Hayes who, in 8 special message of December 10, 1877, reminded Congress that “the records of the Government constitute a most vajuable collection for the vhether we consider their pecunia alue or their historical im- portance,” and recommended legisla- tion to guard them from destruction or damage by fire. Gathered Momentum. From that time on the movement asked to define the term “archives.” | gathered momentum. Other Presi- ‘The word is used to signify, first, a | building in which | the | depository or archives are stored; secondly, dents, especially Arthur, Cleveland, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson; numerous ocabinet offi- contents of such a depository; and, | cials, Senators and Representatives; thirdly, the depository and its con- | In its latter sense | the term National Archives of the | United States embraces the National | Archives Building together with its | tents as a whole. scientific societies, patriotic organiza- tions and the press united in urging action by Congress. Finally, in 1916, Congress acted, but then came 1917 and its aftermath, when the United States contents. The Federal archives in- | Government became more concerned €lude that vast accumulation of docu- | in making new records than in pre- ments, papers, instruments and other records created day by day in the transaction of the business of the | Thus these | Federal Government. archives embrace official papers and other records dating from the very beginning of our Federal Government down to those dated November 25, 1935. Records of Vital Interest. ‘The question is often raised whether these records, after they have ceased to be of current use, are worth pre- serving. The answer is that these archives are of vital interest not only to the Government itself, but equally 80 to the people of the United States. Their destruction or loss would seri- ously affect the interests of the Gov- ernment and the rights and liberties of the people. Upon their preserva- tion depends the orderly procedure of the. current business of the Govern- ment. They constitute its chief pro- tection against unfounded claims. In international affairs they are the principal source of authentic informa- tion as to the foreign policy of the Government, from which arguments may be drawn to support the rights und interests of the Nation. They contain the evidence of the just claims which a citizen may have against the Government, the titles to millions of acres of land granted by the Government to millions of people, they are the records of thousands of patent rights involving hundreds of serving old ones. Another decade of delayed hopes followed, marked by an expansion of Government records at a vastly accelerated rate, which drove executive officials almost to | frenzy in vain efforts to find space for both their files and for the daily work of their staffs, The situation, of course, increased the pressure for an archives building, and in 1926 Congress provided the necessary funds. Plans were drawn, a site purchased, ground broken ~—Star Staff Photo. on September 9, 1931, and the corner stone was laid by President Hoover on February 19, 1933. When com- pleted the total cost of the building, including furniture equipment, will approximate $12,000,000. Speaking with all due moderation, I think it can be said that when finished, and fully equipped, it will be the finest archives building in the world. There's nothing strange about this. Our Gov- ernment had lagged far behind the governments of other great nations in making provisions for its national archives—it is, in fact, the last of the great governments of the world to do s0. But this delay has had at least one advantage—it has enabled us to profit by the experiences of others. Before a single blueprint for our build- ing was made, architects were sent to Europe to study the archives buildings of various European nations. From these studies they learned many valu- able things, chiefly, perhaps, what they should not do—and thus were able to take advantage of the experi- ences of those countries, to avoid their mistakes, and to introduce in our building many new devices for dealing with old problems. The result is a structure which, from an architectural point of view, most people regard as one of the two or three most beautiful buildings in Washington; while from an administrative point of view it is perhaps the most nearly perfect build- ing of its kind to be found anywhere. States Have Contributed. Classical in design, it rivals in dignity and beauty the Lincoln Me- morial and the new Supreme Court Building. To its erection each State |in the Union has made some con- tribution, either in materials or in ‘service‘ Indiana contributed her | limestone, Tennessee her Massachusetts her granite, New York | her artificial stone, Michigan her | woods, North Carolina her lumber, Hlinois her bronze. From various States have come the architects who designed the building, the artists who embellished it, and the engineers, mechanics, and laborers who con- structed it. The building is American marble, | National archives by an act of Con- | gress, passed at its last session, is that from start to finish; everything that has gone into it—the materials of which it is built, the ideas expressed in its design, the mechanical skill that has constructed it—are all American products. ‘The building has been designed, in- side and out, in monumental propor- tions, with the aim always in mind to impress upon the general public a proper realization of its importance end significance as the shrine of the history and patriotism of the Ameri- can people. Here in a dozen enormous concrete vaults, or stock areas, as the years pass will be preserved some 2,500,000 cubic feet of records—the most priceless property of the United States Government, because they are absolutely essential to its activities, and if destroyed or lost could never be replaced. Each of these stack areas will be equipped with filing cases especially designed for this building and each will be like a sealed room into which no person except em- ployes of the national archives will be permitted to enter. Any unau- thorized person attempting to do so will immediately set off an electric alarm that will give warning in the office of the captain of the guard. Adequate protection against fire is of course provided. Moreover, the build- ing is air-conditioned throughout so that the temperature, the humidity, fil: the chemical contents of the air be regulated to prevent damage to the documents. Sunlight, which, of course, is damaging to paper, is excluded from all areas where docu- ments are stored. By these and other devices it is believed that the chances of loss of valuable records by theft, fire, insects, dampness, exposure to light, or in any other way, have been reduced to an absolute minimum. Films to Be Preserved. Records of parchment and paper are not the only kinds of archives that will be preserved here. The building contains eight concrete vaults in which will be stored and preserved motion picture films and sound recordings illustrative of Amer- ican history; and a beautiful little projection room in which these films and records may be used by students for historical purposes and study. ‘The possibilities which motion pic- tures and sound records open up for the historian are too obvious to re- quire any comment, but perhaps it may not be amiss to ask you, who may be listening in on this broadcast, how much would you give if you could see an actual—not an imaginary— movie of Washington crossing the Delaware, or to hear the voice of | Lincoln as he delivered his first in- | augural address? We cannot now re- | produce those events, but motion pic: tures of the inauguration of McKin- | ley, of Woodrow Wilson at the Peace Conference, and of other important | historical events can be shown; and | a hundred years from now your grandchildren will be able to see & real movie of the inauguration of the | next President of the United States and to hear his voice as he speaks his inaugural address. And may I remind you that the motion picture industry is still in its infancy? What its de- velopments may be within the next quarter of a century no man dare predict. We do dare predict, how- ever, that the future American citizen will study the history of his country not only from the printed page, but also from the screen and from the sound record. Will Issue Register. Another duty imposed upon the of issuing “The Federal Register,” periodical that will be somewhat like the Congressional Record, although it will contain very different sorts of material. A brief explanation of its purpose may be of some interest. In a Government such as ours, with its numerous complex problems, it often becomes necessary for Congress to delegate to the President, or to some official appointed by him, power to issue rules and regulations neces- sary for the administration of certain laws. As these rules and regulations, in many cases, have the force and effect of law and affect the personal and property rights of the citizen, it is essential that they should be pub- lished and made available to the pub- lic. Congress, therefore, has made it the duty of the several executive agencies of the Government which is- sue such rules and regulations to file the originals and two duplicates of each with the division of the Federal Register in the national archives, as a condition precedent to their validity. ‘This division is required to furnish the public printer, for publication in the Federal Register, all presidential proc- lamations and executive orders and all other such rules and regulations as may have general applicability and legal effect. Plans for launching the Federal Register have been completed and its publication will begin as soon as the appropriations for its printing are available. In anticipation of the early com- pletion of the Archives Building, the Seventy-third Congress passed an act, approved by President Roosevelt, June 19, 1934, which created the national archives of the United States. The act recognized two fundamental func- tions of the establishment: Pirst, the centralization and preservation of all Government archives of such admin- istrative or historical value that they must be kept for a long period of time, or for all time; second, the arrange- ment, classification, cataloguing and administration of these archives so as to facilitate their use in the business of Government and in the service of scholarship. Fitting Home for Documents. Government officials and scholars have long been eware of the ills of the archival practices which had grown up in the Government through- out the years, and have waited none too patiently for Congress to provide & remedy. At last Congress has acted, not in niggardly fashion, nor on cir cumscribed lines, but with the liber- ality of ideas and breadth of vision characteristic of a great Nation. It has caused to be erected an archives building which, in spaciousness of size, in beauty of design, and in complete- ness of equipment will provide a fit- ting home for the priceless documents which make up our Nation’s archives; it has created an administrative estab- lishment which it has invested with powers ample for the functions to be performed. It would be difficult, in- deed, to overstate the significance of this action of Congress, and no one has expressed it better than did Presi- dent Hoover in his address at the #* Here’s the cake to “Top Off” a Petfect Thanksgiving Feast . . « EXTRA SPECIAL! <U Large Family Size Walnut Banquet Pound Cakes . 30 The more you know about Pound Cake—the better Judge you are of REAL QUALITY, the better you'll appreciate this Thanksgiving Special because you'll agree it's the finest piece of pound cake you ever put into your mouth. Baked in round banquet style, with plenty of selected walnuts to give it just the right flavor, and topped with a delicious soft, white creamy icing. It's fresh baked and just the right moisture—PERFECT—a value unequaled at 39%. Get Yours Early. Fresh Killed Plump, Young “"Where Quality Counts and Your Money Goes Furthest” laying of the corner stone of the Na- tional Archives Building, in which he sald: “The building which is rising here will house the name and record of every patriot who bore arms for our country in the Revolutionary War, as well as those of all later wars. Purther, there will be aggregated here the most sacred documents of our history—the originals of the Declaration of Independence and of the Constitution of the United States. “Here will be preserved all the other records that bind State to State and the hearts of all our people in an indissoluble uniom. The romante of our history will have living habitation here in the writings of statesmen, soldiers, and others, both men and women, who have builded the great structure of our National life. “This temple of our history will ap- propriately be one of the most beauti- ful buildings in America, an expression o; ‘mhe mmflmml It will be one of the le, an expression of the American character. “Devoutly the Nation will that it may endure forever, mgm:e’- pository of records of yet more glorie ous progress in the life of our bee loved country.” ,FUEL OIL and SERVICE WILLIAMS C | JLOMAT R;lph J. Moore co;E;;. OIL BURNERS 1401 N, Cap: St Pot. 0970 AMitisted with COLONIAL FUEL OIL (0 Dude Ranching in Winter is just as fine sport —just as relaxing and healthful and comfort- able as Dude Ranching in the summer. Lower Round Trip Winter Fares . AIR | Conditioned Trains Ranches spread and location. So It has been all these things ever since Dude down into New Mexico and Arizona, where the sparkling sunshine is ideal for an out-of-doors winter. These ranches differ widely in rates, elevation the Santa Fe has conveniently brought most of them together in its new Dude Ranch book. May we send you copy ? PHOENIX PULLMAN AGAIN THIS WINTER ON THE CHIEF G. C. DILLARD, Dist. Pass. Agent SANTA FE RY. 302 Frankl 1500 Chestnut St. at 15th PHILADELPHIA. PA. Phones: Rittenhouse 1464-1468 Trust Bldg. HOW MARY DISCOVERED HER “OLD-FASHIONED IDEAS” | KEPT HER FROM MAKING BETTER CAKES DO TELL ME YOUR SECRET, JANE... MAY | HAVE ANOTHER PIECE OF CAKE, JANE ? IT'S THE MOST DELICIOUS | EVER ATE ... YOU OUGHT TO GIVE MARY THE RECIPE. KNOW WHY IT IS, BUT | JUST CANT GET CAKES LIKE YOURS NO MATTER HOW MUCH | SPEND. 1 DONT WHY, JANE, YOU MEAN TO SAY YOU USE MARGARINE ? WHY CERTAINLY, THAT OLD-FASHIONED PREJUDICE AGAINST MARGARINE 1 FIND THE SHORTENING YOU USE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. AND | HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING YET THAT CAN COMPARE WITH GOOD LUCK MARGARINE. millions of dollars. Moreover these archives constitute “the first and foremost of all the sources of the Nation’s history,” of our knowledge of the principles upon which the Nation was founded, and of the rights and liberties to which an American eitizen is entitled. The problem of the proper care of the public archives arose even before the organization of the Government itself. At its first meetag the Con- tinental Congress of 1774, conscious of the importance which posterity would attach to its proceedings, took steps to preserve the records of its delib- erdtions and its actions. The result 18 found today in the 595 bound vol- umes of manuscripts which ccostitute the archives of the Government from 1774 to 1789. But for the preserva- tion of these archives our knowledge of the period of our history which gave us independence and constitu- tonal Government would be very scant indeed. Before the permanent removal of the seat of Government from Phil- adelphia to Washington, in 1800, these archives had no permaneut abiding place and were forced to keep up with the peregrinations of Congress from eity to city, much to their inconven- fence, danger, and consequent damage. Problems More Acute. After the organization of the new Government under the Constitution and its removal to Washagton, the of the National archives be- came even more acute. They not only increased rapidly in volume, but also in value, and there was not a single building in the new Capital City in which they could be safely housed. This fact was sharply emphasized in 1800, when a fire destroyed a portion of the files of the War Department, and again in 1801, when the Treasury nt suffered a similar loss. In 1810 & committee of the House of Representatives reported that the archives of the Government before the adoption of the Constitution were stored in garrets where they were “in & state of great disorder and exposure and in a situation neither safe aor convenient nor honorable to the Na- tion,” and Congress appropriated $20,- 000 for the erection of a fireproof de- pository for their safekeeping. Congress thus passed our first archives act, and then for more than & century rested from its labors. Dur- ing these years the Nation grew by leaps and bounds, its archives in- creased in proportion to its growth, as they increased in volume and DOESN'T APPLY TO JELKE'S GOOD LUCK. GOOD HOUSEKEEPING APPROVES IT, AND IT CARRIES THE SEAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, COMMITTEE ON FOODS. NEXT DAY APPROVED BY Good Housekeeping GOOD LUCK finest spread.for-bread Accepted by AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Commirree on Foods OH, JELKE'S GOOD LUCK MUST BE VERY GOOD, THEN. 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