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Show Ser MEE PO ML Clg Trcaet Pe iat eee eR Peg gs fad fre ‘eh ie tt in catia OPEL SAAN eRe PA ea LEY? turn these records over to the Library of Congress was alleged to be found in the following Act of Congress, of an act which provided for the transfer of these documents to the Library of Congress, which, through the librarian, entered into certain stipulations, preservation, classification, and indexing ments free of charge to the Territory. approved February 25, 1903: as to the ‘<The head of any executive department or bureau of the docu- or any commission of the Government is hereby au- Through the iNOR as aie time . Ene to iehr over t2 the Lirarian of Congress, for the use of the Library of Congress, any books, maps or other material in the intervention of certain persons this act was amended sae ; otal anes eee - A aepiagate - 6 . ae ee ; . pi a ee archives found to relate to lana titles or U library of the department, bureau or commission no personal matter, and not of great historic importance, longer needed for its use, and in the judgment of the should be returned within one year, and that all the re- Librarian of Congress appropriate to the uses of the Library of Congress.’ ”’ In this manner were these archives taken away from mainder of said archives, upon being properly analyzed and classified, should within five years of their reception at Washington be returned to New Mexico. The the result was that when the act was finally passed, as amended, the authorities at Washington refused to enter into the stipulations as provided for in said act custody of the Territorial officials. It seems to have required an Act of Congress to accomplish the deed. Had such a course been pursued in dealing with any other Territory, such opposition would have been (chap. 102, Laws of 1903). ‘‘The negotiations of the Library wie PREFATORY NOTE xviii THE SPANISH ARCHIVES OF NEW MEXICO raised that no Act of Congress could have been passed. of Congress had No such course was pursued with California or any ii. failed to secure the records; but the incident was not closed. The authorities at Washington held that these other Territory of the United States. Legally, the government had the right to assert its ownership and con- | archives were, always had been, subject to the control and supervision of the federal government. Acting on trol over these documents, but morally, it was an act which is justified only by the very excellent work which Pees: 7) Co be Pf me a aed ry Pt ee ,Pt nd ne co 2 CO LON he SOG a NEL at ek ee Pe Sd CDP Ot SeSe eteeoeded ee A ae sed ~Le MP c COCe bl ee [ag bal oF * et eeraf) dea se eed “ ee et ed et oe ee Le Dt dted 966 0-4-8 S599 > @ Fb &. a \ a a P ee * * f * e Oo ee et Piel el at Sal Sal ee ae td el ee ed Ce oe fet) Pa Lae et 5 edt ee ee ed ee oe OE Re <o-. - ee) QO i f this assumption, the Secretary of the Interior, April has been accomplished by the Librarian of Congress 29, 1903, directed the governor of New Mexico to forward the archives to the Interior Department. They were accordingly expressed from Santa Fe to the de- since they have been in his custody. | This great collection has been stored in the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress. They con- partment May 9, 1903. Here they were immediately turned over to the Librarian of Congress, and were held to be the property of the United States Govern- ment, the control of them in the Secretary of the Interior. “The authority of the Secretary of the Interior to sist, approximately, of 20,000 documents, 10,000 in manuscript containing from 1 to 200 folios, and 10,000 printed, mostly of 1 to 4 folios. Since they have been | in Washington they have all been arranged chronologically; the sheets have been cleansed, pressed free of creases, and stored flat; the manuscripts are in 180 |