Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United States Government, 1881-1893, Volume 1. Page: IV

PREFACE.

the case of documents issued in two or more editions, the series, other than the Congressional, in which they
are found; and in the case of Senate and House Reports, the serial numbers of the bills upon which such reports
are based. This last will enable anyone who wishes readily to trace the discussions in Congress of the questions
involved in these reports by reference to the Congressional Record, and is regarded as an important feature of the
index. Whenever these bills were enacted into laws, and in many cases when the recommendations of Executive
officers were embodied in acts of Congress, a reference to these acts, as found in the Statutes at Large, is also
given in this column.
"In case a document is issued in a form separate and distinct from the volume of Congressional documents
in which it is incorporated, or from the general .work of which it forms a part, this fact is shown by the abbreviation
'Sep.' in this column.
"The dates given are, with a few exceptions, those at which the documents were submitted for printing, not
those of their publication, the former being regarded as much more important, while in a great majority of cases
the latter could only approximately be given.
"With few exceptions, two lines are. devoted to each entry, and in these the complete story of each document
is given as fully as the purpose of the index requires.
"'This purpose has been to cite not merely every numbered document published by the Government as
embraced in the Congressional classification, many of which constitute entire volumes, but also every important
paper embraced in these volumes. Each of these volumes is indexed under its proper title, while each of the
important reports contained in the volume is also indexed under its special subject. So far as they were available,
all the publications of the Executive Departments of the Government not included in the numbered series of
Congressional documents issued during the period covered by the index are also noted in the work.
"In a word, the aim has been to make the volume what its title implies-a Comprehensive Index to the
Publications of the Government-so that anyone in search of information on any subject can readily ascertain
whether this information is found in any of these publications, and if so, where; to supersede all partial indexes,
or indexes of special series of documents, by combining all such indexes in a single work, and adding to these a
reference also to every other public document, so that a single index shall fully and satisfactorily accomplish
what the many hitherto issued have only partially done."
The compiler is indebted to the heads of the several Executive Departments, bureaus, and offices of the
Government for the many courtesies shown him in the preparation of the index, in supplying copies of.their
publications or requisite information regarding them. It has, of course, been impossible for them to furnish
every document issued during the twelve years covered by the index, so that it is probable that in the aggregate
quite a large number of publications, chiefly, however, of an ephemeral character, are not noted in the work.
The compiler is also under very great obligations to the several clerks of his office for valuable assistance
rendered in the compilation of the index, and especially to Mrs. Virginia T. Bennett and Miss Sallie L. Ball,