Preservation of American Antiquities; Progress during the Last Year; Needed Legislation

Prior to 1904, the only act of our Government looking toward the preservation of our antiquities was the reservation and restoration, by act of Congress of March 2, 1889, of the Casa Grande ruin in Arizona. During the last fifteen months a definite policy of preservation has rapidly developed, so that at present it may be said that approximately three-fourths of all the remains of antiquity that are situated on lands owned or controlled by the United States are under custodianship more or less efficient, and that the despoliation of ruins for commercia! purposes is in a fair way to be stamped out.
This article discusses the various steps that have been taken.

1904年之前，美国政府为保护本国文物古迹所采取的唯一举措，是1889年3月2日通过国会法案，对亚利桑那州的卡萨格兰德遗址（Casa Grande Ruin）进行留存与修复。在过去十五个月间，一项明确的文物保护政策快速成型。截至目前，可以说，坐落于美国所有或管控土地上的文物古迹遗存中，约四分之三已得到不同程度的有效管护，而以商业为目的的遗址盗掘行为，也有望得到彻底遏制。本文将对已采取的各项相关举措进行论述。