JOURNAL OF rUOCEEDING^. XIX 



and (Icleiiated as was tlic cast' in the Executive Dei>artiiu'nts of the (lov- 

 ('riiiiieiit, where thei'e were several persons in every separate bureau 

 who had a right, in case of the absence not only of the Secretary and 

 Acthig- Secretary, bnt of the head of the bureaii itself, to carry on its 

 affairs, and especially to sign such money pa])ers as were required for 

 its current business with the Treasury. Tliere was no time, howev<'r, 

 in tlie i>ast twelve years, when, in the joint excnl of the illness of tlie 

 Secretary and the Acting Seeretaiy, there was any sucli ]>rovisi(Hi for 

 carrying on the cui'rent business of the Institutntn. The Secretar\' 

 further pointed out that since the provision for an Acting Secretary 

 wi'.s lirst made in lS7t>, he had made a comjuitation of the anrount of 

 business coming before the Secretary then and now, which shows that 

 the work is at i)resent from eight to ten times that when the tirst legis- 

 lation for an Acting Secretary was asked for. 



Dr. Coppee said that owing to his long connection with the Institu- 

 tion — perhaps the longest of any member present, witli the possible 

 exception of Senator Morrill — he felt particularly in a position to cor- 

 roborate the statements made by the Secretary as to the growth of the 

 business of the Instituticm since the passage of the act relating to the 

 appointment of an Acting Secretary, and he thought the best manner 

 of effecting this immediate relief to the Secretary was covered by the 

 following resolution : 



Resolved, That tlic Secretary be empowered to appoint some suitable person who, 

 in cast? of need, may sij^n such retjuisitions, vouchers, abstracts of vouchers, accounts 

 current, and indoisements of checks and drafts as arc nee(h'd in the current l)usi- 

 nessofthe Institution or of any of its bureaus, and are custonuirily bigHcd in the 

 l)urc:tus of other (h'partmcnts of the (iovernment. 



lie added that as this came before the I>oard at a late hour he would 

 move, in order to give time for its consideration, that the whole matter 

 be ])ut in thi' hands of a committee appointed b.\' the Chancellor with 

 power to act. 



The Chancellor stated that undoubtedly the increased growth of the 

 Institution had introduced new demands, and that it was desirable 

 that the action in reference to them should be carefully studied. 



After further remarks by Mr. IJreckinridge and Mr. Henderson and 

 other members of the Board, Dr. Cop]>ee said that he thought the 

 action of the Executive Committee could cover the ground of the reso- 

 lution, and, on motion of the Vice-President, the whole subject was 

 referred to the Executive Committee with power to act on the resolu- 

 tion. 



The Secretary said, in connei-tion with what had just been done, 

 that the increased burdens of extraneous duties imposed by Congress 

 were accom])anied by special exjx'iises for administtuing appropria- 

 tions for which no legislative pro\ ision was made, and which necessa- 

 rily fell on the limited Smithsonian fund. i>artly in indirect ways. 

 There was no xjrovision, for instance, for a disbursing ofticcr, or private 



