TWENTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, 1843-45. 335 



repealing the act is reserved to Congress, provided that no 

 contract or individual right made or acquired under its pro- 

 visions be divested or impaired. 



On motions of Messrs. Tappan and Choate, two mis- 

 prints in the new bill w^ere amended. 



Mr. Woodbury remarked that most of the amendments 

 \vhieh he had submitted on a former day to be printed, had 

 been rendered unnecessary by the changes since made in the 

 bill by the Library Committee. But there was one defect 

 still left in the board of managers, as he viewed the subject, 

 and which it was desirable to have removed. He was fully 

 sensible that any attempt to alter a bill which has twice 

 received the deliberate consideration of a committee of this 

 body, was almost hopeless. But the subject was a novel 

 one to us all. It was, also, not a measure of ordinary legis- 

 lation, affecting the rights and property' of our constituents, 

 but the discharge of an important trust in behalf of a for- 

 eign philanthropist, and where we ought to move slowly in 

 our deliberations, and rather confer, converse, and consult, 

 as a real committee of the whole, instead of debate like 

 partisans. He w^ould, therefore, take the liberty to suggest 

 that the board of management now proposed was imperfect 

 in two respects. It did not contain persons enough resi- 

 dent at the place %vhcre their duties must be performed, 

 and was so constituted as to be likely to render the elec- 

 tions of them by the two Houses on some occasions diffi- 

 cult, and open to improper influences. 



There w^ould be no objection to the Vice-President and 

 Chief Justice as members of the board, on account of the 

 character of the present incumbents ; but neither of them 

 lived here, nor did any of the six members of Congress pro- 

 posed to be appointed — nor any except two of the other 

 managers to be selected at large. Now as no compensation 

 was to be given as salary or a per diem — it must b^ obvious 

 that seldom would any one attend to the business, unless 

 residing on the spot. For, though some would be here at 

 times officially, yet we all know that it was under a pres- 

 sure of other engagements likely to prevent a close atten- 

 tion to this trust. 



What Mr. W. wished to propose instead of this, was i\\Q 

 officers of the National Institute — most of whom lived in 

 this city, and five or six of whom consisted ex-officio of the 

 President and his cabinet, as a public check — equal to that 

 of the Vice-President and Chief Justice, and superior in 

 position, as always on the spot. 



This plan had the approbation of a former library com- 



