TWENTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, 1843-45. 339 



elected, and always, by virtue of their office, ready to act. 

 The committee then provided that three members of the 

 Senate should be named by the presiding officer in the same 

 way that he named standing committees ; and that three 

 members of the House of Representatives, in like manner, 

 should be appointed by the Speaker of the House. These 

 six members would form a joint standing committee, and 

 have charge of the institution in Congress ; for the com- 

 mittee decided that Congress should hold in its own hands 

 the control and supervision of the institution. Thus Con- 

 gress would have the interests of the institution imme- 

 diately represented on the floor of both Houses. In addi- 

 tion to those eight ex officio members of the board, there 

 would be seven persons to be selected by Congress — two of 

 them from the resident members of the National Institute, 

 the remainder from diffijrent States of the Union. Here- 

 after, these seven are to be elected by joint resolution of 

 Congress every two years. This would afford an oppor- 

 tunity of electing gentlemen distinguished as men of science 

 and learning, who, from the respect entertained for them, 

 would be able to enlist the most friends for the institution, 

 and would have the best opportunities of making the citi- 

 zens of the Union acquainted with its objects and ad- 

 vantages. 



There was another consideration which he was sure 

 would, upon reflection, have some weight with the Senator 

 from New Hampshire, and, he hoped, induce him to forego 

 his amendment. It was, that, in looking at the two propo- 

 sitions, with a view of ascertaining which was most repub- 

 lican, most democratic in principle, he would find that of 

 the committee infinitely more so than his own. It was 

 certainly anti-republican and anti-democratic to surrender 

 all control of the people's representatives in respect to a 

 trust especially committed to their custody, for the people's 

 benefit, and place it in the hands of a close body, like the 

 National Institute, wholly irresponsible to either Congress 

 or the people — a body, the machinery and operations of 

 which, so far as regarded the people, were shut out from 

 their view, and to which they could of right have no access. 

 On the other hand, the proposition of the committee recog- 

 nized especiall}', and in a pre-eminent degree, the complete 

 control and supervision of the people's representatives, and 

 insured that publicity which could not fail of gaining public 

 confidence in the management of the institution, and uni- 

 versal approbation as to the attainment of the purpose for 

 which the bequest was made. 



