TWENTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, 1843-45. 841 



their services, which have so long and decidedly been given 

 to letters and science without any pay, are all, by my 

 amendment, to continue to be gratuitous. 



The difficulty will be rather in getting gentlemen of suit- 

 able character to devote their time at all to this subject 

 under these circumstances, than in preventing them from 

 profiting in a pecuniary point of view. It is this appre- 

 hended difficulty which will, in part, be removed by taking 

 more managers resident here, who can attend to the busi- 

 ness in rotation or otherwise, at less inconvenience and loss 

 than those from a distance. 



Again : it is said that the form of a resolution in elections 

 avoids any dispute. How so ? Suppose that the gentleman 

 named in the bill from Ohio was moved to be stricken out, 

 and that of the member of the Library Committee from 

 Ohio be substituted, [Mr. Tappan,] (as seemed to Mr. W. 

 proper ;) might it not give rise to debate as to their respect- 

 ive characters and fitness ? So of every other member pro- 

 posed, though all doubtless were very suitable men. 



Other gentlemen seem to fear an abuse of the trust by 

 these agents under the amendment, when the very object 

 and terms of it are to increase the guards against abuse, 

 through one of our own committees, and its supervision 

 and regulations ; and when the position of the institute and 

 board under it, instead of being antagonist to Congress, or 

 independent of it, is made to be in more entire subordina- 

 tion to it, and is hemmed around by stronger safeguards 

 against any possible departure from its commands or wishes. 

 He was anxious that, while the Smithson fund came from a 

 stranger and abroad", rather than from among ourselves, and 

 hence gave no cause for national pride or boasting, but rather 

 was mortifying to our own backwardness in such an object, 

 we should at least be vigilant over its use, remedy defects as 

 to its efficiency — which we may by this amendment — and 

 add something to our national character by the appropriate 

 manner of managing the whole trust, though, unfortunately, 

 we have had no lot nor part in creating it, or liberally add- 

 ing to it. 



Mr. Buchanan observed that he had but very few words 

 to say on this subject. According to the will of the donor, 

 this fund was to be distributed for the " increase and difi:u- 

 sion of knowledge among men." Considering our peculiar 

 position in the District of Columbia, he (Mr. B.) had arrived 

 at the conclusion that the best mode of distributing this 

 fund was by the purchase of a great library. Indeed, he 

 could imtigine no other. If (said Mr. B.) you attempt to 



