844 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



law. After they got associated in the public mind the idea 

 of its nationality, they succeeded in getting a law passed 

 giving it a legal existence and then they began to enter into 

 the organization, and to claim a part in the administration 

 of the Government. That institute came here with the 

 very instinct of all corporations, to get its hands into the 

 public Treasury of the country, by a process of induction. 

 It proceeded with that modesty and imposing humility 

 which characterize the movements of all corporations. It 

 began by obtaining the temporary charge of objects of sci- 

 ence belonging to the Government; and being intrusted 

 with the custody of that part of the public property, which 

 resulted from the exploring expedition, there was a motion 

 made towards the public Treasury. Having proceeded so 

 far, it proceeded a few years after, to ask Congress to pay 

 it moneys out of the public Treasury ; and for what? For 

 its care of these very articles of public property, which, aa 

 a favor of the Government, it had asked to be intrusted 

 with the care of. 



The Senate, which sat here for its constituents, was nev- 

 ertheless 80 unjust, in his judgment, as to tempt this corpo- 

 ration to its present advances by the fatal step of making 

 for it a public office, and paying it ^5,000 for the favor 

 which the institution had asked, in the privilege of taking 

 care of the articles resulting from the exploring expedition. 

 He opposed that bill at the time it was upon its passage 

 through the Senate ; and he then said — what was now seen 

 — that the attraction of this corporation was towards the 

 public Treasur3\ 



We are now intrusted with a fund of some half a million 

 of dollars. It is intrusted to the care of the Congress of 

 the United States; whether by the constitution or by Mr. 

 Smithson, it is now immaterial. The money is obtained ; 

 and the question is decided that Mr. Smithson could extend 

 the limits of the constitution by a request in his will, and 

 place at the disposal of Congress moneys for objects which 

 the constitution knows not. You got tlie money ; it is now 

 in the public Treasury, or ought to be ; and was as much 

 subject to the constitutional action of Congress as any other 

 moneys of the Treasury ; and for that action alone, and in 

 the name of the Smithsonian Institution, this National In- 

 stitute comes here to ask Congress to give it the exclusive 

 administration of half a million of the public money. 

 This could be answered by the general charge that na 

 moneys ought to be drawn out of the public Treasury ex- 

 cept by the appropriation of law, and that Congress has no 



