THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS, 1853-55. 627 



should be lost, the Government will not have to refund it? 

 We made one investment of a portion of this fund, and had 

 to pay the amount of the investment. 



Mr. Chandler. Invest it in eastern stocks, and not in 

 western. 



Mr. Bayly, of Virginia, called for the reading of the reso- 

 lution, and no objection being made, it was accordingly 

 again read. 



The question was then taken on the adoption of the reso- 

 lution; and there were, on a division — ayes 84; noes not 

 counted. 



So the resolution w^as adopted. 



House op IIepresentatives, January 24, 1854. 



Mr. Upham, from the Committee on the Post Office and 

 Post Roads, reported the following bill; which was read a 

 first and second time by its title : 



'■ A bill granting the franking privilege to the Superintendent of the 

 Coast Survey, and the assistant in chargti of the office of said Coast 

 Survey." 



Mr. Mace. I move that the bill be so amended as to pro- 

 vide for the grant of the franking privilege to the Secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, in addition to the officers 

 already named. 



Mr. Olds. The proposition contemplates the giving of 

 the franking privilege to the Coast Survey. The 'Commit- 

 tee on the Post Office and Post Roads have permitted it to 

 be reported to the House, from the fact that we had seen 

 no good reason why the head of that bureau — for it is, in 

 fact, a bureau — should not have the franking privilege as 

 well as the heads of the other bureaus. At the same time, 

 however, that I give my assent to the report of this resolu- 

 tion, I wish to say that my own opinion, and I believe that 

 such will be the opinion of the committee, is against the 

 franking privilege altogether; and perhaps before the session 

 is closed we shall propose a bill abolishing it. 



Mr. Mace. I think, sir, that I would myself be in favor 

 of the abolition of the franking privilege ; but if it is to 

 exist and appertain to sundry- officers of the Government, 

 and to members of Congress, I see no case more meritorious 

 than that of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 to which that privilege could be extended. That is an insti- 

 tution for the diffusion of general knowledge throughout the 

 whole country. By various acts of Congress we vote to it 

 numerous public documents, which cannot be distributed 



