TIIIKTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, 1859-61. 659 



be made by wliicli these articles are to be distributed over 

 the couutr}' without Congress specitying the manner in 

 which they shall be distributed. I want to know how they 

 are to be distributed. I am content that they should be 

 distributed; and I think, if there is an excess of them 

 here, they should be distributed in some way, either by al- 

 lowing persons and institutions in difterent portions of the 

 country to come here and obtain them; or else, if you see 

 fit to do so, allowing the superintendent of the institution to 

 distribute them ; but he should not be permitted to distrib- 

 ute them on any principle of favoritism ; as, I fear, may be 

 the case, unless you provide in the law specifically in what 

 manner they shall be distributed. For instance, we might 

 eaj' that one institution in each State, or two institutions in 

 each State, should be furnished with these specimens, or 

 that they should be distributed to certain specified institu- 

 tions ; but I am unwilling to leave the matter entirely to 

 the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior, or the Super- 

 intendent of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Mr. Fessenden. My friend from Iowa is a little too fast. 

 If he will look at this amendment, he will find that it is 

 merely to strike out the words in lines two hundred and 

 twenty-three, two hundred and twenty-four, two hundred 

 and twentj^-five, and two hundred and twenty-six, for which 

 other words are to be substituted. If these words be stricken 

 out, and the others be not substituted, he accomplishes his 

 object. The question he is debating is really the substitu- 

 tion, which is simply to put in this clause in a more definite 

 form. There can be no objection to striking out these 

 words. 



Mr. Hunter. The Senator from Iowa will accomplish 

 his present purpose if we should refuse to strike out, and 

 leave the clause as it stands. The difference between the 

 two is, that the amendment proposes to distribute as well as 

 to preserve these collections, and the w^ords proposed to be 

 stricken out merely provide for the preservation. 



Mr. Fessenden. The provision above, which has been 

 already adopted, makes all the appropriation necessary to 

 preserve the collections. Then we come to the clause which 

 provides for the distribution, and that it is proposed to strike 

 out and to insert a redraft of the provision in another form. 

 The first paragraph applies to the preservation. 



Mr. Hunter. Then the plan would be to vote for striking 

 out, and to vote against inserting what it is proposed to insert. 



Mr. Fessenden. There is no objection to appropriating 

 the $4,000 for' the preservation. That is done. That is 



