462 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



He was not disposed to commit himself now to either course, 

 whether he should be in favor of continuing the connection of this 

 Institution with the Government or not, or whether he could see his 

 way clear to disembarrass the Government from an}^ further connection 

 with it. He merel}'^ threw out the suggestion that if a committee of 

 gentlemen on this.tloor should show them, should indicate clearly, that 

 this could be done, then he apprehended there was no gentleman who 

 would not be willing to leave it in the hands of the gentlemen who 

 should have charge of this Institution. The bill which established 

 this Smithsonian Institution had passed hastily without having under- 

 gone the surveillance of any committee. It was true a distinguished 

 gentleman had made an elaborate report from a committee appointed 

 on this subject, accompanied by a bill, but the House would recollect 

 that that report was rejected, and a substitute, offered by a gentleman 

 from New York (Mr. Hough), which embodied some amendments 

 offered by himself (Mr. Morse) and by other gentlemen, was passed, and 

 became the act under which the Institution was at present organized. 

 That act was imperfect in itself. His objection to it was, that so far 

 as this House at least was concerned, it was very little discussed, very 

 little debated. He held that Congress could not be true to its trust 

 unless once in a year or two (if they were to continue the management 

 of the Institution) they authorized and delegated a part of their body 

 to examine and report all the facts of the case. He did not desire to 

 take a position either with his friend from Vermont or his friend from 

 South Carolina, l)ut he did desire that this House and the country at 

 large should be possessed of all the facts in relation to the disbursement 

 and management of the large amount of monej^ left by this gentleman, 

 and committed to them as trustees, and the committee might suggest 

 some plan better calculated to carry out the views of the distinguished 

 donor than this hasty, imperfect act which they had passed. 



With these views he moved a reconsideration of the vote by which 

 the amendment of the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Johnson) was 

 rejected. 



The Speaker said it would be necessary first to move to recon 4der 

 the adoption of the resolution, and announced the question accordingly. 



Mr. James Pollock moved to lay the motion to reconsider on the 

 table, which was agreed to — yeas, 107; nays, 76: as follows: 



YEAS — Messrs. Abbott, Adams, Ashmun, Atkinson, Barringer, Bayly, Beale, 

 Belcher, Blackmar, Blanchard, Botts, Boydon, \Vm. G. Brown, Butler, Canby, Chap- 

 man, Chngman, Cocke, Collamer, Conger, Cranston, Crowell, Dickey, Donnell, Garnett 

 Duncan, Dunn, Eckert, Alexander Evans, Nathan Evans, Faran, Farrelly, Fisher, 

 Flournoy, Fulton, Gentry, Giddings, Goggin, Gott, Green, Greeley, Gregory, Grinneli, 

 Hale, Willard P. Hall, Nathan K. Hall, James G. Hampton, Moses Hampton, Henry, 

 Isaac E. Holmes, Hubbard, Hunt, Charles J. IngersoU, Jenkins, James H. Johnson, 

 George W. Jones, John W. Jones, Daniel P. King, William T. Lawrence, Leffler, Ligon, 

 Lincoln, Lumpkin, Mcllvaine, McKay, McLane, Marvin, ^lorehead, Mullin, Mur- 



