THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS, 1853-1855. 523 



to a great collection of books — books in eveiy department of science, 

 of art. and belles-lettres. The writer of this letter shows that he was 

 one of those who desired so to devote it; to a librar}^ — a library, to 

 the exclusion of everything else — a collection of books. I am free to 

 believe and declare that 1 entertain no doubt this learned and distin- 

 guished gentleman believed that the best mode of increasing knowl- 

 edge, as well as diffusing it amongst men, was to establish a library. 

 But suppose it were done. There is an annual revenue derived from 

 the Smithsonian fund of some $30,000 or $40,000. So much is to be 

 dev^oted, in perpetua, I suppose, to the purchase of books, which are 

 to be stored here on shelves in the city of Washington, and who is to 

 read them 'i Why, sir, the members of Congress have little time to 

 read the books which accumulate here in the public library. The 

 citizens of Washington form a very small portion of the people of 

 these United States; and thus this great trust, which was intended for 

 mankind, would be limited to the walls of Washington. 



There is another great objection to it. Books are derived from 

 booksellers. Booksellers are connected with bookmakers, and book- 

 makers and booksellers with that hungr}" legion who all live, and of 

 whom some grow rich, on the spoils of genius and industr}'. Then 

 there are the paper makers, and the book printers, and publishers, and 

 the stereotypists, all, all, would be hovering around this fund, to say 

 nothing of factorage, commission, foreign travel to pick up rare 

 works, and the ten thousand jobs that follow in such a train where 

 money is to be spent by law in lai'ge, annual, stated sums to bu}^ 

 books; and at last what would you have done ^ Why, you would have 

 taken this great, noble, beneficent donation to mankind and converted 

 it into a fruitful job for every race of needy and artful adventurers. 



Sir, if a library is to be established at Washington for public use, 

 vote the money from the Treasury. Smithson did not intrust this 

 fund to you for such a purpose, or he would have said so in his will, 

 and he has not said it. 



I have said that it is unfortunate that this matter should again be 

 brought before the Senate. The battle was fought here for years. 

 That parliamentary history to which the writer of the letter has had 

 reference shows it. He claims that under the true interpretation of 

 the act of Congress the library" scheme prevailed. A majority of 

 those who have been associated with him in the Board of Regents have 

 decided otherwise. They understand the law to mean that discretion 

 is vested in the Board of Regents to build up a library in this great 

 Institution in such manner and at such time as they shall find most con- 

 ducive to the great objects of the trust. That is all. Sir, this battle 

 should not be fought over again. I trust we shall not present to the 

 European world, whence this fund is derived, the spectacle that at this 

 early day, when the streams of light and knowledge which 1 hope 



