THIRTIETH CONGRESS, 1847-1849. 



COMMITTEE ON THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



December 8, 1847 House. 



Mr. HUGH WHITE gave notice that on some subsequent day he would 

 move to amend the rules of the House so as to provide for the appoint- 

 ment of a committee on the Smithsonian Institution. 

 December 13, 1847 House. 



Mr. HUGH WHITE, in compliance with the notice he had given, intro- 

 duced resolution. 



Resolved, That the rules of this House be amended by adding one to the commit- 

 tees, to consist of nine members, which shall be entitled a Committee on the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. It shall be the duty of the said committee to supervise the 

 proceedings of the Board of Regents, examine accounts and the condition of the 

 funds of the Institution, suggest such alterations or amendments of the law under 

 which the Institution was established as may be deemed necessary, and report to the 

 House from time to time, as the interest of the Institution may require. 



Mr. H. W. HILLIARD said he supposed that the resolution would, 

 as a matter of course, lie over. 



The Speaker (Mr. R. C. WINTHROP) said that the resolution was 

 now before the House. 



Mr. HILLIARD deemed this resolution entirely unnecessary. The 

 Regents of the Smithsonian Institution were selected, three from the 

 Senate and three from the House. What possible necessity, then, 

 could there be to justify the appointment of a committee to inspect 

 the affairs of that Institution? Besides, other departments of this 

 Government were required to act in concert with them, and therefore 

 there could be no reason to justify the bringing of the affairs of that 

 Institution into this arena of debate, that its progress might be 

 embarrassed, its harmony of action impaired, and the objects which 

 it had undertaken be defeated. He asked the gentleman what good 

 he proposed to accomplish by it? He would impute no sinister mo- 

 tive to a gentleman of his enlarged and enlightened views, but still it 

 must be borne in mind that the bill itself encountered great difficulties 

 in its progress through the House during the last session. Much 

 hostility was manifested to it, and therefore he again asked, what 

 good could be anticipated from the appointment of such a committee ? 



Mr. HILLIARD believed they ought not to change the present 

 relations of Congress to that Institution. A committee appointed by 

 this House would not share in the daily deliberations of the Board of 



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