450 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS- 



Mr. MILLIARD. But does the gentleman charge the putting this 

 fictitious sum in the Treasury, etc., on the board or on Congress? I 

 wish him to answer on that point. 



Mr. JOHNSON. On Congress. The bill of last session placed $500,000 

 in the Treasury which was not there in reality. It is true the Gov- 

 ernment received it; but they acted as a faithful trustee and loaned it 

 out, and not a cent has ever been returned. In this state of the case, 

 Mr. JOHNSON denied that the Government was justly bound to refund 

 the money, and that very few of their constituencies would sanction 

 it. It would have been much better if she had never consented to act 

 as trustee of it; for notwithstanding their flourishing with "Regents," 

 etc., and talking of such a sum as in the Treasury, it was not there, 

 and the expenses of this Institution came out of the Treasury, which 

 was already heavily taxed and burdened with debt to carry on the war. 

 He insisted, now that they had commenced operations, that reports of 

 their proceedings should be regularly laid before a committee of this 

 House who would thus have supervision over them and be a check upon 

 them. Such a restraint was needed in all Government establishments, 

 and there was no reason in this case why this institution should be 

 excepted. 

 January 17, 1848 House. 



Mr. ANDREW JOHNSON, of Tennessee, presented resolutions: 



Resolved, That in addition to the standing committees of this House there shall be 

 one called the Smithsonian Committee, whose duty it shall be to superintend the 

 affairs of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Resolved, That the report made by the Regents, and accompanying documents, be 

 referred to the Committee on the Smithsonian Institution, whose duty it shall be to 

 examine the same in connection with the original journal and other documents from 

 which they have been made, and report to this House whether, in their opinion, it is 

 necessary to print all or any portion of them, or not; and that said committee be, and 

 is hereby, authorized and required to take into consideration the propriety and 

 expediency of suspending all further operations of the Smithsonian Institution until 

 the Treasury of the United States be relieved from the heavy and pressing burden 

 created by the existing war between the anarchy of Mexico and the American Union. 

 And, further, that said committee be authorized and required to procure the aid of 

 three architects, distinguished in their profession, associated with two responsible 

 and highly reputed scientific practical builders, who shall take into consideration 

 the site, the design, and material of w r hich the present building is composed, and 

 report the result of such examination to this House. And, further, that said com- 

 mittee take into consideration the propriety of so changing and remodelling the 

 present design of the Smithsonian Institution as to convert it into a "university," in 

 the extended sense of the term, including the manual-labor feature, as to embrace 

 agriculture, horticulture, and all the various branches of mechanism, or as many of 

 them as may be deemed practicable and useful to the country. 



The Speaker (Mr. R. C. WINTHROP) ruled the resolution out of 

 order. 



Mr. JOHNSON moved to suspend the rules that the resolution might 

 be received. 



