576 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



It directs the Regents to appropriate " from the interest of said fund 

 a sum not exceeding an average of $25,000 annually for the gradual 

 formation of a library," and then places the whole residue of the 

 increase of the fund at their disposal. Can this be doubted? For the 

 various purposes provided by the act no appropriations are made. 

 The library forms the only exception, and the sole limit of the dis- 

 cretionary power of the Regents over appropriations for a library is 

 that they shall not exceed an annual average of $25,000, Within that 

 limit their discretion is full and entire. Suppose any appropriation 

 made in any given year for the gradual formation of a library; can any- 

 one doubt that the Regents have the power to make such an appropria- 

 tion or so to limit it? And is there any reason why they might not 

 limit the appropriation to a still smaller sum? They might, indeed, 

 be liable to the charge of evading the law if those appropriations were 

 for mere nominal sums, so that in the course of a series of years no 

 sensible progress could be made in the gradual formation of a library. 

 But this is an extreme case, from which no argument can be drawn 

 against their discretion to limit the appropriation for a library while 

 intending in good faith to provide for its gradual formation. 



Then suppose them to apply an amount sufficient to meet all the 

 expenses necessarily resulting from the provisions of the act. Still there 

 would remain a considerable sum not applied to any purpose. If the 

 Board of Regents believe that its application to scientific researches 

 and their publication be "best suited for the promotion of the pur- 

 poses of the testator," can it be doubted that they would have the 

 right so to apply it? 



The ninth section of the act gives this power in full. When the} T 

 have met the current expenses of the Institution, from time to time 

 made the necessary appropriations for the buildings in process 

 of erection, and, exercising their discretion within the limit pre- 

 scribed to them, have made an annual appropriation for a library, 

 what remains is placed at their "disposal," to promote the purposes 

 of the testator by the use of such means as "they (the Board of 

 Regents) shall deem best suited " to accomplish this object. In con- 

 struing the act of Congress the committee confine themselves to the 

 act itself to the plain import of the terms in which it is expressed, 

 and to the necessary results of the provisions which it contains. 

 The} r do not resort to what is called its parliamentary history. The 

 reported speeches of members upon the bill while pending in Con- 

 gress, and even votes upon amendments made or rejected, do not 

 answer this purpose. The first only disclose the individual opinions 

 of the speakers; the second frequently do not exhibit the object of 

 those who voted for or against the particular amendment. A speech 

 made by one member is often at variance with the views of those who 

 unite with him in voting for a particular provision. They frequently 



