THIRTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, 1859-1861. 625 



from year to year, of that Institution; and if either the Senator from 

 Pennsylvania or the Senator from New Hampshire, or any gentleman 

 who thinks with them, would introduce an amendment to this bill 

 directing the Institution to throw what they had received from the 

 Government out of doors just put it out of doors and let it rot I 

 will vote for it. It belongs to the Government. It does not belong 

 to the Institution. It has no business there within the terms of the 

 trust: none whatever. It was forced upon them against their will; as 

 they believe, in violation of the trust left to us by Smithson; and if 

 those gentlemen will devise any mode to take away all these specimens 

 of natural history sent there by the Government I will vote for it" 

 cheerfully. I do not know that I would not consider it incumbent 

 upon me, for the purpose of getting rid of them, if the Government 

 will not bear the expense of throwing them out of doors, to vote it 

 out of the funds of the Institution. 



Mr. CAMERON. I will take the Senator from Virginia at his word, as 

 far as I am concerned, and say let them throw them out of doors. 

 They are good for nothing there, and they are good for nothing out of 

 doors. Suppose these gentlemen were to come here now asking us to 

 appropriate $6,000 or $10,000 to distribute through this country speci- 

 mens of the finest arts the world has ever produced, which they could 

 purchase for that sum of money in Europe, would not everybody vote 

 against it ? There is not a man here who would not vote against a 

 proposition to bring the finest statuary and the finest paintings 



Mr. MASON. Will the Senator allow me to interrupt him a moment? 



Mr. CAMERON. Certainly. 



Mr. MASON. The Senator says he will do it? 



Mr. CAMERON. As far as I am concerned. 



Mr. MASON. The law now directs that these objects shall be sent to 

 the Smithsonian Institution. Let the Senator, on his responsibility, 

 propose to repeal that law. and I will vote for it. 



Mr. CAMERON. I will do that most cheerfully. 



Mr. MASON. Well, do it now. 



Mr. CAMERON. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. I will 

 bring in a bill to-morrow, if Senators think it proper; but we are dis- 

 cussing this question now. Here is an appropriation of $6,000 for a 

 most worthless purpose; and what right have we to appropriate it? 

 When we are all talking about the distresses of the country; when we 

 do not know how much country we shall have in a few days: when the 

 Treasury is empty not a dollar to pay even members of Congress, to 

 pay laborers out of doors we are to appropriate $6,000 or $10,000 to 

 preserve a parcel of what you call scientific specimens. A Senator 

 over the way said they were toads and snakes, and I have no doubt 

 they are that sort of thing. They are no use to anybody now: they 

 have served their day. 



H. Doc. 732 



