THIRTIETH CONGRESS, 1847-49. 485 



preferred the gentleman from Pennsylvania should make 

 Iris own motion. 



The SPEAKER said the gentleman from Pennsylvania had 

 not the floor to make the motion. The gentleman from 

 Tennessee [Mr. A. Johnson] had taken the floor. 



Mr. HILLIARD then remarked that he had heen reminded 

 that his pledge was to move a postponement to a day within 

 a reasonable period, and said he would modify his motion 

 so as to name the 3d day of January next. 



The SPEAKER said the motion could not be altered with- 

 out the consent of the gentleman from Tennessee, who had 

 the floor. 



Mr. HILLIARD appealed to the gentleman from Tennessee 

 to permit the modification to be made. 



Mr. JOHNSON had no objection, provided it did not deprive 

 him of the floor. 



The motion was accordingly modified by Mr. Hilliard so 

 as to postpone to the 3d day of January. 



Mr. ANDREW JOHNSON then proceeded in his remarks. 

 He said the gentleman who had just closed his remarks had 

 seen no propriety or necessity for the appointment of this 

 committee. He seemed to think it would be humiliating 

 and detracting somewhat from the dignity of these individ- 

 uals who were called u Regents," he believed, in the act 

 establishing the Smithsonian Institution to have their pro- 

 ceedings come under the supervision of a committee of this 

 House. Now, his (Mr. Johnson's) conceptions about dignity 

 and position in this country were perhaps different from 

 those of the gentleman from Alabama. According to his 

 .notions of government, this body occupied the highest and 

 most elevated position. In this Democratic Government it 

 was held that the people are sovereign, the source of all 

 power; this body stands next to the people, next to the sov- 

 ereignty, and instead of detracting from their dignity, he 

 thought it was assigning them their true position. He knew 

 there were some who were really fascinated by that word 

 " Regent," and the fondness of such things was increasing 

 in our country. 



He thought the gentleman from Alabama had demonstra- 

 ted clearly to this House, in his opposition to the creation of 

 this committee, the necessity of its creation. If all was 

 done well, everything regularly transacted, if the money 

 was judiciously expended, in the name of common reason 

 would it injure or affect their proceedings to be supervised 

 lay a committee appointed by this body ? Why, the very 

 disposition to shrink from the supervision of a committee 



