THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS, 1853-55. 543 



Senate, because in the Senate there was no discussion of the 

 bill, and the amendments offered and rejected do not furnish 

 evidence of the construction given to it by that body,) we 

 shall find that such amendments were made as are^inconsis- 

 tent with the construction which the regents now give to the 

 act. Principally they were two. There was a specific pro- 

 vision requiring professors and lecturers to be employed. 

 That was stricken out. Very true; but then there was left 

 in the bill the provision for lecture rooms, which I think I 

 have shown, imperatively required that there should be lec- 

 tures, and, of course, authorized the employment of persons 

 to lecture. 



Then there was a provision in regard to researches and 

 publications; that was stricken out, too; but, I think, I have 

 shown that the duty of the regents was to institute researches 

 and make publications under the law as it stands. And 

 when we look at the circumstances attending the striking 

 out of those provisions, we find this to be^ the fact. The 

 provision in regard to researches and publications author- 

 ized Congress to call upon the regents at any time to cause 

 those publications to be printed and supplied to members of 

 Congress, to be distributed as public documents. Now, it 

 may'very well have been that those who voted to strike out 

 this provision were induced to do so by the single item of it 

 which I have just mentioned, or they may have thought 

 these provisions superfluous, being well supplied by the large 

 discretionary powers given in the ninth section which I have 

 quoted. It is, however, neither according to legal rules nor 

 right reason to look to the speeches and proceedings of the 

 legislature for the construction of a statute which is itself 

 the embodiment of the legislative will, and furnishes 

 copious sources of construction by the examination and 

 comparison of its various provisions and the admitted pur- 

 pose of its enactment. Certain it is that the striking out 

 of those specific provisions cannot invalidate the general 

 grants of power, and the necessary implications from those 

 .grants, which I have mentioned. 



JS'ow, we have a library of fifteen thousand volumes, for 

 the most part composed of the most valuable works pertain- 

 ing to all branches of human knowledge, besides ten thou- 

 sand parts of volumes and pamphlets. Their literary and 

 scientific value is to weighed, not counted. The money 

 value of our library is estimated by the officers of the insti- 

 tution at 40,000. We have a museum, the money value of 

 which is estimated at $30,000. We have apparatus valued 

 at $10,000. 



