742 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



with the high commission upon which God has sent thorn 

 into this world arid the grand work they are accomplishing! 

 Will anybody who hears me tell me that Professor Dana, of 

 New Haven, is not a man in whom my own locality will be 

 interested? He belongs to my locality; he belongs to my 

 vicinage; he is my neighbor; he is one of the nearest und 

 best of my neighbors; he is by intellect among the men in 

 whom mv neighborhood has the deepest interest; he belongs 

 to my neighborhood ; and so do Professor Gray and Professor 

 Agassiz. They have, by the services they have rendered and 

 are rendering to science, secured the interest not only of 

 New England, Now York, but the interest of the whole 

 world. And there is no better principle, Mr. Speaker, upon 

 which to select these men than to search diligently for tho 

 best and put them in these places. "We, therefore, thought 

 it best upon the whole to make this report and secure its 

 adoption by the House if we could. 



Mr. Cox. I ask the gentleman from Ohio to yield to me 

 for a moment. 



Mr. MONROE. I was going to demand the previous ques- 

 tion on this matter, butl will yield to the gentleman from 

 New York. I recognize his right to be heard. 



Mr. Cox. I would not intrude my voice on the House 

 on this question but for the fact that for some dozen of years 

 I have been more or less associated with this Smithsonian 

 regency; and I would say to the House we have never had 

 any special need for men of financial ability, at least since 

 I have been a regent of the Smithsonian Institution. Our 

 affairs have been conducted with economy. There has been 

 no surplus which has not been used in a proper way, and 

 there has been no deficiency. I supposed the Board of 

 Regents had sent in the name of Mr. Stewart in place of 

 Mr. Astor after some consultation with him, but I learn this 

 committee has withdrawn the name of Mr. Stewart on the 

 simple suggestion that his health is not good. 



I propose to amend the amendment offered by the gentle- 

 man from Tennessee so as to replace the name of Mr. Alex- 

 ander T. Stewart, of New York ; and I do it for this reason : 

 There is no special need or requirement for the presence of 

 these regents at Washington except once or twice a year. 

 There is no special need for any culture in any particular 

 line of science, on the part of some of the regents at least, 

 for we are supplied with men of that quality in the presi- 

 dents and professors of colleges who are now there. But I 

 will say, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Mr. Stowart, who is 

 perhaps entirely ignorant of these proceedings, that he adds 



