136 LEADING AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE 



upon the Smithson fund for this purpose. As a natural corol- 

 lary of these views the Institution should not engage in competi- 

 tion with other organizations in any enterprise whatever. 



(2) Objects of merely local benefit, which no one could avail 

 himself of except by a visit to Washington, were to be regarded 

 as of subsidiary importance, as not well fitted to carry out the views 

 of Smithson to the wide extent he would have desired, and as 

 y properly belonging to the local authorities. 



Putting both these principles, the library, the museum, the art 

 gallery, the courses of lectures, and the Smithsonian building 

 were looked upon as things only temporarily undertaken by the 

 Institution, to be turned over to other agencies whenever such 

 could be found ready to assume the responsibility of the opera- 

 tions connected with them. 



The position taken by Professor Henry resulted in a contest 

 v of parties which was for the time being decisive of the policy of 

 3 the Institution. A considerable party in the Board of Regents as 

 well as several officers of the Institution were opposed to his views. 

 v Among these was the librarian, a gentleman of much learning and 

 ^' good standing in the literary world. He naturally wanted all the 

 <: I-..; money he could command to increase the library, a proceeding 

 . to which Henry was opposed, holding that as this was only a local 

 - benefit, it should be provided by Congress. But the librarian was 

 a man of such influence that it became evident to Henry that the 

 carrying out of his own policy was impossible while he was in 

 Suffice. He, therefore, took the bold course of removing him. 



This brought up the whole subject of the power of the Secretary 

 to remove the officers and employees of the Institution. The 

 leader of the minority was the Honorable Rufus Choate of Boston. 

 He was an active supporter of the library scheme and showed his 

 dissatisfaction with the conclusion by resigning his position as 

 regent. This led to the subject being referred to a committee of 

 the Senate, which made a unanimous report in favor of the Secre- 

 tary and the majority of the Board of Regents. In the House of 

 Representatives, of which Mr. Choate was a member, the matter 

 assumed a more serious aspect. Mr. Choate read a letter criticiz- 



