FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS, 1889-1891. 1875 
When you want to bring these varieties of animals and specimens 
from all parts of the country, from our great West, in carrying out 
the purposes contemplated by this park, and preserve from extinction 
certain of the wonderful animals still remaining on this continent, you 
do not want them placed here as District specimens, but for the benefit 
of the whole people of the whole country in their own park which you 
have bought and established by the authority vested in you. If you 
make it liable to the control of this people because of the fact that they 
spent one-half of the money necessary, their Commissioners ought to 
have some control over it. If you make it lable to the control of the 
District government and the citizens of the District, then you had better 
end the whole business, change the name and control of it, and put it 
back in the hands of the District, or close out the whole transaction by 
giving the money for other purposes or selling the land. 
This park, if it is to be a national concern at all for the advancement 
of science, for the preservation of rare species of animals, for the col- 
lection of interesting specimens, should be placed exclusively under 
the control of the Sinithsonian. That is the only place it ought to be. 
You have no more right to make the District of Columbia, which does 
not want the park, pay one-half of the cost of it than you have to com- 
pel them to pay one-half of the cost of the National Museum, or one- 
half of the expense of the Botanical Garden, or one-half of the expense 
of the other public institutions of this city, and for precisely the same 
reason. If that policy should be inaugurated on this bill, then it would 
be better for this people if you wipe out that garden, raze your 
Museum, or else make the District of Columbia pay one-half of the 
“expenditures for their maintenance. Besides that, you might find the 
people of the District here, if they paid one-half of the money, claim- 
ing, as they could properly claim, a right of interest in the manage- 
ment and suggestions. But it ought to be entirely free from all such 
entanglements. 
Another thing, Mr. Speaker, is worthy of consideration. If this is 
to be a great national museum, we have reason to suppose from the 
experience of other countries with national collections that there will 
be valuable, interesting specimens and gifts sent here from the other 
nations of the world. Collections will be made from Egypt, Japan, 
China, India—in fact, from all the world. Does anyone expect that 
such would be the result if this was a little park for the city of Wash- 
ington alone, and that the species and varieties extant among other 
nations would adorn and beautify a mere local establishment of that 
character? These would be sent if this was the park of the United 
States; otherwise they would not, just as our own country, as Aus- 
tralia, as India, as China and Japan have sent animals to London, to 
Berlin, to Belgium, to Holland, to Paris, and to the national museums 
of the world. 
