Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-01-27
SM|THS0N'S REQUEST
Oriuin of the Famous Smithso.
nian Institution.
The CONTROL OF ITS FUNDS.

THE CONTROL OF ITS FUNDS
Uncle Sans Treasury Holds Its Mon
sy, Which Can ss Used Only on Ap'
preparation by consrsss-lts Pseu''
lar Relation to the Government.
Although the name Of the Smithso
uian institution Is a common house
hold word in America and millions
Of persons have visited the great build
ings in Washington where are stored
the contributions Of science which
have been gathered under its auspices
few understand the real relation Of the
institution to the national government
Most persons believe that it is a par
Of the government.
The Smithsonian institution, says the
Washington Times, occupies a peculiar
relation to this government. 1t is Z
part of it, and yet it is not part. IT.
moneys are in the United States treas.
ury and can be used only on appro.
priation' by congress-. and yet this
money does not belong to the govern
ment. It is to the government only
as the money Of ward is to guard
ian.
James Smithson, who contributed
the bulk Of the fund in the hands Of
the institution. was an Englishman
the son Of q peer of the realm. BE
was q man who. could trace his ances'
try back to royal blood. He never Wis
tied In America and was never known
to have any particular partially fol
America until he wrote his will in
1926. He died at Genoa in 1929, and
when they opened his will this is what
they read:
II bequeathed the whole Of my prop
erty to the United States Of America
to found at Washington, under the
name Of the Smithsonian institution,
an establishment for the increase and
diffusion Of knowledge among men,"
This property amounted to: about
$4,000. which was In that day Z
princely fortune. Six years after bis
death the United States legation at
London was informed that there was
about $780, 900 in the possession OF the
adjutant general Of the British court
Of chancery awaiting claimant.
Immediately there arose In America
al kinds. Of opposition to the accept
ance Of the money. John c. Calhoun
and william q. Preston urged with
all the fire of their eloquence that It
was beneath the dignity Of this gov
eminent to accept such gift. But
John Quincy Adams and others pre-
vailed, and Richard Rush was sent to
England, to prosecute the claim OF this
government.
he was successful, and on Sept. 1.
1888. the money was delivered at the
mint in Philadelphia In the shape Of
l04,960 gold sovereigns, which were
minted into $506, 318.46 In American
money.
This sum by careful management
and by additions from other charttably
inclined persons has now become about
81 900. which the government keeps
and pays interest upon for the main
tenance Of the institution.
For the first eight years the money
lay in the treasury while plans were
being formulated for the permanent
establishment described by Smithson
In his will. Thousands Of letters were
received, and there were schemes
enough proposed to bankrupt several
governments. Congressman debated
over this fund repeatedly, and hun
dreds of pages Of the Congressional
Globe were gi~en up to it.
The institution has been worked out
on such broad lines as to be one Of
the greatest forces In scientific re-
search In the world.
The board of regents is composed of
the vice president of the United States.
the chief justice of the United States,
three United States senator's, three
and six citizens Of the
United States at large.
The National museum, the weather
bureau. the geological park at Wash
ington. the fisheries bureau and the
observatory have been
developed by the institution.
The objects Ut the institution. as
described by its first secretary. '.Ioseph
Henry. have been adhered to through
the years of it's existence. They are
to increase knowledge by original in
vestigationS and study either in sci
ence or literature and to ditfuse knowl-
edge not only through the United
States, but every where especially by
promoting an Interchange Of thought
among those prominent in learning in
all nations. no restriction Is made
in favor of any one branch Of knowl-
edge.
The leading features Of the plan Of
Professor Henry were. in bis own
words: }}.,,.
ITO assist lhhen Of science in making
original researches. to publish them in
a series of volumes aud to give copy
of them to every first class library in
the world
Books. laboratory accommodations