Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1910-01-28
SMITHSON'S BEQUEST
Origin Of the Famous Smithso-
nlan Institution.
THE CONTROL or ITS FUNDS.
Uncle Sans Treasury Holds lie Mon
sX Which Can 5s Used Only on Ap-
preparation by consrsss--lts Pseul.
lar Relation TO the Government.

L
Although the name Of the smitbso.
nian Institution IL common house.
hold word In America aud millions
VI persons have visited the great build.
ngs IN Washington where are stored
the contributions OF science which
have been gathered under its auspices
few understand the real relation Of the
Institution 20 the national government.
Most persons believe that II Is part
OF the government.
The Smithsonian institution. says the
Washington Times. occupies peculiar
relation TO this government. II IL q
part Of II. and yet II is not a part. Its
moneys are 10 the United States treas
ury and can be used only on appro-
prlatlon by congress, and yet this
money does not belong 10 the govern
ment. II Is 10 the government only
as the money OF ward IL to guard
ian.
James smithson. who contributed
the bulk OF the fund In the hands OF
the institution, was an Englishman,
the son of a peer Of the realm. He
was a 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 partialIty for
America until he wrote his will in
1920 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
100000. which was In that day a
princely fortune Six years after his
death the United States legation at
London was informed that there was
about 100000 In the possession OF the
adjutant general Of the British court
of chancery awaiting claimant
Immediately there arose in America
all kinds OF opposition to the accept
ance OF the money. John c. Calhoun
aud William G. Preston urged with
all the fire OF their eloquence that II
was beneath the dignity Of this gov
'rnment to accept such gift. But
lohn Quincy Adams and others pre-
vailed. aud Richard Rush was sent to
England to prosecute the claim of this
government.
He was successful. and on Sept. J.,
S3S. The money was delivered at the
mint In Philadelphia In the shape Of
0i.960 gold sovereigns. which were
ninted into $50S.3lS.46 In American
money.
THIS sum by careful management
and by additions from other charitably
inclined persons has now become about
Sl.000.000. 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 given up to II.
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
representatives and six citizens of the
United States at large.
The National museum, the weather
bureau, the geological park at Wash
lngton, the fisheries bureau and the
astrophysical observatory have been
developed by the institution.
The objects OF the institution, as
described by Its first secretary, Joseph
Henry. have been adhered to through
the years of Its existence. They are
to increase knowledge by original In
vestigations and study either In SCI
ence or literature and to diffuse knowl-
edge not only through the United
States. but everywhere. 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 his own
words:
ITO assist men Of science In making
original researches, to publish them in
4 series of volumes and to give a copy
Of them to every first class library In
he world"
Books, laboratory accommodations
and apparatus have been supplied to
thousands of investigators throughout
the United States.
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