Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
Funding the California Indian Superintendency (13 pages)

Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard

Show the Page Image

Show the Image Page Text


More Information About this Image

Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard

Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)

Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 13

Historical Society of Southern California
signed the Indians’ welfare first priority usually argued from a
humanitarian view. An emphasis upon white welfare led debaters
to view appropriations from a practical standpoint of prevention
of war, austerity, and denial of government responsibility for the
Indians. Some who placed priority upon white welfare as well as
some Indian sympathizers felt the tribesmen should be removed
from the path of white settlement, relocated on reservations, and
forced toward civilization through minimal government aid.
Others, opposing this survival o
assistance in the form of subsistence and agricultural instruction. Another fundamental difference concerned how much ~
given objective. Indeed, the bulk ©
of floor debate centered upon how much money should be a
expended to implement a vaguely defined policy. As a result, .
em of balane©
money would accomplish any
debate participants were confronted with the probl
ing these two major questions — the specifics of policy implemen~
tation and execution cost. But in the end, the execution of policy
as embodied in appropriations came down to the question of how 4
to best carry out a basically vague policy for the greatest benefit .
to both Indians and whites at the least possible cost. In the end, ©
debaters were guided by their own interpretation of the major 3
criteria of necessity, cost, and feasibility. Of course, the issues —
kers, in fact, prob©
ably did not consciously weigh decisions in this light, but these a
were not always this clear cut and many spea
were the assumptions upon which they operated.
In addition to the question of why funds were approved, there
is that of who debated California appropriations. A general profile indicates that in the Senate the typical solon was 7% of the ©
r represented — membership and sat on pertinent committees 0
California (81%). (See Table 2.) Most Senate speakers were 4
either Democrats (38%) or Republicans (27%) who representeda western (39%) or northern (36%) state. In the House, speakers”
were only 1% of the membership and were less likely than in the .
t California (61%). House =
debaters in the main were either Democrats (54%) or Republicans”
(33%) who represented a western (54%) or northern (37%) state.
It is evident from these statistics, first of all, that representa:tives from southern states took little part in funding the California
Senate to sit on committees or represen
{ the fittest attitude, were con4
cerned with Indian well-being and argued in favor of government ©
(
Funding the California Indian Superintendency
areal ae a °F the interest was among memmia delegation an committee mem
bare prosematives were the only debaters 42% ee se
en oar nek ae time in the House. The combination of
Be s and California delegates were the major
es a 4 of the time in the Senate and 87% of the time in es
4 ad ees yen a figures are less decisive, it was Detoaats
4 ae aw 7) showed the most interest in California apes pri ae shieapeierd small number of men made the
ics ae f°) HA policy was to be administered. These
! and appropriations.
. : : a age saul from the Re teks eee aoe
ee eae f ps of speakers and Republican
4 peer OS ee a meri in the percentage of participants
4 ee eon : 2 T e House, on the other hand, showed an
eae C i s ss i artis were made by the House
_ ale ues = ebated the bill, fewer Republicans spoke,
cael es a ct i ab were from western states.
Ce rnia-committee membershi
a eae ae in funds was less arauannied re ae
Silanes mn ) ten as they rose in relation to the increase
eee DEF eae Thus party affiliation and residence
Seale P ae an the percentage of California-committee
of Congress in hfortatmaia case ; in Bie a onstrate the f
pe oe hee ane the Senate debated gate ae
= gti her aia 8 times, or 65% and 35% respectively.
les ye appropriations were approved in the Senty out any floor debate and 65% in the House.
* 4 ee ane to demonstrate a cause and effect relace a rrictiaats, dotetamenboanie tin tele eit
Er tion and geographic eedion of io: alee ee
funding. Nevertheless, fluctuations in hele ee oat 4 ; Q ors closela eo haere of ae oe although it ee
2 ecise impact, one is orced to concl
a ets a not insignificant role in funding the eae
5 perintendency. At the same time, field conditions, effectiveness