Funding the California Indian Superintendency (13 pages)

i } (-ayqea sty} eftduroo 0} pasn seo1nos IO} 6G 9}0U 92S ) — 0g € SS6LET TLOL8T 006'SL 00L —— OS T T GZ SG Lo & Historical Society of Southern California OL-698T 99 ee ge 9 69-S98T 89-L98T 99-S98T L98°L8 00S'T6 v og os ¥F FL =F 0S o¢ 90°89 — & a ° T Or =: oor T JS Oot 99 FI O0C6L IL ey FI LS (00) Se ee OOS'E9T S9-P98T 9 L Oot —— g9 €€ 8 fF OOFOOI #9-C98T ) a ZI O08'€8 re 19 rr oor T 0S 0S 0S €9-G98T yI TL €I OS ¥I Lg FI FT LS T9-098T €I sf OS eI OS GG ee L9 8& 6 8€ O00T 80° OOSFS 09-6S8T —oor & 89 2 OOT i med RR = HF ot w or goo = Sag wow oO way BA g, . 33 . . . . Si8 21a 118 alg — wer I ls 4 (. } . . i iod . . . . . . . . . . Aes tele . e fa . I, . LE of Pe eag. baa CZETOE FS-ESST VE S9SZIT eg-sSsl OO. & L Oot 09 16 €T Lo T 00 LG OLY G LT —— €8 LI & LT 99 LT Ro aR az a O eZ wN ae a = eQ wuU0D Hed womay Aye weg ‘eQ WWOD HE asnoy{ uomoy Ad -oiddy ayeuas NOLLVdIOLLUVd ALVAAAG % ATAVL ( Funding the California Indian Superintendency of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs as a lobbyist, the caliber and sympathies of committee chairmen, and the relative significance of Indian appropriations to other measures before Congress also subtlely influenced the level of appropriations. Finally, the question of whether the three plus million dollars was adequate must be explored. Adequate was and is, however, a nebulous quality largely dependent upon one’s perspective. Historically, it is perhaps best demonstrated by a series of comparisons. An examination of the highly subjective statements of California officers and the Commissioners of Indian Affairs is one measure, A comparison of Bureau budget requests or estimates to Congressional appropriations is another. Paucity of comment either from superintendents or commis~ sioners throughout the 1850s suggests a general approval of the level of funding. Albeit agents in the field frequently complained of a shortage of funds, most of the problem stemmed from Bureau administration rather than appropriations.° But in 1859-60, Congress drastically slashed appropriations from $204,000 to $83,000. This substantial reduction appears to have originated in 1857 with the request of Commissioner of Indian Affairs, J. W. Denver. Earlier the same year it was apparent to his predecessor, George W. Manypenny, that the Indians were not becoming self-sufficient and that large expenditures had, in fact, thwarted rather than furthered civilization policy.*’ By 1858, it was clear that the implementation of California policy had failed because of too much money. The fault has not, however, . . . been in the system, but in the manner in which it has been carried out. Too many persons have been employed to control, assist, and work for the Indians, and too much has been done for them in other respects. They _. have not been sufficiently thrown upon their own resources, and hence the colonies have not become any more competent to sustain themselves than they were when they first commenced.*? Thus the collapse of policy was attributable, in various commissioners’ opinion, to the fact that Congress had actually ap" propriated too much money. From another view, the urging of _ reductions may have stemmed from an attempt to control mal. feasance which came to light in the late 1850s.”

i } (-ayqea sty} eftduroo 0} pasn seo1nos IO} 6G 9}0U 92S ) — 0g € SS6LET TLOL8T 006'SL 00L —— OS T T GZ SG Lo & Historical Society of Southern California OL-698T 99 ee ge 9 69-S98T 89-L98T 99-S98T L98°L8 00S'T6 v og os ¥F FL =F 0S o¢ 90°89 — & a ° T Or =: oor T JS Oot 99 FI O0C6L IL ey FI LS (00) Se ee OOS'E9T S9-P98T 9 L Oot —— g9 €€ 8 fF OOFOOI #9-C98T ) a ZI O08'€8 re 19 rr oor T 0S 0S 0S €9-G98T yI TL €I OS ¥I Lg FI FT LS T9-098T €I sf OS eI OS GG ee L9 8& 6 8€ O00T 80° OOSFS 09-6S8T —oor & 89 2 OOT i med RR = HF ot w or goo = Sag wow oO way BA g, . 33 . . . . Si8 21a

118 alg — wer I ls 4 (. } . . i iod . . . . . . . . . . Aes tele . e fa . I, . LE of Pe eag. baa CZETOE FS-ESST VE S9SZIT eg-sSsl OO. & L Oot 09 16 €T Lo T 00 LG OLY G LT —— €8 LI & LT 99 LT Ro aR az a O eZ wN ae a = eQ wuU0D Hed womay Aye weg ‘eQ WWOD HE asnoy{ uomoy Ad -oiddy ayeuas NOLLVdIOLLUVd ALVAAAG % ATAVL ( Funding the California Indian Superintendency of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs as a lobbyist, the caliber and sympathies of committee chairmen, and the relative significance of Indian appropriations to other measures before Congress also subtlely influenced the level of appropriations. Finally, the question of whether the three plus million dollars was adequate must be explored. Adequate was and is, however, a nebulous quality largely dependent upon one’s perspective. Historically, it is perhaps best demonstrated by a series of comparisons. An examination of the highly subjective statements of California officers and the Commissioners of Indian Affairs is one measure, A comparison of Bureau budget requests or estimates to Congressional appropriations is another. Paucity of comment either from superintendents or commis~ sioners throughout the 1850s suggests a general approval of the level of funding. Albeit agents in the field frequently complained of a shortage of funds, most of the problem stemmed from Bureau administration rather than appropriations.° But in 1859-60, Congress drastically slashed appropriations from $204,000 to $83,000. This substantial reduction appears to have originated in 1857 with the request of Commissioner of Indian Affairs, J. W. Denver. Earlier the same year it was apparent to his predecessor, George W. Manypenny, that the Indians were not becoming self-sufficient and that large expenditures had, in fact, thwarted rather than furthered civilization policy.*’ By 1858, it was clear that the implementation of California policy had failed because of too much money. The fault has not, however, . . . been in the system, but in the manner in which it has been carried out. Too many persons have been employed to control, assist, and work for the Indians, and too much has been done for them in other respects. They _. have not been sufficiently thrown upon their own resources, and hence the colonies have not become any more competent to sustain themselves than they were when they first commenced.*? Thus the collapse of policy was attributable, in various commissioners’ opinion, to the fact that Congress had actually ap" propriated too much money. From another view, the urging of _ reductions may have stemmed from an attempt to control mal. feasance which came to light in the late 1850s.”