Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-25
The Question of Denominational
Schools Among the Indians
the Cause of a
LIVELY DEBATE IN THE SENATE.
An Attempt to Cut of the Government
Appropriations and Sanction
Meets With Defeat.
THE SPEECHES OF DAWES AND VEST.
They Present the Opposite Sides Of the Matter With
Considerable Zeal.

WASHINGTON, July 24-The question
of Catholic schools among the Indians
caused quite lively debate in the Senate
to-day. The amendment which provoked
discussion was increasing an appropriation
of 500, 900 for the support of Indian schools
to $3.50, 900, including the construction of q
school building at Black Feet Agency,
Montana.
Mr.. Vest opposed the amendment as the
introduction of system intended to abolish
denominational education among the In
dians. He spoke of an official visit which
he had made to an Indian agency seven or
eight years ago, and of his observation of
the work of the Catholic Church in educa-
ting the Indians. 4 school building which
had been erected there by the Catholic
Church was then standing unoccupied be-
cause the agent would not permit the
Jesuits to teach any of the Indian children.
His opinions on the subject were fixed. The
Jesu its had succeeded better than any other
people living in the education of Indians.
Whatever prejudice (if that was the proper
word) he might have against the Society
of Jesus, he had to say that much as an ed
ucated Protestant
FOR AND AGAINST.
The discussion was continued by Mr..
Teller, who also spoke of the Catholics as
the most successful educators of the In
dians; and by Mr.. Jones, of Arkansas, who
gave figures to show the great difference in
expense between the Government schools
for Indians and those carried on by the re-
ligious denominations. He ridiculed the
idea put forward by the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs as to the necessity of high
education for Indian children so as
70 make them 'leaders of thought
and said that it was much more important
for them to learn how to carry on farms,
build houses and raise cattle. The cheap
contract schools, Mr.. Jones argued, ought
to be maintained; and no feeling of secta-
rian prejudice ought to be allowed to oper-
ate against the church simply because it
had shown disposition to go forward and
spend more money and exercise more
thought and labor and diligence In the good
work than other churches or denominations
had done.
The next amendments were to strike out
two items, one of SS, $50 for the support and
education of 60 Indian pupils at StJoseph's
Normal School, at Rensselaer,, Ind, and one
~lZ,DVU lOr 1VU 1uOldu db buC
Holy Family Indian School, at Blackfoot
Agency, Montana.
Mr.. Dawes spoke Of the relatively large
appropriations made for Catholic Indian
schools, the amount for 1889 being 1856, 600,
as against S204, 600 for schools of all other
denominations. The Indian Bureau had
adopted the policy of not enlarging the con-
nection of the Government with denomina-
tional schools.
THE PROPER POLICY.
That policy had been supposed to have
allayed the agitation of the question on all
sides. But there was very efficient and
urgent and active Catholic bureau of mis-
sious in Washington City which was very
earnest in pushing Catholic Indian schools
on the Government The Indian Bureau
having declined to enter into a controct for
the three new schools in Indiana, California
and Montana, this mission bureau had gone
to the House of Representatives and had
obtained the insertion of those three items.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations
had thought that it would allow the item for
the California school because it belonged to
the Mission which had been at work in
Southern California for 125 years. If he
wished to discuss the differences between
Catholic and other schools, he would want
no better object lessen than the difference
between the Mission in Indians in Southern
California and the aggressive Cheyennes
and Arapahoes. The Mission Indians had
been under the influence of the Catholic
Church for 125 years, and were to-day as
incapable OF self-support as so many babies.
Mr.. Reagan declared himself opposed to
any connection between church and State
and to all denominational schools. He
would have all the Indian schools carried
on under the control of the United States
Government.
ALL DENOMINATIONS WELCOME.
Mr.. Davis said Indian children were
wards of the nation; and if the Government
chose to educate them in Catholic schools,
Methodist schools or Baptist schools it had
a right to do so. The Government had
right to take advantage of the facilities
which the pioneers of Christianity offered
20 IT, AS to the connection between
church and State, Mr.. Davis said
&hat from the beginning of time it was
only when the influences of Christianity had
been brought to bear on the minds Of the
Indians that they had made the least step
toward civilization. When he saw a man
stopping down to raise up that degraded
race, il did not matter to him G Mr.. Davis)
whether that man wore the surplice of the
Catholic priest or the simpler garb of
Protestant minister.
Mr.. Jones, of Arkansas, argued that the
Indians should be allowed to select the
schools to which their children should be
sent. and if they chose to send them to
cenominational schools, the Government
should contribute to their support. Mr..
Tnrpie argued against striking out the item
for The school in Indiana, and Mr.. Power
against striking out the item OF Montana.
VICTORY FOR THE SCHOOLS.
Finally the vote was taken and the amend
ments we're rejected-Yeas, 10; nays, %. So
the items for ReDnselaer, Ind; Banning,
Cal, and Black Feet Agency, Mon, are re-
tained in the bill. There being no further
amendments reported by the Committee on
Appropriations, the reading of the bill was
continued 10 its close without any discussion
or interruption.
Mr.. Pettigrew offered an amendment ap-
propriating $45, 600 for the Santee tribe of
the Sioux Indians, located at Flandreau, s.
d., being an allowance of 81 an acre for the
land to which they are entitled in the Sioux
reservation. Agreed to.
On motion of Mr.. Pettigrew an item of
sc, 600 was inserted for 30 school buildings
for the Sioux Indians; also an item to paw
the Indians of the Standing Rock and
Cberenue River Agencies for ponies taken
from them in 1876. On motion of Mr..
Power the item for a school building at
Black Feet Agency, Montana, was amended
bv fixing the limit at S25, 600.
lrrt Al, = L. xl.C