Los Angeles herald., 1890-07-25
Senator Morgan's Free Coin
age Bill.
Indian Appropriations Voted
by the Senate.
Catholics vs.. PrOtestants as Educa-
tors of the Red Man.
John Sherman Affronts the Labor Alliance.
The Torrey Bankruptcy Bill
Passes the House.
Associated Press Dispatches. |

committee on finance.
1t recites that the market value OF
silver bullion is rapidly approaching the
value of gold on the standard relation
fixed by the laws of the United States;
that there are no provisions of law for
the coinage of standard silver dollars or
the purchase of silver bullion by the
government when the value of silver
bullion exceeds one dollar for 3714
grains of pure silver. 1t therefore pro-
vides that the unit of value in the
United States shall be a dollar of 4121s
grains standard silver, or 25 $40 grains
of gold; that those coins shall be legal
tender for all debts, public and private;
that any owner of silver or gold bullion
may deposit it at any mint to be formed
into dollars or bars for his benefit with
out charge.
Morgan called the special attention of
the finance committee to the bill, which,
he said, was the same as had already
received majority of seventeen in the
senate. He had introduced it because
he was convinced that in the rapid ad-
vance of the price of silver bullion in the
markets of the world the time was not
far distant, to say the least, when silver
and gold bullion would be on par with
each other. When that time did arrive
the law as it now stood would not per-
NIT the government to buy silver bull
lion if there was any shade of apprecia-
ton in it's price beyond the price Of gold,
and there was no provision Of law for the
coinage of any silver except that pur-
o1 1>of1 n1aI hat 0,v,{
In view of what appeared to be in the
air and on the land and on the sea in
regard to the immediate future of the
country, he thought it would be well
enough to make provision so that silver
from the United States by other inter-
ested governments and boarded up in
their great banking institutions.
Indian Appropriations.
The senate resumed consideration of
the Indian appropriation bill. An
amendment which provoked discussion
was one increasing the appropriation of
100000 for the support of Indian
schools to $150,000, including the con-
struction of school building at Black
feet agency, Montana.
Vest opposed the amendment as the
introduction of a. system intended to
abolish denominational education
among the Indians. He spoke of visit
he made to an Indian agency six or
seven years ago, and of his observation
of the work of the Catholic church in
educating the Indians. A school build
ing, which had been erected by the
Catholic church, was standing unoccu
pied because the agent would not per-
NIT Jesuits to teach any of the Indian
children. The Jesuits had succeeded
better than any other people living in
the education of the Indians. Whatever
prejudice he might have against the So
ciety of Jesuits, he had to say that much
as an educated Protestant.
Davis also opposed the amendment,
and spoke of the efforts of the Catholic
missionaries at the Blackfeet agency.
Those good people applied to those
philanthropic ladies, the Misses Drexel,
O.. of Philadelphia, and obtained $4,000
which they expended in school build
ing recently completed. These men
were now to be told, not only that there
was to be a government school put on
the reservation, in competition with
them, but that they were to have no
contract whatever for the education of
the Indians, as had been plainly i'm
piled in the correspondence between the
commissioner of Indian affairs and the
persons in authority in the enterprise.
Catholics the Best Educators.
Vest explained his position to be,
that, if Catholics were doing better in
educating the Indians than other de-
n ominations, he was in favor of Cath
olics and if Presbyterians or Baptists
were doing better, he was in favor OF
them. But he was convinced that
the Catholics were far more efficient
among the Indians than any Protestant
denomination could be. No other de-
nomination could take their place, be-
I. cause the Indians, like all other people
emerging from barbarism, has received
religious impressions that were perma-
nent. He did not care whether it might
be called religion or superstition. The
Indians were Catholics and would re-
main Catholics. There were some
tribes, however, which had received
from some peculiar influence direction
towards some particular Protestant de-
nomination.
The discussion was continued by Tel
Ter, who also spoke of Catholics as the
most successful educators of Indians,
and by Jones, of Arkansas, who gave
! figures to show the great difference in
expense between government schools
for Indians and those carried on by re-
ligious denominations. He ridiculed the
idea put forward by the commissioner of
Indian affairs as to the necessity of a
high education for Indian children, and
said it was much more important for
them to learn how to carry on farms,
build houses and raise cattle.
After further debate, the amendment
was agreed to.
An amendment appropriating 5000
for the erection Of an industrial school
near Flandreau, South Dakota, was
agreed to; also like amendment for an
industrial school near Mandan, North
Dakota.
Catholic.vs. Protestant Schools.
The next amendments were to strike
out two items, one of $3.50 for the sup
port and education of sixty Indian pupils
at the st. Joseph normal school at
Rensselaer,, Indiana, and one of 800
for 100 Indian children in the Holy Fam
ily Indian school in the Blackfeet agency,
Montana.
Dawes spoke of the relatively large
appropriations made for Catholic Indian
schools, the amount for 1889 being 1885,
600 against 500, 400 for the schools OF all
other denominations. There was
i