Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-12-27
THE CENSUS.
Trouble About the Selection of SUPERVISORS
Proposed amendments to the Lao.
Washington Special (Deo. az to Chioag.

Trouble About the Selection of Supervisors
| Proposed amendments to the Lao.
Washington Special (Dec. 24) to Chicago
Le Times.
| Gen. Walker, superintendent of census,
stated to the Times correspondent to-day
that he has been for the past two or three
weeks fairly overwhelmed by the labor OF
selecting census supervisors. He has de,
voted upward of six hours to Congressman
and other persons interested in the appoint
ment of supervisors from their respective
| districts or sections of the country. One
| hundred and fifty supervisors are to be ap-
pointed in thirty eight States and Terri
| tories. There are from ten to fifty applica-
tions for each and every place, and probably
! an equal number Of persons of influence or
supposed influence are "sitting up" with
Gen. Walker in the hope that they can in
duce him to appoint their particular fsvorite
| to supervisorship. It is Gen. Walkers
purpose to select from among this large num-
! Der of applicants men who, in his Judgment,
| CHASED upon the variety of information and
advice given to him." are most capable of
performing the important duties to be in.
trusted to them and he says he will have
| the list ready to be sent to the secretary of
the interior by Jan. or 10, for his approval,
and to be thence sent, through the President,
to the Senate, for confirmation. The lew
requires that "the secretary of the interior
shall, on or before the 1st day Of March,
1880, designate a number, whether one or
more, of supervisors of the census, 10 be
appointed within each State Or Territory, who
shall be residents of the State or Territory,
which supervisors shall be appointed by the
President OF the United States, by the advice
and consent of the Senate, the total number
not to exceed 1902 .~4 az--;--.47 -.
In response 10 the query, "Do you need ad-
ditional legislation to facilitate the taking OF
the ceusus?' Con. Walker indicated that in
tho main he was very well satisfied with the
existing law, with few not very material
exceptions. These defects will be corrected
by the bill recently introduced by Senator
Pendleton. One part of the hw, to which
exception is taken, and which hat bill is in
tended to remedy, is that directing exami-
nation with reference to ascertaining the
amount of public debt held in the United
States, the character of holders thereof, etc.
This, Superintendent Walker says, even if
done to the best Of the ability of the census
takers, would not be accurate, because of the
impossibility of getting truthful statements
with reference to the securities held by peo-
pie; and, besides, it is pretty we'll known
that government bonds are more largely
held by corporations than by individuals,
and it would be next to impossible to OBJ
tain reliable statistics of this kind.
One matter connected with taking the
next census which will excite discussion in
Congress after the expiration of the holiday
recess is that of increase of compensation to
canvassers. AS the law now stands 81 day
is allowed as compensation, and no addi-
tional allowance is made for travelling or
other expenses. That amount may be suf-
icient in some districts, but not in others;
but it is thought that, in view of the advance
in prices Of all commodities, an in crease
will have to be made in wages of enumer-
atols.