Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-21
DAILY
POST : NTELLIGENCER
CAREaEss errlC1ALs.

Cehsus returns are very valuable II
oomplete and accurate. II incomplete
and inaccurate, they are misleading,
hurtful and worse than useless The
object for which statistics are gathered
and complied ia mainly that deductions
may be drawn therefrom upon which TO
base Legislation, extend and difiuse
general information for the public. and
correct hurtfoi tendencies and aro~tns.
Il ID obvious that If the collection Is IN
reliable, il it IL incomplete, or sxagger-
ated, the inference and Deductions
drawn therefrom must be similarly
family. Just conclusions must rest mp
ON truthful premises. We were induced
70 pen the above after examination OF
some Of the tables published by the
Territorial Auditor and Superintendent
of Public instruction, and reading their
vell-founded complaints concerning
the caroIessness and inefficiency OF
many county officials in collecting and
forwarding statistical information re
ouirsd BY Law. An amendment to the
Law OF 1877, which was adopted in 1881.
requires a census TO DO taken in 1888,
and biennially thereafter, and provides
that lists shall be furnished the Terri
toriai Auditor by the several county
Auditors in time 10 be embodied IN
report 70 the Legislative Assembly. II
the various county officials had per
formed their duties with energy and
promptituae the official statement of our
population which goes out before the
world would have been far nearer truth
ful and certainly more satisfactory to ev-
cry citizen of the Territory. The amend
nsut Of 1881 repealed all penalties for
failure or neglect Of the Assessor to per
form his duties. The Territorial Audi
tor in his report says: ave do not think
this amendment has influenced any OF
our County Assessors in the discharge
Of their duty, bat We regret to say that
the result Of the census returns for the
year 1888 ia . failure. Except in few
instances, the returns as far as reported
show wonderful slackness and indiffer-
snce ON the part of the officers entrust-
cd with this duty" The Auditor con-
tinuing, says: II am satisfied that this
years census will fall from twenty to
twenty-five thousand below the actual
population of the Territory" The
Auditor may be correct in his belief
that the adjustment of penalties for
non performances Of duty has bad no
influence in inducing the wonderful
slackness and indifference" displayed
by census officers. We are forced to a
contrary opinion. At anyrate the omis
sion from the census enrolment Of b.
O0O residents Of this Territory Is intoler
able carelesssess and calls loudly for
the establishment and enforcement of
some system of strict accountability
on the part Of derelict officials. 1t APP
pears that when the Auditor was forced
TO close his report, returns from no less
than four counties were missing from
the lists, and in many others they were
In "bad shape" There is no possible
excuse for such state Of affairs, no
really good reason why we should not
have, In place of list Of figures, CON-
posed IN part Of facts and partly of
guesses, and called in compliment q
census, q truthful, genuine and COM
plete compilation Of the valuable and
almost indispensable information re-
quired by the census act. II is evident
that the fault does not lie with the
Territorial Auditor, whose duty 1t
II TO summarize the reports re-
oeived, but with county officers
from whom he is entitled to receive
complete, original and truthful statis-
tics personally gathered. II public
spirit and q sense Of official response
bility will not secure such results, per-
haps a Ans or forfeiture Of Office might
be moro potential. II would certainly
do no harm to faithful officers.