St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-09
HOW TO DO 1T.
Suggestions as to the Manner OF
Taking the Census.

suggestions as TO the NIdnutr VI
Taking the Census.
To the Editor of the Globe.
There can be scarcely any doubt that
st. Paul will have to be re-enumerated,
and no time should be lost, as stated in
one of your leading articles. in prepar-
ing for the occasion. May venture to
put forward some ideas in the interest
of the same? This new census can
only be made successful and above rea-
sonable criticism by the employment OF
proper agents Mr.. Porter brought
trouble upon his head by getting the
president to allow him to dispense with
all civil service rules in connection with
the selection of enumerators. Had he
rigidIy enjoined fitness for the work,
and then, through his superiors, APP
piled to congress for authority to pay
the wages such fitness requires. doubt
less the work here and elsewhere would
hove been better and more uniformly
done. 1t should not have been difficult
TO convince our national legislators that
intricate and valuable statistics, in
tended to make complete showing of
the condition of the people, could not
be properly obtained, like picking hops
or berries, on the plan OF paying men
for their collection by the measured
quantity.
AS there is no time now for any
formal lengthy civil service eXamina-
ton of applicants, could not brief
code of indispensable requirements be
at once drawn up, applicable in sort
OF a drum head-court-martla kind OF a
way? Neither men slow in speech Or
action, penmanship or arithmetic should
be taken, meritoriouS as they might be
| in other respects. In reference to GER
| tain districts, too, knowledge of other
] languages than the national one should
be called for.
Although in Minneapolis, it is said,
prominent and influential citizens have
volunteered to act in the capacity OF
census takers, it is hardly to that class
that we should look tor such services.
| Few men entitled to those appellatlonS
| and even if physically able to perSevere
through all the essential peregrinations,
yet they could probably be OF greater
service to their fellow citizens by re-
| naming at their usual avocationS. They
could, however, were their public spirit
| but sufficiently aroused, be helpful in
promoting some such plan as the fol-
IoWing-a plan by which the field
from which to select these special
| enumerators could be very much en-
larged by being no longer confined to
men out of employment. The plan in
question is for large employers OF men,
the nature of whose work is such that
they can readily and successfully turn
their attention to census routine, to call
for volunteers from among the best men
| in their establishments and give them
those choseu-leave of absence for the
necessary time, retaining their place
for them till their discharge. as was
sometimes done during the civil war,
and sometimes not done at present as
regards jury duty. [ mean such en-
| ployers as wholesale merchants, bank
ers, railroad companies and manufact-
urers, on whose premises are to be
found members of active, competent
men, who. if resident citizens-and,
other things being equal, the longer
resident the better, as giving them val
liable local neutrality-suspicious. be glad
to aid in placing the statistical condi-
ton of the city truthfully before the
world.
Of couse in one way | should be glad
| to see meritoriouS men temporarily out
of work given the preference, but
| should hope that not SO many experts as
| will be required are in that unfortunate
condition here at the present time.
| A.
st. Paul, Mimi. Aug. 6, 1890.