St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-15
THE CENSUS FARCE.

The ceuSns taking is practically
ended. Yesterday closed the work of
the enumerators, and all that remains
to be done is to tabulate their returns.
The GLOBE has no disposition to crit
icise unless there is just ground for it,
but we do know that there is an appar-
emily we'll founded impression i'll this
community that the work of census tax
ing in this locality was sighted and
bungled to an inexcusable degree, and
the responsibility for the fault should
be laid at the proper door. 1t does no
good to be crying oyer split milk, or to
be grumbllng at what can't be helped.
Still our people have just cause for
indignation that an important public
service has been performed with so
little regard for the public interests.
1t NAV be an open question whether
the most blame attaches to the local
supervisor aud his enumerators, or to
the superintendent of the census bureau !;
but the way things look now, all parties
are culpable. A more thoroughly I'M
systematic mode of ceusus-taking has
never been known in this country than
that adopted by Supt. PORTER. In an
ambitious effort to cover everything he
succeeded in covering nothing we'll.
While the people of the country were
relying upon the government for pro-
viding means to do the census work in
a most thorough manner, the census SUI
perintendent seems to have been acting
upon the theory that it was the duty Of
the people to furnish him gratuitous in
formation as material for his census re-
port. The subordinates likewise seem
to have been indoctrinated with the SUI
perintendent's mistaken notions; and,
as a result. the loosest and most unbusi-
ness-Iike methods prevailed.
The limited time allowed for census
taking and the small allowance appro-
priated to defray the expenses were
both grievous mistakes. A poorly paid
official has but little stimulant to do
good work. In consequence of this mis-
taken policy the enumerators skipped
over their allotted ground in the short
est possible time, and put as little in
telIigent labor into their work as it was
possible to get along with. And it was
Just here that the census supervisor is
to be blamed. What is he supervisor
for, if he isn't to supervise? 1t was his
place to see that each enumeration die
his work we'll and thoroughly; and, if
he didn't do it that way, then to replace
him with a new man. From all quar-
tiers of the city we hear complaints of
how inefficently the work was done,
and of how little system and effort were
employed by the enumeratorS in find
ing persons and ascertaining fac ts'
While we hope for better things, it il
possible as a result of this census taking
farce st. Paul will not make the show
ing she is entitled to make in the next
census report.
Nor are our own citizens entirely
free from blame in this matter. The
chamber of commerce, the jobbers'
union and other bodies interested in
this matter should have had their com
mittees in the field squirting up the
enumerators to better performance OF
their work, and urging the people to
lend their aid in securing the fullest re
turn S. 1t is true some of our commercial
bodies woke up finally to a conscious
ness of their duty, but it was the las
day; and while vigorous canvass O
the city was made, there was not time
enough to look up everything that haC
been omitted. If we are to suffer TO
our own negligence we must be recon
| ciled to it.