The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1891-09-30
WHY THE CENSUS
is A FRAUD.
It Was taken by Partisan
Agents.
A SEVERE CRITICISM.
Il SEVERE CRITICISM.
The President Charged With Violat-
ing his Promises and Pledges.


ing his Promises and Pledges.
(By the United Press.)
New YORK, Sept. 20. The sixth
report of the national civil service
reform league of the special commit
tee appointed to inquire into the
condition of the federal civil service
portion of the reform law was made
public to-day. 1t is devoted entire
ly to a review of the results of the
last census which together with the
workings and methods fthe census
bureau itself are severely criticized.
"The census ought to be as free from
partisan coloring as the judiciary
says the report, and this premise
it supports by declaring that
the defective results in the
census of 1870 were tracable to
the patronage system while the sat.
isfactory results of the census ta-
ken in 1880 were due to the elimin-
alton of partisanship from the CEN
sus. The President, says the re-
port, although elected upon civil
service reform platform, refused to
extend the system of competitive
examinations to the census bureau
and the Superintendent was allowed
to retain the appointment making
power. AS the result, great num-
Der of the bureaus employees were
nominated by Republican members
Of Congress and partisan consider
alton influenced the appointment of
many enumerators. In such cases
the work was often badly done, and
in many instances thoroughly dis
credited.
Many instances are given on
: both sides and their report con-
cludes: Your committee consider
. that the following propositions
have been established by the results
of the inquiries: That the refusal
to apply the civil service reform
: system of open non-partisan com
petitive examinations in appoint
ments to the clerical force of the
census bureau was violation by
the President of promise con
o tanned in the Republican platform
5 in 1888, and indorsed in his letter
of acceptance.
j. That by the appointment o
enumerators on political grounds il
n. open violation of section five of th'
census act, great numbers ofincom
OF petent men have been engaged intak
ing the census, and that in man,
places attempts have been made t.
use official positions for the bene
fit of the party in power
That wLile in some places the re
suits of the work appear to be fire
81 from partisan color and to be accl
nc rately and we'll done, yet in man
places the work has been carelessl
'0' and badly done, and is open to su
:, picion that partisan consideration
'i0 have not been absent, and that finall
there is a widespread distrust
~ the accuracy of the census, whie
greatly impairs its value to tt
'n ne country, and which is cause
q in great measure by the ia
ILL that the census bureau b
been conducted upon the spoils sy
tenn. Your committee desires
80. express it's belief that no census W
st, hereafter receive the confidence
the people until it has been Who'll
IRA removed from partisan influence
and they trust that in the futu
tie such successful examples as ha
already been made of the merit s,
one tenn will be followed in all FEEDER
enumerations. y
rst, The report is signed by Villa
Dudley Foulke, Charles J. Boz
asil parte, Richard II. Dana, Way
McVeagh, Sherman S. Rogers.