The evening times., 1898-12-10
House Committee Provided
With a Meeting Room.
PLANS FOR PROMPT WORK
The Bill May Be Really to Report
Before Christmas.
Objections Raised Against the Meas
are Passed by the Senate During
the Last Session.

for two years has been a homeless wan
derer has at last secured a committee
room and will hold its first formal meet
ing on Monday morning to consider
measures for the organization of the
twelfth census. Chairman Hopkins ex-
poets 10 push the work and to have a
bin ready to report before the holidays.
The only bill now before the commit
tee is that passed by the Senate at the
last session According to this the Cen
sus Office is 10 be established in the De-
partment of The Interior and is to be un-
der control OF a director, who shall work
under the Secretary Of the Interior Not
more than twenty-five clerks arr to be
appointed before january T. 80 Nearly
all employoe are to be appointed by the
! Secretary cG lhe Interior upon rccoTnmen-
| dation Of Tho director. subject to such eX-
! animation as the director may. with the
approval of The Secretary. prescribe.
Il Is understood that The House viii
| eliminate AL mention of the Secretary Of
the Interior IN 50 FAR as sppo,n ments are
concerned. and object 10 the civil service
clause SO many Government employees
are already under the classified rules thar
politicians think the Offices left for them
/ are fyw enough as II j. without circnm-
| scribing them still further IN taking tEc
| last census some $3.50 OF i.pan persons in
! Washington alone were appointed by in
| furnce." and it is charged that the work
cost some 100000 more than il should
! owing 10 tine character of me empioSes-
| Those in the country districts, il l. claim
| ed were much better.
| The bureau was made q sort OF hospital
| for the relatives Of Senators and members
who received good salaries. irrespective Of
! their usefulness OF course. ii is not
mean, that al. or even "a majority. of the
employees were Inefficient, bu, enough Ger
| tainly were TO hamper the office seriously.
The public conscience has 80 improved
since 1880 that there IS not likely TO De a
rspeiitsbn OF the evils Of that time. but
The appointments mag continue to be the
prey Of the spoilsmen.
! or cours, the enumerators cannot be
examined. They are caught like fish in d
| reJ and are held by the Law making it a
penal Offense TO throw up the job without
having resignation accepted. But this
does not apply to the fat jobs in WASH
iEston.
Il j. generally admitted that the Eiey-
| cath Census was defective in many re-
| slects. notably in taking The population
Of the large cities. \ police census tax
eE in New York shortly after the Fed
eraI one showed some 100000 more resi-
dents that the Government count, ana
similar conditions existed all over the
country.
one reform that is almost certain is the
| limitation b. Congress Of the number of
| questions that viii be asked. Robert p.
Potter who had charge of the last CEN
sus, had pretty much everything tabulat-
| ed. often spending far more to obtain the
Information than it is now thought to
| have been worth. besides causing obiec-
| zion BY the inquisitorial nature Of his de-
| mands. The primary object of a census
| Is TO ascertain the population Of the coun-
! Try ana, while other things may be ac-
qured at The same time. there should be
| some limit 10 these special inquiries Some
Of the statistics learned at great cost
have not vet been published, although the
country is non ready to take a new CEN
| sUs.
The Senate bill provides that the
Twelfth Census shall be restricted To in
quiries relating to the population. to NOR
tality, to the products Of agriculture and
of manufacturing and mechanical estab-
Hshments
II provides however, that after The
! completion of these subjects, the direc-
tor of the census is authorized to collect
| statistics relating to special classes, in
| cluding the insane, feeble-minded. deaf
dumb and blind; to crime. pauperism and
| benevolence. including prisoners. pau
| pers, Juvenile delinquents and inmates of
| benevolent and. reformatory institutions:
| to deaths and births in registration
| areas; social statistics of cities: TO pub
| lie indebtedness, valuation, taxation and
| expenditures; to religious bodies; to
electric light and power, telephone and
telegraph business and transportation,
including transportation By water. ex-
| press business and street railways