The Elbert County tribune., 1899-09-21
WASHINGTON NEWS.

General Otis. 1t Is reported at the W hr
Department. however. that Generai
Otis' command will be only nominal.
He has outlined campaign with tn'
advice and approval OF the War DE
partnent officials and the President
bur Gcnernls Lawton and Macarthur
Will be lnfrustcd with carrying II INTO
execution with little interference from
General Otis. They will be told whnt
is expected of them and De perhit'eu
to execute their orders In their own
way. beiug held responsible only for
the results obtained.
The friends Of General Otis are be,
coming hopeful that they will succeed
in having him retained in his present
command. Last week they were
deeply discouraged. and one. high
official of the war department, openly
admitted that he believed popular
clamor- would result In his friends re
call and the assignment of General
Miles or General Merritt to Manila.
The prediction is now being confident
Iy made by General Otis admirers
that he will be permitted to demon
strate what he can do with larger
army before being ceusured for his
failure to make more progress during
the last campaign. The President has
repeatcdly expressed his confidence In
General Otis. and Secretary Root has
commended his reports for clearness
and conciseness. But the latter official
has been inclined to the suggestion
that an officer of high rank. the major
general commanding the army being
preferable, should be placed at the
head of the fighting forces. Secretary
Root has viewed the situation from an
unprejudiced standpoint, and his rec
I.,t f..nu tIanan Gan-
cral Otis ability as soldier. He has
taken the broad ground that where the
army is there also should be the
ranking officers. He is opposed TO the
proposition to permit the major general
commanding TO remain at his desk
performing routine work. another ma
jor general acting as military governor
of Cuba and the third as commander
of the department of the east. while
the army is in the Philippines under
the command of a brigadler general.
which is General Otis" rank in the
regular army.
In an interview w. II. Merriam, di-
rector of the census, said In reference
to the appointment of the enumer-
ators: "Our next great undertaking
and any branch OF n work which must
reach every nook and corner. farm and
that of selecting about 5000 enumer-
ators for taking the twelfth census.
We are trying strenuously to prepare
| for complete and reasonably perfect
census. The burden of the work of
gathering the materials for 1t. however,
will fall on the enumerators. I'm any
important line of private business pre-
liminary training is required of those
charged with conducting its details.
Lawyers and doctors study before they
practice their professions, and mechan-
les are required to serve thorough ap-
prenticeships before asking for jour
view. those who desire to act as cen
sus enumerators should take up the
study of census laws. schedules and
statistics, thus familiarizing them
selves. as far as possible. with the de-
| tails of the work. In this way they
| will be prepared on the LIST Of June
next. like a great and well-drilled
army, to begin their labors understand
ingly and harmoniously from ocean to
ocean, without after that day requir-
ing further orders or instructions.
While | shall not undertake to select
cnumerators without consulting with
the proper census supervisor ms to the
| qualifications and experience of appli-
cants. would like to suggest that all
candidates adopt the course have In
dicated and thus help to insure at the
threshold of the twentieth century the
most perfect census In the history of
the republic"