New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-21
CENSUS AND CIVIL SERVICE LAW

CENSUS AND CIVIL SERVICE LAW.
If there is in the world a collection Of highly
valuable information more absolutely useless
for practical purposes than the volumes known
rs "T'hc Eleventh Census Of the United States
it must be among the unsorted and unknown
treasures OF some medieval library Certainly
the universal testimony Of experts on statistics
and Of persons who are from time to time fool
ish enough TO think they can find In those vol
urncs tic particular fact they want Is that IN
method and arrangement they are about rs bad
as they well could be. They contain nearly
everything under the sun except the thing IN
an available form that anybody ever happens
10 want They are wonderful In their extent,
magnificent i'm their conception. but utterly in
adcuuatc i'm execution. And the reason IS not
far 10 seek The fine plans were carried out
not 10y expert stati>licians but by political APP
pointccs The Superintendent did no. have a
fair chance even 10 give himself to statistical
work. much less have proper persons 10 act
under him lie had 10 convert himself into n
distributor Of patronage when he should have
been studying statistical methods and then 10
turn oycr 10 these political appolntecs the scicn-
tiGc iabors which he had inadcquatcly planned
because ovcrburdrnod 10y the labor of their So
lection.
Nobody has found fault more frankly with
the system forced upon him for that ccnsus
than MIR Robert T. Porter its superintendent.
The hunt for spoll~ handicapped him and made
q satisfactory census impossible. He has
ayowcd This and urged a reform. Yet. with re-
narkahlc blindness. or possibly with deliberate
contempt for statistical considerations the
House Of Rep, scntativcs has passed bill 10
fastcn upon the Twelfth Census the defective
organization which 50 impaired ;he value of The
Eleventh. This measure is now before The Sell
ale. and il j. lie duty of that bod, to rescue the
next census from the hands of the snoi~mcu
and see That The work is placed in tho hands OF
competent experts who will x,iye as tucstNor-
thy Statistics arranged In scientific and access.
bic form. There j.. no possible reason why tbc
clerical force should not De- placed under 'he
civil Service rules. except the desire Of poii-
clans 10 fiji the bureau with their followers
without regard 10 The decentralization Of thc
service
The spoilsmcn have taken refuge IN tho as
scrtlon that II would Doe impracllcablc to hold
competitive examination, for cnumclatcrs all
over the country. Bu' nobody PROPOSES to sub
icct the cnumcraiors to such examination.
the great clerical force n Washington. which
must do al the important work OF sitting and
combining the enumcrators returns. the sane
methods shall be- employed IL in the orsanizl-
ton Of Tie Treasury Department or the Pen
sion Bureau. The pass" examinations for men
recommended 10y politicians viii be simply a
farce. 40 expert and competent supcrintcnd-
cnt would willingly give up his time - petty
patronage. and 30 man who T. willing TO be-
come a patronage broker ought 10 direct this
scientific bureau.
There is another phase to This question than
that Of higE-mindcd regard for the taking If
IN excellent ccusu~. congressman are sup
posed 10 have some regard for political con
sistency and this is case I'm which they will
be- wise To preserve H. unless. indeed. they are
convinced that the American people are spOlls-
men AZ heart and VIII not mind fher breaking
their pledges in such cause. Every Repub-