The Red Cloud chief., 1899-03-17
WHEN He counts Us IN 1900
The Census Director Will Need
About $4,000 Assistants.
Mr.. MERRIAM'S STATEMENT.
few of the Omcos to Be Given Out
UntIi Next Yoar-Democrats Promised
Chance, and Appoin tmsnts 70 80

Untii Next Yoar-Democrats Promised
Chance, and Appoin tments 70 80
Based on Merit
WASHINGTON, March II. The policy
that will govern the task OF taking
the census OF 1000 was outlined to-day
by Director Merriam. Mr.. Merriam
started for Minneapolis this afternoon.
II will be ut leaft thirty days yet be-
fore another selection Of n staff officer
Is made, with the probable exception
OF Prof Henry Gannett Of this city as
stenographer. This Is In accordance
with a decision OF the director to-day
that In his absence there must be no
promises Of Office nor assurances nor
encouragement for any given. Sew
eral OF the officials selected Thursday
night have qualified aud the active
preliminary work will begin at on &c.
Mr.. Merriam's statement follows:
"As to prospective appointments to
office the services of no more sta II Of
0cers can be utilized at present and
ther' will be n oothers selected within
certainly thirty days. Until tho
schedules come back to the oNic. from
the enumerators In July, 1909, there
will be no clerks wanted save such a
small skeleton force rs will be neces-
bary to take are Of the correspond
ence and Office work preliminary TO
the taking Of the census When the
schedules come back there will be n
large force OF employees appointed. All
applications for Office will receive con-
sideration and q large number already
have been received and placed on file.
while the impression has gone
abroad that the census is to be u re-
fuge 'or incompctcncy, the truth and
the actual facts are that all applicants
will be subjected TO examinations be-
fore the civil service commission. No
political influence will be sufficient TO
put an employee on the census pay
rolls OF whose competency to do the
work to be assigned him the director
Is not satisfied In advance. And
furthermore, il any employee is found
TO be incompetent on trial such EN-.
ploye will be discharged, regardless
OF his or her political backing.
The examination of employees will
be directed not so much for the test
Ing Of their general information and
capacity as 1t will be to their fitness
for the work to be done us, for exam
pie, no copyist who canno write or
spell satisfactorily will be appointed,
nor calculators who cannot calculate.
First OF all, after the general admin
lstrative officers are selected, thcrs
must be 300 supervisors appointed and
In their selection consultation will b.
had with senator's and representatives
In the respective states.
at may be announced also that sem
ntors and representatives who do not
belong to the Republican party will
receive the same fair treatment and
consideration along this line that is
given Republicans. These supervisors
will be appointed by the President
and confirmed by the Senate. None
of these, as now contemplated, are to
be recess appointments, but the list
will be ready for submission to the
Senate at the opening OF the next ses-
sion.
THE supervisors in turn will ap.
point 1000 enumerators to do the nc.
tual work throughout the country,
but the list Of appointments Of emu.
merators first must have the approval
Of the director of the census After
approval they will be Immediately
furnished the necessary blanks and in.
structions. This will be no small task.
Assuming the population of the
United States at this tina to be, in
round numbers, 80, 900, 800 people,
there must be 400, 900 sheets issued for
the population schedule, alone. Add
ing to these the other schedules there
will have to be in the aggregate not
less than 500, 900 such sheets In printed
form issued. In counting the popula.
ton every individual will be repre-.
sented by n separate card and there
will have to be manufactured and
printed not loss than 100, coo, 900 Of
these cards. The probability is that
system Of machine calculation, which
admits OF counting facts in combina
ton and worked so we'll in the las
census, will be adopted for that o
1900.
"Taken AL in all, the complete
number OF appointments that will b.
made In the course Of the census will
be over As, 900. These include eighteen
or twenty staff officers, 800 supervis
ors, 10000 enumcrators and abou
1900 clerks and other employees here.
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