New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-12

THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENSt : AN
NOUNCES HIS POLICY.
ONLY EFFICIENCY TO BE REGARDED IN
MAKING APPOINTMENTS RIGID CIVIL
SERVICE EXAMINATIONS FOR
ALL APPLICANTS.
my TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIsINE.l

my TELEGRAPH THE TRI9,NEl
Washington March 1.-THE official statement
made by the Director OF the Census to-day Will
carry disappointment to many applicants for
staff appointments in the Census Office and have
a disquieting effect the army OF applicants
for clerkshps and other subordinate places
therein. but it will be cause Of qualification
and congratulation among all those who had
too much reason to fear when the Census law
was enacted. that these places would become the
prey of spoilsmen. and that appointments would
he made regardless OF the fitness and qualifca-
tions OF the persons appointed. IT Is felt here
that Director Merriam Will be firmly sustained
by the President in the attitude he has as
sumed. and in carrying out the policy outlined
in his official statement which reads as follows:
As to prospective appointments TO Office the
services OF no more staff officers can be utilized
at the present, and there Will be no others Sc
lected within certainly thirty days. PROFESSOR
Henry Gannett. the well-known &eographer oi
the Geological Survey. who was the polltlcal ana
statistical geogrdphcr Of the last census. has
been asked to take charge Of the same work ior
the coming census, and If the Geological sur
Ney is willing to spare him sutilcleItlN ohs
10 do the work. he will be intrusted with II ana
given an absolutely free hand. Until the scheu-
ules come back To the Office for the enumeIators
in July 1900 there will be no clerks wanted save
such small skeleton force as VIII be needed TO
take care Of the correspondence and ONCE WORK
preliminary 20 the taking Of the census. Nhen
the schedules come back there VIII he a large
force Of employees appointed All applications
for Office will receive consideration. and a large
number already have been received and placed
on file.
While the impression has gone abroad that the
census Is to be refuge for incompetency, the
truth and the actual facts are that all applicants
will be subjected to examinations before appoint
ment which will he rigid as the examinations
before the Civil Service Commission. No polltl-
cal influence Will be sufficient to put any en-
,I,., ,-rpl of "a
to do the work assigned him the director Is not
satisfied in advance. And furthermore. If any
employe is found to be incompetent on trial
such employe will be discharged. regardless Of
his or her political backing. The examination or
employees Will be directed. not 50 much for the
testing ~ their general information ana ca
racitv as II will he to their fitness for the work
TO be done as. for example. no copyist who can
not write or spell satisfactorily viii he appoint
ed nor caculators who cannot calculate.
First Of all. after the general administrative
officers are selected there must be three hum
dred supervisors appointed and in their selec-
tion consultation VIII be had with senators ana
REPRESENTATIVES I'm the respective States. II
may be announced also that Senators and Rep
resentatives who do not belong TO the Repub-
lican party will receive the same fair treatment
and consideration along this line that Is given
Republicans These supervisors will be appoint
ed by the President and confirmed by the SEN
ate None of these as now contemplated. are TO
receive appointments. but the list VIII be ready
for submission to the Senate at the opening or
the next session. The supervisors in turn VIII
the actual work throughout the country but the
list Of appointments must first have the ap-
proval of the director Of the census. After ap-
prOVal they will be Immediately furnlShed the
necessary blanks and instructions. This will be
no small task Assuming the population ot the
United states at this time to be in round nun nno
bers, SOooDooo people, there must he ANl'''
sheets issued FOR the population sch'dul- alone
Adding these the other schedules there VIII
have TO he in the aggregate not less than JooW"
such sheets in printed form issued. All this
mass Of paper will have to he manufactured ana
printed without delay. In counting the popuia-
lion every individual will be represented by a
separate card, and there will have TO be manu-
featured and printed not less than lOO.VO,FO ot
these cards. The probability is that a system of
machine calculating which admits of counting
facts in combination. and which worked so well
in the last census. Will be adopted for that OF
1900 The Office will have to select from the
various devices the ones most satisfactory, and
Il sufficient number to do the work must then be
manufactured.
The work will be rushed with all possible
speed consistent with accuracy. and every ef-
fort made to avoid dragging the work along
unnecessarily. Taking all in ALL the complete
number Of appointments that viii be made dur
ing the course of the census will be over 4',Oob
These include eighteen or twenty staff officers.
300 supervisors. 10000 enumerators and about
5000 clerks and other employees here.
Mr. Merriam started for Minnesota this af
ternoon leaving Mr.. Wines in charge. on Mr..
Merriam's return Mr. Wines will go home to
settle his private affairs. In the mean tim"
there will be no consideration or appointments
and it will he at least thirty days before another
selection OF staff officer is made, with the
probable exception of Professor Henry Gannett
Of this city as geographer. This Is in accord
ance with decision Of the director to-day that
i'm his absence no promises Of office nor assur-
ances nor encoura cement for any must be given
Several of the officials selected on Thursday
night have qualified. and the active preliminary
work will begin al once.
CHLNl Will WE'D TO WlLl.