The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-24

for several years thereafter. This en-
terprise will be designated as the
Twelfth Census, and the publisher of
the many volumes will be the Govern
ment.
The mere counting of more than 75,-
100000 Of anything is a task not to be
despised, but when the rs, 900 600 that
are to be counted are human beings
that are scattered over 5000, 600 square
miles of the earth's surface, from the
North Pole to the Equator and from
the Atlantic to the mid Pacific, the
task becomes simply Eerculean- Such,
however, is the work that confronts
director Merriam and his assistants,
but they are perfectly confident that
they viii be able to complete the task
within the time limit set by law.
To accomplish this achievement,
however, will require the engagement
of a small army of men and women.
In fact, it has been estimated that not
less than As. 900 people will be engaged
IN the work, and of these less than
5000 will be employed at the census
headquarters at Washington.
The remainder are members of what
viii be known as the field force, and
1t Will be the duty of these enumera-
tors to gather the required information
from all parts of the country in order
that it may be properly tabulated at
the Office of publication in Washing
ton.
At the head of this army is William
r. Merriam, the Director of the Cen
Sus. and it is his duty to see that the
work is successfully carried out. He
has direct control of all these en-
plOyees and all the intricate machin-
cry that win be necessary for the pros
ecution of this work will be in his
hands, and yet he does not pretend to
be an expert mathematician or even
a skilled statistician. He is simply a
vide-aWake Western man whose life
has been spent in the management of
in the country who have greater ex-
ecutive ability or greater capacity for
handling large numbers of employees.
The statistician of the department,
the man who has all the technical
knowledge, with every census StatiS-
tic at the end of his tongue, is Mr.. F.
H Wines, Mr.. Merriam's first assist
ant. Under him are five chief statis-
ticians and two years have been al
lowed for the gathering, tabulating,
printing and binding the statistics re-
lating to the four most important sub
iects with which the census deals
population, vital statistics. agriculture
and manufacturing Industries.
When this work has been completed
the bureau viii take up great vari-
ETY. of interesting subjects, including
the insane, deaf, dumb and blind
crimes, pauperism and benevolence. So
cia1 statistics of cities, public indebt-
edness electric light and power, trans
portatiOn express business, street
railways, mines and mining and vast
number of other subjects that have not
been touched upon by previous bur-
eaus.
In fact, it is the intention of the Gov
eminent that the twelfth census shall
be the most complete and perfect work
of its kind ever accomplished by any
civilized nation. In speaking OF his
work Director Merriam states that the
census viii indicate the growth or de-
cline of the nation in every line of pub
lie interest, industry or improvement.
An effort is to be made to show
whether or not the mad scramble fol
wealth has resulted in the neglect OF
the duties of citizenship: whether there
has been an increase in the religious