El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-21
GET READY FOR
ENUMERATORS
Fifty Thousand White Tape
Men To Take the Field
WllL-STORM YOUR CASTLE
The Questions To Be Asked Less
Embarrassing Than Those of the
Last Census.


Last Census.
In the census building q great room
Ia now the scene of bustling activity,
the work of preparing portfolios for
use by enumerators in the coming
count of the population being fairly un-
der way. These portfolios, OF whitish-
brown pasteboard, hinged together
with black cloth, are eighteen inches
long and ten wide, and tied with four
sets of tape. The tape used In not that
red tape" which, to the ordinary
mind, signifies circumlocution and de-
lay. The law requires speed in the
census OF 1900, and common, everyday
white cotton tape will fasten the
sohedule-flled portfolios In their
round from habitation to habitation.
enumeration the United States have
been divided into 300 supervisors dis
tricts, and these in turn into about 3d.
600 enumeration districts, or K. DE,
as they are called IN the census office.
Each of the SO, 600 enumerators is yet to
be appointed, so on the portfolios
blank space is left for his name.
The last census found the unhappy
enumerator loaded down with from ten
TO thirteen schedules, each having vo-
luminous instructions, to master which
required considerable mental ability
and power of memory. That census
was taken under law which required
enumerators to ask many obnoxious
questions. Under dire penalties OF
threatened prosecution and fine In case
OF refusal, at every home the family
skeleton must be brought forth for
classification and record. Sensitive
people who, Spartan-like, had long
concealed an insidious malady gnaw-
ing at their vitals, must dlvulge their
hidden ailment. Harassed, unhappy
persons, struggling under burden of
debt, yet striving to keep up appear
ances, must confide to the enumeration
their financial woes. He sternly
demanded Information as to defects
OF ''mind, sight, hearing and
speech" and if member Of the
family was prisoner, convict,
homeless child or pauper. Theinfirm-
tiles OF crippled manned or deformed"
must also be duly classed and cata-
logued. Though answers thus obtained
were not for pu olicatian in the daily pa
pers, 6utsimply for tabulatiOn by en-
plOyes sworn not to divulee census
facts, failed TO alleviate the painful du-
ty of making them. The census act of
1900 happily for all does not require
these dissgreeable queries.
Four schedules, not ten, cover emu
merators' inquiries in 1900; schedules
requiring Information about population,
vital statistics, manufactures and agri-
culture. Ia cities the enumerator will
seldom need the agricultural, or In ru
raj districts the manufacturing sched-
ule, so he will infrequeDtly carry more
than three.
Frequent complaints and charges Of
inaccuracy n preceding censuses have
arisen from distrust of the enumera-
tors. Not infrequently the gross igno-
-ance Of an euumerasor rendered his
work valueless.
A streams cannot rise above i's
source, and a census cannot rise in &C
curscy above the standard establish
ed by the enumerators. Concerning
affairs local or national in Importance,
but which only admit Of national ad-
ministrstion, the individual citizen
feels little personal responsibility.
The federal census is primarily of local
whole q general average will be
reached of magnitude which mac
curate returns from q considerable
number of E. d, g will not essentially
affect. On the other hand, In any po-
liticsl district, the constitutional
rights may be seriously impaired by
dishonest or incompetent enumerator.
Where rival political parties predo
inmate in different parts OF the same
state, the constitutional apportion-
ment of representation upon the census
basis of population decides state. and
st times, national issues.
Il is self evident that enumerators in
such districts should be of unquestion-
ed ability and integrity.
OF the so, 900 euumerators for whose
appointment and work the census Of
fee must be held responsible, it can
have no direct knowledge, but 1T has
prepared and will send out a test
schedule which each candidate is eX
pected to fiji out according to accom-
panying instructions. From this
LcGeiule, when completed and return
ed, an idea OF his ability to compre-
bend and follow instructions will be
obtained. For his honesty and in
tegrity those who recommended him
must be held responsible.o
A general realization by American
citizens OF their personal interest in a
successful prosecution of the canvass
by this white-tape army should arouse
sentiments Of local interest and pride,
and In each enumeration district citi-
Gems should concern themselves about
the selection OF their registrar and
local arbiter.
A marked degree OF pride and
patriotism, local and national, was
evoked when the national guard was
called out for service in the Spanish
American war. In order that dread of
lost EN- ploy ment should not be added
to the risk and danger of a soldiers
life, many employers held open for
their men the places they had left, and
not infrequently continued the pay
ment of their salaries. so that pri-
vate soldiers small pay might not be
the only dependence of his family.
The white-tape army should be made
up of men OF as high a standard as
those who of late won the worlds re-
aneot and admiration Thev should he