Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1900-02-24
NO SIMPLE UNDERTAKING.
Some OF the Dimcult Problems Pre-
scented In the Taking OF the
Twelfth Census.
Especial washington letter.


the eleventh census cost more than
100000, and in the twelfth census
IN Office force of more than 1000 for
about two years and q field force OF
over $4,000 for from two weeks to Q
month will be employed.
Among the troublesome problems
which have to be solved by the CEN
sus Office are the legal questions which
continually arise. The Indian census,
for instance, fairly bristles with legal
difficulties. In 1850 the census law
provided that Especial report" upon
the Indians should be made. A volume
Of TOO odd pages was published, pro-
fusely illustrated and touching every
point of the Indian problem. For once
in history, "Poor Lo" was accorded
justice. The volume was SO pretty that
the edition was soon exhausted and
now the department of the interior
has not even a copy for the census
Office itself. But the law providing for
the twelfth census makes no special
provision for an Indian census; nor
does it authorize such report rs was
made ten years ago. 1t is ut this point
that the real difficulties of the census
Office regarding the Indians begin.
The Indian population, then, cannot
be treated by itself and described In
separate report. 1t also seems IL.
logical to class the Indians among the
ordinary population Of the United
States. The Indian tribe is in many
respects distinct nationality, nj.
though since 1871 congress has been
doing its best to destroy all traces OF
tribal independence or self-govern-
ment. Moreover, the tribal Indians
are not citizens Of the United States.
The reservations upon which they live
are not legally parts Of the state OF
territory which surrounds them.
Under such conditions it seems i'm.
possible for the census Office to class
Indians as part of the ordinary inhab.
itants OF the states and territories.
On the other hand, ii is equally impos.
sible to ignore them and omit them en-
tirely. For the constitution Of the
United States says that: Represent
atives shall be apportioned among the
several states according to their re-
spective numbers, counting the whole
number OF persons in each state, ex.
GLIDING Indians not taxed" This fast.
ems upon the census Office duty that
seems plain enough. But rs matter
Of fact, II would give the attorney gen
eral of the United States some hours
Of work to explain exactly what ID
meant by the apparently simple phrase
Indians not taxed" The uncertainty
in the phrase is in the meaning Of the
word "taxed." The tribal Indian, like
other inhabitants of the United States
is subject to the internal revenue duties
and the various stamp taxes now i'm
posed by the United States. II he uses
bank check, he must stamp II; II
he manufactures q box of cigars, he
must stamp it. Is he taxed" thereby
Just what "tax" is, in the meaning
of the constitution, has never been
definitely decided, although the ques-
tion has been before the supreme court
many times.
Whether or not stamp duty is a tax,
and il it is, whether it is direct tax;
whether Indians not taxed" means
Indians not directly taxed, or whether
it may not mean Indians not taxable,
are questions that must be decided
by the census Office before it can form
its plan for the Indian enumeration.
The last question has been sub
ject of debate ever since Indian CEN
suses have been taken. In 1890 there
were about $4,000 civilized Indians liv-
ing among the general population of
the United States. Such lndians IRE
citizens OF the United States, but many
OF them are too poor to pay taxes.
Are they to be excluded from the pop
ulation according to which represen-
tation in congress is apportioned? We
count every Chinese and other alien OF
whatever sort or condition. Before
the war we counted every negro slave
as equivalent to three-fifths Of white
man. It seems manifestly absurd to
believe that the trainers Of the con-
stitution meant to exclude n class OF
citizens who are also natives, because
OF their poverty. In other words, the
! trainers OF the constitution must have
said what they did not mean. What
they really meant was to exclude oil
Indians belonging to q class not sub
ject to taxation.
All these points are subjected to the
most careful examination in the CEN
sus Office. and when decision us TO the
legal obligation of the Office has been
reached, the statisticians turn their
attention to the economic and social
aspects Of the question in hand. Ex-
perts are consulted; the important
lines of investigation are mapped out,
and inquiries are so framed us TO bring
put the desired information In form
In which II can be handled with the
Hollerith machines. At the same time,
these questions must be put in such q
way that they will neither be misunder-
stood nor likely to evoke antagonism
or false replies. No pains are spared
to interest the public in the work and
to secure general and hearty coop
grafton. Without that the most care
full work at Washington or by the
snumeratarS must prove fruitless.