The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-09
PREPARING FOR CENSUS
FIFTY THOUSAND ENUMERATORS
ARE TO BE APPOINTED.
The Work That They Will BE Com
PEELED to Do Is OutIined-SOme
Interesting Facts.

In the census building at Washington a
great room is now the scene Of bustling &C
tivity, the work of preparing portfolios for
use by enumerators in the coming count of
the population being fairly under 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 is
not that ''red tape which to the ordinary
mind signifies circumlocution and delay.
The law requires speed in the census of
1900, and common, everyday white tape will
fasten the schedule-filled portfolios in their
round from habitation to habitation. For
convenience, accurat and rapid enumera-
ton the United States have been divided
into 800 supervisors districts, and these in
turn into about $4,000 enumeration districts.
Each of the $4,000 enumerators is yet to be
appointed, so or the portfolios a blank
space is left for his name.
The last census found the unhappy
enumerator loaded down with from ten to
thirteen schedules, each having voluminous
instructions to master which required con-
siderable mental ability and power of men,
DRY. That census was taken under a law
WHICH, ISquiIcQ SnuiucIdNOIS W . I'LL
obnoxious questions. Under dire penalties
of threatened prosecution and fine in case
of refusal, at every home the family skele-
ton must be brought forth for classification
and record. Sensitive people who, Spartan
like, had long concealed an insidious NAL
ady gnawing at their vitals, mus divulge
their hidden ailment. Harassed, unhappy
persons, struggling under a burden of debt.
yet striving to keep up appearances. must
confide to the enumerator their financial
woes. He sternly demanded information as
to defects of mind, sight, hearing and
speech and If q member of the family
was "a prisoner, convict, homeless child or
pauper." The infirmities of Crippled,
MANNED or deformed" must also be duly
classed and ~catalogued. That answers thus
obtained were not for publication in the
daily papers, but simply for tabulation by
employees sworn not to divulge census
facts, failed to alleviate the painful duty of
making them. The census act of 1900 hap
PLY for all. does not require these disagree
able queries.
Four scheduls, not ten, cover enumera-
tors inquiries in 19O0-schedules requiring
information about population, vital Stats
tics, manufactures and agriculture. In
cities the enumerator will seldom need the
agricultural or in rural districts the manu-
featuring schedule. so he will infrequently
carry more than three.
Frequent complaints and charges of mac
curacy In preceding censuses have arisen
from distrust of the enumerators. Not in
frequently the gross ignorance of an enum-
orator rendered his work valueless. OF the
] $1,000 enumeratorS, for whose appointment
and work the Census Office must be held
responsible, II can AVE no direct knowl.
edge but IL has prepared and will send out
a. test schedule which each candidate Is
expected to fill out according to accom-.
panying instructions. From this schedule
when completed and returned an idea OF
his ability to comprehend and follow in
structiens will be obtained. For his hon.
esty and integrity those who recommend
| him must be held responsible.
J The enumeratorS must be quick, compe-
tent, courteous, tactful and truthful. Ter
| hours a day for two weeks in urban and
four in rural districts they will spend In
| gaining entrance 10 those impregnablc cas-
ties, the homes OF American citizens. TC
prove their victory, correct replies TO al
the schedule questions must be recorded
| for each of these castles. The enumeratol
will have no chance for glory or prefer
ment. When he shall have completed hi:
| Internationally making enemies for lf,
| of village gossips who did not want TO tel
their own ages but demanded to read thoss
of everybody else-he Will receive a com
pensation which the director Of the censu!
is endeavoring TO fix at such a rate tina
each energetic enumerator may earn q
least s. a day under the conditions prevail
ing I'm his district.