The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-07-13
TAKING THE CENSUS.
The Present System is Unobjection-
able In Every Respect-Partic-
ulars of the Work.

| uAars OF the WORK.
The census Office expects to spend
not less than $4,0O0,000 for the mere
enumeration of the people of the Unit
ed States. So immense is the force nee
essariiy employed on this work, and
so heavy the expenditures during the
period of initial activity, that congress
is now requiring the disbursing clerk
of the census Office, minor official,
at salary, of $4,000, to increase his
bond temporarily to the penal sum of
$250,OOO, says the New York Sun.
The army of enumerators who go
forth with their notebooks and pencils
numbers nearly $4,000 in the rank
and flle alone. The staff. the special
agents and the clerical force at head
quarters swell the total to $4,000. This
is nearly as many men as we have in
the Philippines. Before the twelfth
census is complete, the last volume of
statistics printed and bound, it will
probably have cost S16,OO0,O 900, or more
than the total expenditures of the gov
eminent for all purposes, including in
terest on public debt, in the year 1880,
when the fifth census was taken
The constitution requires that the
people of the United Statea shall be
counted every ten years for the appor-
tionment of representative end direct
taxes. From this require mont of a
general poll there has grown up an
elaborate system of statistical inquiry,
partly useless, partly fantastic and re-
sponsive merely to the whims of cranks
and theorists in congress and outside,
sometimes inquisitorial and offensive,
but, in the main, of unquestionable
scientific and pract>cai value. It is
not likely that the revolving years will
witness return to the simple enumer-
alton of inhabitants contemplated by
the constitution.
The schedule of questions which the
| census takers will now present lacks
the outrageous features of personal
inquisition which stirred the people
! to righteous wrath ten years ago. The
| gentleman who will call is not in
structed this time TO pry into the in
| innate secrets of your health and pock-
etbook. The women of your family
| will not be questioned, in the alleged
| interest of medical science, as to the
! nature of their ailments. You will net
be asked whether you are convict or
a pauper. You will not be informed,
in the name of the law, that if you are
suffering from an acute or chronic dis
ease you must disclose it. You will
not be required to catalogue specifcal-
ly the physical defects OF your self,
your wife and your children. You will
not be threatened with prosecution in
the federal courts if you refuse to i'm
part to the census taker the amount
you owe on mortgage, crop lien, con-
fession of judgment or judgment note,
together with the rate of interest,
your estimate of the value of the mort
gagged property, and the causes and
purposes of the indebtedness.
Incredible as it may seem now, all of
these outrageous inquiries were in the
scheme of the eleventh census, the cen
sus of 1890. The Sun was forced to
protest against them ten years ago
in defense of the personal rights of
American citizenship, and to advise it's
friends to resist the attempted inva-
sion of the sanctity of private affairs.
Its advice was sustained by the opinion
of some of the most eminent constitu-
tional lawyers in the country, and was
so generally followed by the people
that the ridiculous idea of turning the
constitutional enumeration into per-
sonal inquisition, and transforming
the census office into a detective
bureau has been abandoned, probably
forever.
None of the enormities which rem
dered the eleventh census notable and
in some respects infamous appear in
the plan of the twelfth census manage
ment. The only remaining trace of
the inquisitorial features of ten years
ago is found in question &c of the
schedule, which inquiries of house own
ers whether their property is free or
mortgaged. AS the fact of mortgage
is matter of record, ascertainable
elsewhere, the question is in no sense
an attempt to force disclosure, and
prompt and frank reply will merely
be convenience to the census office.
Inc QUESTION SnOulu De answered With
out hesitation. All the other questions
on this years schedule are inoffensive
and unquestionably legitimate.
The Sun is glad to be able to assure
its readers that the twelfth census is
an unobjectionable enterprise. You
may welcome the visit of the enumer-
ator this time without apprehension
or anything unpleasant, you may facil-
itate his work to the best of your
power as good citizen should, and dis
miss him with kind wishes as he pro-
ceeds with the enrolment of this ma
tons population and resources.
Her RecOmmen datfOn.
81 shall have to lave yez, num-"