The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-17
TAKING OF THE S
IS HARD WORK THAT MUST BE
CLEvERLY sYsTEMATIZED.
1t Is Not n Political Picnic by Any
Means-The Indian Question
Presents Difficulties.

Census-taking is not the political picnic
that many people imagine. Few appreciate
the magnitude of the work. The eleventh
census cost more than s11. 900. 600. and in
the twelfth census an Office force Of more
than two thousand for about two years and
a field force of over fifty thousand for from
two weeks to a month will be employed.
Then. too. the Hollerith tabulating ma
chimes, by which the population is counted
and the returns tabulated, makes census
taking a huge Industrial process. The Gen.
sus Office becomes a factory, the director
Of the census a captain of industry, who,
If he is to be successful. must possess all
the directive energy and the genius for
organization which characterize our most
successful manufacturers and railroad
presidents.
Among the troublesome problems which
have to be solved by the Census Office are
the legal questions which continually arise.
The Indian census, for instance, fairly
bristles with legal difficulties. In 1890 the
census law provided that a special report
upon the Indians should be made. A vol
ume of seven hundred odd pages was pub
AiSACu, PiOLuSCly = ahu tOuOlAiAi6
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 1t authorize such
a report as was made ten years ago. 1t is
at this point that the real difficulties of the
Census Office regarding the Indians begin.
The Indian population, them, cannot be
treated by itself and described in a sepa-
rate report. 1t also seems illogical to class
the indians among the ordinary population
Of the United States. The Indian tribe Is in
many respects a distinct nationality, al
though since 1871 Congress has been do
ing it's best to destroy all traces of tribal
independence or self-government. More
over, the tribal Indians are not citizens OF
the United States. The reservations upon
which they live are not legally parts of the
State or Territory which surrounds them,
and state and territorial laws do not apply
to the reservation or to the Indians upon
it. Acts of Congress do not apply to reser-
walton Indians unless such application is
explicitly authorized in the act.
Under such conditions 1t seems fmpos-
sible for the Census Office to class Indians
as a part of the ordinary inhabitants OF
the States and Territories. On the other
hand. 1t is equally impossible to ignore
them and omit them entirely, for the Con-
stitution of the United States says:
Representatives shall be apportioned
their respective numbers, counting the
whole number Of persons In each State,
excluding Indians not taxed"
This fastens upon the Census Office a
duty that seems plain enough. But as a
matter of fact. it would give the attorney
general Of the United States some hours
of work to explain exactly what Is meant
by the apparently simple phrase, Indians
not taxed The uncertainty in the phrase
is I'm the meaning of the word taxed"
| The tribal Indian, like other Inhabitants
of the United States, Is subject to the in
| ternal-revenue duties and the various
| stamp taxes now imposed by the United
| States. If he uses a ban check he must
stamp it,: If he manufactures a box of
cigars he must stamp it. Is he taxed"
thereby?
| Just what a tax is in the meaning Of
the Constitution has never been definitely
decided, although the question has been
before the Supreme Court many times. The
famous income-tax cases hinged upon this
very point. Ex-senator Edmunds and JO-
seph H. Choate, now ambassador to Eng
land, assisted by some of the most emf
nent lawyers OF America, successfully ar
gued that an income tax was a direct tax.
Wltnln the MEANING VI III SODStllutloil.
| Attorney General Olney, James c.. Carter
and other. prominent awyers gravely ar
gued that an income tax was not a tax"
but an excise or duty. At the first hearing
of the case the Supreme Court was evenly
divided Upon many of the points at issue.
At the second hearing the decision was
rendered with four dissenting justices
against the five who concurred in the opin-
ion of the court hat an income tax was a
direct tax.
Whether or not a stamp duty is a tax,
and, if it is, whether 1t is a direct tax.
whether Indians not taxed" means In
dams 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.
debate ever since Indian censuses have
been taken. In 1890 there were about fifty
thousand civilized Indians living among
the general population of the United
States. Such Indians are citizens of the
United States, but many of them are too
poor to pay taxes. Are they to be excluded
from the population according to which
representation in Congress is apportioned?
The government counts every Chinese and
other alien of whatever sort or condition.
Before the war 1t counted every negro
slave as equivalent to three-ffths of a
white man. 1t seems manifestly absurd
to believe that the trainers of the Constitu-
ton meant to exclude a class of citizens
who are also natives, because of their pow
erty. In other words, the trainers of the
Constitution must have said what they did
not mean. What they really meant was to
exclude all Indians belonging to a class
not subject to taxation.
All these points are subjected to the most
careful examination in the Census Office,
and when a decision as to the legal obliga-
ton of the office has been reached the
statisticians turn their attention to the
economic and social aspects of the ques-
ton in hand. Experts are consulted, the
important lines of investigation are mapped
out and inquiries are so framed as to bring
out the desired Information in a form in
which it can be handled with the Hol-
lerith machines. AT the same time these
| questions must be put In such a way that
they will neither be misunderstood 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 cooperation. Without that the most
careful work at Washington or by the
| enumerators must prove fruitless.
Word sent to MIR. Clifford.
Mr.. Clifford, census supervisor of this