The age-herald., 1900-03-11
PREPARING FOR
 TWELFTH CENSUS Scene of Activity in the Depart
 ment at Washington. ENUMERATORS PORTFOLIOS Schedules Have Been Simplified to Promote Work-Men ofHigh Stan
 dard Will be Selected to
 Count the Population
MERATORS' PORTFOLIOS

the census building great room IS HOW the scene of bustling activity, the work of preparing portfolios for use by enumerat- ors in the coming count of the population being fairly under way. These portfolios, of whitish-brown pasteboard, hinged to- gether with black cloth, are IS inches long and 10 inches wide and tied with four sets of tape. The tape used is not that "red tape" which to the ordinary mind signifies l circumlocution and delay. The law re- quires speed in the census of 1900, and l common every day white cotton tape will | fasten the schedule-fllled portfolios in their l round from habitation to habita ton. For l convenient, accurate and rapid enumera- tion the United States has been divided in to 300 supervisors districts, and these in l turn into about 50,000 enumeration districts, l or E. D.'s, as they are called in the census | office. Each of the 5000 enumerators is 1 yet to be appointed, so on the portfolios blank space is left for his name.
 The last census found the unhappy l enumerator loaded down with from 10 to I 13 schedules, each having voluminous in- l structions to master which required con- | siderable mental ability and power of mem | ory That census was taken under a law which required enumerators to ask many obnoxious questions. Under dire penalties of threatened prosecution and fine in case l of refusal, at every home the family skele 1 ton must be brought forth for classifica- l ton and record. Sensitive people who, l Spartan-like, had long concealed an insid- l ious malady gnawing at their vtals must 1 divuge their hidden alment. Harassed, | unhappy persons, struggling under bur 1 den of debt, yet striving to keep up ap- pearances must condide to the enumerator 1 their financial woes. He sternly de- l manded information as to defects of l mind, sight, hearing and speech" and if member of the family was "a prisoner, l convict, homeless child or pauper." The
 infirmities of crippled, maimed or de- 1 formed must also be duly casSed and | catalogued. That answers thus obtained | were not for publication in the daily papers but simply for tabulation by employees | sworn not to dvulge census facts, failed to alleviate the painful duty of making 1 them. The census act of 1900 happily for | all does not require these disagreeable 1 queries.
 -Four schedules, not ten, cover enumera- l tors inquiries in 1900; schedules requiring
 information about population vital statis- 1 tics, manufactures and agriculture. In cit
 les the enumerator will seldom need tho
 agricultural ,or in rural districts the manu-
 featuring schedule, so he will infrequently 1 carry more than three.
 l Ignorance of Enumerators
 Fequent complaints and charges of in- | accuracy in preceding censuses have arisen | from distrust of the enumerators. Not in-
 frequently the gross ignorance of an | enumerator rendered his work valueless
 stream cannot rise above It's course and l the census cannot rise in accuracy above l the standard established by the enumera-
 tors. Concerning affairs, whether local or l national in importance but which only ad-
 init of national administration, the indi- | vidual citizen feels little personal responsi- l bility. The federal census Is primarily of | tfho nd ifA1
 as a whole, general average will be l reached of a magnitude which inaccurate | returns from a considerable number of l E DIS will not essentially affect. On the | other hand in any political district the peo- | ples constitutional rights may be seriously l impaired by dishonest or incompetent l enumerator Where rival political parties l predominate in different parts of the same
 state, the constitutional apportionment of | representation upon the census basis of | population decides state and, at times, na- 1 tional issues.
 It is self-evident that enumerators in such | districts should be of unouestioned abilbtv l and integrity.
 l Of the 5000 enumerators for whose ap- l pointment and work the census office must | be held responsible, 1t can have no direct | Knowledge, but 1t has prepared and will | send out test schedule which each can- didate is expected ito fill out according to accompanying instructions. From this schedule, when completed and returned an Idea Of his ability to comprehend and fol- low instructions will be obtained For his honesty and integrity those who recom- mend him must be held responsible 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 l local interest and pride and in each enumer- l ation district, citizens would concern them | af
 trar and local arbiter.
 l The Standard
 marked degree of pride and patriotism | local and national, was evoked when the l national guard was called out for service
 dn the Spanish-American war; In order that
 dread of lost employment 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 infre-
 quently continued the payment of their sal
 aries, so that a private soldiers small pay l might not be the only dependence of their l families. ace
 l The white-tape army should be made up 1 of men of as high standard as those who of late won the worlds respect and admir- l ation. They should be quick, competent, | courteous, tac'tful and truthful. Ten hours I day for two weeks in urban and four in | rural districts they will spend in gaining 1 entrance to those impregnable castles the | homes of American citizens. To prove their
 victory, correct replies to all the schedule l questions must be- recorded for each of
 these castles. The white-tape soldier will
 have no chance for glory or preferment l He must find courage in feeling that peace
 hath it's victories" and 'the world knows
 nothing of its greatest men," When he shall have completed his duties, incidentally | making enemies for life of village gossips, l who did not want to tell their own ages, | but demanded to read those of everybody | else, he will receive compensation which | the director of the census Is endeavoring to | fix at such a rate that each energetic enum-
 orator may earn at least three dollars day
 under the conditions prevailing in the dis | trict.
 Now that the high tide of prosperity | leaves few men of the required ability un-
 employed, the enlistment of this white-tape
 army should waken feelings of local and
 individual responsibility. Enumerators are | to be residents of tho districts where they
 perform duty. Voters in each district should
 satisfy themselves that suitable selections
 of enuerators are made. If the local and na-
 tional value of the service were better un-