The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-02-24
No SIMPLE UNDERTAKING.
Some of the Difficult Problems Pre-.
scented in the Taking of the
Twelfth Census.
[specia, wasa:..s.oa letter.

Especial W2SHs-c.Ol Letter.
Census taking e, not the political
picnic that many people imagine. Few
appreciate the magnitude of the work;
the eleventh census cost more than
S11 ,000, 1000, and in the twelfth census
an Office force of more than 1000 for
about two years and a field force of
over $4,000 for from two weeks to a
month will be employed.
Among the troublesome problems
which have to be solved by the CEN
u 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 a special report" upon
the Indians should be made. A volume
of 700 odd pages was published, pro-
fusely illustrated and touching every
point of the Indian problem. For nee
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 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, then, cannot
be treated by itself and described in
n 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 a distinct nationality. al
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 or
territory which surrounds them.
Under such conditions it seems i'm
possible for the census Office to class
Indians as a part of the ordinary inhab-
itants of the states and territories.
On the other hand, it 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-
Guiding Indians not taxed" This fast
ems upon the census office a duty that
seems plain enough. But as a matter
of fact. it would give the attorney gen.
eral 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 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. If he uses |
Il bank 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 aues-
ton has been before the supreme court
many times.
Whether or not a stamp duty is n tax, |
and if it is. whether it is a direct tax; |
whether Indians not taxed means
Indians not directly taxed. or whether
it may not mean Indians cot 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 n sub
ject CT debate ever since Indian cen-
suses nave been taken. In 1890 there
were about $4,000 civilized Indians liv-
ing 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 pop
according to which represent
tation il congress is apportioned? We
count every Chinese and ether alien of
whatever ort or condition. Eefore
the war we counted every negro slave
as equivalent TO ihree-fifths of = white
man. 1t seems manifsstly absurd to
believe that the trainers OF the con-
stitution meant to exclude 4 class of
who are also natives, because
of their povert.T. In other words. the
of the constitution must have
said what they did not mean. What
hey really meant was % exclude all
Indians belonging to a class not sub
ject to taxation.
All these points are subjected to the
careful examination in the cen
sus Office. and when a decision as to the
egal obligation of the Office has been
the statisticians turn their
to the economic and social
of the question in hand. En-
are consulted: the important
ines of investigation are mapped out,
inquiries are so framed rs TO bring
nut the desired information in a form
n which it can be handled with the
1ollerith machines. At the same time,
.hese questions must be put in such a
vay that they will neither be misunder-
nor likely to evoke antagonism
II false replies. No pains are spa red
interest the public in the work and
secure general and hearty coop
Without that the mos, care