Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-03-15
RESPONSIBLE WORK
The Taking Of the Census Means
Employment Of At Least 50,-
900 Enumerators.
EFFICIENT MEN WANTED
The Questions to Be Asked By Enumera-
tors Are Less Embarrassing Than
Those of the Last Census-A
White Tape Army.


now the scene of bustling activity, 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 re-
quires speed in the census of 1900, and
common, everyday white cotton tape
will fasten the SCHEDULED filled portfolios
in their round from habitation to habi-
tation. For convenient. accurate and
rapid enumeration the United States
have been divided into 800 supervisors
districts, and these in urn into about
as they are called in the census office.
Each of the so, 900 enumerators is yet
to be appointed, 80 on 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 vo-
luminous instructions, to master which
required considerable mental ability
and power Of memory. That census was
taken under a law which required emu
to ask many obnoxious ques-
tipnS Tn1ar dive naro1tjoS nf throof-
ened prosecution and fine in case Of re-
fusal, at every home the family skele-
ton must be brought forth for classifi-
cation and record. Sensitive people
an insldious malady gnawing at their
vitals, must divulge their hidden all
ment. Harassed, unhappy persons,
struggling under a burden of debt, yet
striving to keep up appearances, must
confide to the enumerator their finan-
cial woes. He sternly demanded infor-
nation as to defects of mind, sight,
hearing and speech" and If a member
Of the family was "a prisoner, convict,
homeless child or pauper." The infirm-
tiles of crippled, MANNED or deformed"
must also be duly classed and cata-
logued. That answers thus obtained
were not for publication in the daily pa
pers, but simply for tabulation by en-
ployes sworn not to divulge ensus
facts, failed to alleviate the painful du-
ty Of making them. The census act of
1900 happily for all does not require
these disagreeable queries.
Four schedules, not ten, cover EMU
requiring information about population,
vital statistics, manufactures and agri-
culture. In cities the enumerator will
seldom need the agricultural, or in ru-
raj districts the manufacturing sched-
ule, so he will ~infrequently carry more
than three.
Frequent complaints and charges of
.tnaccuracy in preceding censuses have
arisen from distrust of the
tors. Not infrequently the gross igno-
rance of an enumeration rendered his
work valueless.
A stream cannot rise above it's source,
and the census cannot rise in accuracy
above the standard established by the
enumerators. Concerning affairs local
or national in Importance, but which
only admit of national administration,
the individual citizen feels little person.
al responsibility. The federal census Is
primarily of local Importance. For the
United States as q whole a general av-
erage will be reached Of a magnitude
inaccurate returns from a con-
s~entially affect. On the other hand, in
any political district. the peoples con-
rights may be seriously i'm
by a dishonest or incompetent
enumeration. Where rival political par
ties predominant in different parts of
he same state. the constitutional APP
oortionment of representation upon the
census basis Of population decides state
md, at times, national issues.
1t Is self-evident that enumerators In
iuch districts should be Of unquestioned
lbllity and integrity.
OF the 10000 enumerators for whose
appointment and work the census Office
be held responsible. 1t can have no
lirect knowledge, but It has prepared
md will send out a. test schedule which
ach candidate 10 expected to ill out ac-