Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-03-30
ABOUT READY
Army of Busy Bodies Being
Trained Thoroughly.
Will Descend on the Country Before
Very Long Details OF the Prepare.
tions Being Made-Work in West
Virginia and How it Will Be Prose-
cutea-Interesting Review.

virginia anu HOW III VIII be Prose-
utea-Interesting Review.
Two months hence, on rather in
June, to be absolutely accurate,
there will be more men at work
counting the people of the United
States. taking stock Of their business,
counting their chickens, and guess
ing and asking impertinent ques-
tions about the babies than there
were soldiers in the War of the Rev
olution Eon both sides, at one time
There will be more than $4,000 of
the perambulating interrogation
points engaged in the actual work
of taking the census of the United
States.
Continuing the comparison with
armies, this force is over three times
as great as Skaters army at Santi
ago, and $4,000 greater than the
combined forces engaged ia that
unequal but successful struggle of
inferior numbers, without artillery,
to capture fortified city guarded
by largely superior force. 1t is
about four times as great as the mum
Der of Englishmen in the battle of
Waterloo the credit for the winning
of which the British have al
ways taken from the Germans, who
really won it. 1t is about 800 times
as great as the Boer force which an
initiated largely superior British
force on Maiuba HILL and is but
little If any less than the force which
marched with Sherman, in the Ian
guage of the song, From Atlanta
to the sea" but really from Holly
Springs, Miss, to Washington, D.
G., via Atlanta and other Southern
cities.
DETAILS OF A GREAT WORK.
The Census Office has been pre-
pairing for the charge of this army
of interrogation points for just about
year The map of the country
has been divided into little bits of
blocks and each of these blocks rep
resents an enumeration district in
which from 1,500 to 5000 persons
live. Each enumerator has one of
these maps, or rather is to have one,
for thousands of them are not yet
formally appointed, showing the
space he is to cover in his question
asking peregrinations. This army
is commanded, directly, by 800 SUI.
pervisors, who report to the Census
Director, w. r. Merriam.
These are the regular enumerators.
There will be hundreds, possibly
thousands, of special agents to in .
quire into special subjects. These,
with the Office force in Washington
will bring the total of Census Office
employees up to nearly, if not quite
10000 men and women. The enum-
orators in cities must complete their
work in Is days Those in the coun-
try will have 80 days. Each emu
merator is expected to earn about
So day. Some of them 10 years
ago had such hard districts that
they averaged less than $1.50 DI-
rector Merriam has tried to have it
so arranged that the pay will amount
to twice that, and that there will
not be many who will earn So and SIS
day, as many did in 1890.
SUPERVISORS AND THEIR WORK.
The district supervisors must
mail the list OF their enumerators in
time to have them in not later
than April l. Those in Pennsylvan-
ia, Ohio and West Virginia must
put their lists in the mail not later
than next Tuesday. During April
and May these enumerators are ex-
pected to study the instructions sent
them.
West Virginia-F'irst district,
40; Second, $50; third 144; Fourth,
14S, total 5S2.
CENSUS TAKING IN GOOD HANDS.
This, the twelfth census, is to be
taken in way that will inspire the
confidence of not only those who will
have to use the figures, but of those
who will look at them merely through
curiosity. Director Merriam is a
thorough going business man, who
knows how to get results, and what
is more to the point, he knows good
results when he sees them There
is absolutely nothing that savors Of
partisanship in the Census Office,
except that clerks recommended by
politicians. Democrats, Republicans
and Populists, have been appointed
when after examination, they have
been found fit.
As to the character of the exami
nations it is a notorious fact that,
many holders OF certificates of eligi-
bility from the Civil Service Com
mission who tried for Census Office
jobs were not able to pass the rigid
examination. Another notorious