Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-13

MONTANA. TUESDAY, MAR,
Each OF the $4,000 enumerators is yet to
be appointed, so en- the portfolios a blank
space is left for his name.
The last census found the unhappy
enumerator loaded down with from 10
to ID schedules, each having voluminous
instructions, to master which required
considerable mental ability and power
OF memory. Tha census was taken
under a law which required enumerators
to ask many obnoxious questions. Under
dire penalties of threatened prosecution
and fine IN case of refusal, at every home
the family skeleton must be brought
forth for classification and record. Sem
sitive people who, S~partanElike, had long
concealed an insidious malady gnawing
at their vitals, must divulge their hid
den ailment. Harassed. unhappy per-
sons, struggling under a burden Of debt,
Yet striving to keep up appearances,
must conflde to the enumerator their
financial woes. He sternly demanded In
formation as to defects of 'mind, sight,
nearing and Speech" and II a emb OF
the family was "a prisoner, convict.
ties or Crippled. Manned or deformed'
must also be duly classed and c~atalogued.
That answers thus obtained were not for
publication in the daily papers, but SIM
ply for tabulation by employees sworn not
to divulge census facts, failed to alleviate
the painful duty Of making them. The
census act of 1900, happily for all, does
not require these disagreeable queries.
Four schedules, not ten, cover enumer-
atOrs' inquiries in 1900. schedules requir-
ing information about population, vital
statistics. manufactures and agriculture.
In cities the enumerator will seldom need
the agricultural, or in rural districts the
manufacturing schedule, so he will infre-
| Quently carry more han three.
Frequent complaints n charges of in-
accuracy in preceding censuses have
| arisen from distrust of the enumerators.
Not ~infrequently the gross ignorance of
anAenumerator rendered his work value
less. 4+f 8i-.,
A stream cannot rise above Its source
and the census cannot rise in accuracy
above the standard established by the
enumerators. Concerning affairs. whether
local or national in Importance. but
which only admit of national admins
tration. the individual citizen feels little
personal responsibility. h federal CEN
sus is primarily of local Importance. For
the United States as a whole a general
average will be reached Of a magnitude
which Inaccurate returns from a consid-
cradle number of e. DIS will not essen
TALLY affect. On the other hand in any
political district. the peoples constitu-
tiOnal rights may be seriously impaired
by a dishonest or incompetent m
tor. Where rival political parties pre-
dominate in different parts of the same
state, the constitutional appOrtiOnment
of representation upon the census. basis
of population decides state and. at times.
national issues.
1t is s~elf-evident that enumerators in
such districts should be of unquestioned
ability and integrity. :.
Of the $4,000 enumerators for whose ap-
| Monument and work the 1QnQl1a of7on
must be held responsible, it can have nc
direct knowledge, but. it has prepared and
will send out a test schedule which each
candidate is expected to fill out accord
ing to accompanying instructions. From
his schedule, when completed and re-
turned, an idea of his ability to compre-
bend and follow Instructions will he OBJ
tained. For his honesty and integrity
those who recommend him must be held
responsible.
A general realization by American citi-
zens OF their personal interest in a sue
cessful prosecution of the canvass by
: this white-tape army should arouse sen
timents of local interest and pride and In
. each enumeration district citizens would
concert themselves about the selection Of
their regular and local arbiter.
; A marked degree Of pride and patriot.
: ism, local and national, was evoked whar
the national guard was called ont for ser.
= vice in the spanlsh-American war. II
order that dread OF lost employment
should not be added to the risk and dan.
: ger of a soldiers life, many employer.
held open for their men the places the,
: had left, and not infrequently continued
: the payment of their salaries, so that {
I private soldiers small pay might not b,
$ the only dependence Of their families.
I The whlte-tape army should be mad,
: up OF men OF as high a standard as thos'
who of late won the worlds respect ant
admiration. They should be quick, com
petent, courteous, tactful and truthful
Ten hours a day for two weeks in urbal
1 and four in rural districts they will spent
in gaining entrance to those impregnabl
e castles, the homes Of American citizens
To prove their victory, correct replies t,
all the schedule questions must be re
corded for each of these castles. TIL
t white-tape soldier will have no chanc,
for glory or preferment. He must fn.
courage in feeling that peace hath it
e victories" and that "the world know
nothing of its greatest men, When h
: shall have completed his duties-inci
dentally making enemies for life OF viii
lage gossips who did not want to- tel
their own ages, but demanded to rea,
those of everybody else-he will receiv
y a compensation which the director OF tn
census Is endeavoring to fix at such
rate that each energetic enumerator ma,
earn at least 50 a day under the condi
tions prevailing in his district.
Now that the high tide of prosperit,
s leaves few men of the required abilft,
unemployed, the enlistment of this white
Y tape army should waken feelings of loca
e and Individual responsibility. Enumera
v tors are to be residents of the district
e where they perform duty. Voters Il
9 each district should satisfy themselve
hat suitable selections Of enumeration
are made. If the local and national valu
of the service were better understood
= the enumerator's office would attai
greater dignity in the public estimatio
o
rn