Evening star., 1909-04-16
OMIT TTHERESTR|CT|0N
Requirement of a Years
DomiciIe Stricken Out.
WORKING ON CENSUS BILL
Action of Conferees Benefits District
Applicants for Place.
WILL BENEFIT THE SERVICE
Change Favored by Director North
and Civil Service Commissioners.
Provision for New Building.

census bill today struck out the Senate
amendment requiring residence for one
year in the state or territory in which
any applicant for a government position
may claim residence and also that the
civil service examination for such posi-
ton be taken in that state or territory.
The drastic part of this provision was
that i required the applicant to be "ac-
tually domiciled' in the state or territory
for the year prior to his taking the ex-
animation.
This action of the conferees will enable
residents of the District who claim legal
residence in the state or territory from
which they originally hailed or frem
which their parents come to enjoy the
opportunity which they enjoy at present
to obtain employment not only in the
census Office during the taking OF the
thirteenth census, but in all other gov
ernment Offices. If the Senate amend
ment had become law the people of the
District would have been cut out entirely,
for the District quota Of government en-
ployes under the civil service law Is al
ways filled to over1owing.
Appropriation for Census Building.
The conferees also voted this morning
on the question Of retaining the Senate
amendment appropriating lump sum OF
$4,000 for the purchase of site and
erection of a building for the census
Office, to be expended within the discre-
ton of the Secretary Of the Treasury.
They decided to retain this provision. II
will take the place Of the House pro-
vision, which gave separate amounts. ag-
gregating $6SOOOO, for the purchase OF
a site adjoining the present census office
building at the corner Of 1st and B
streets northwest and the erection Of an
additional building thereon.
OF course, the Secretary of the Treas.
nry will not be prevented under this pro-
vision from carrying out the plan of the
House, II he finds that the best interests
of the government can be served in that
allow him to buy any other site which he
may consider better.
Objection to Senate Restriction.
When the conferees got together fol
their first meeting in the rooms of the
Senate committee on the census this
morning 1t soon became apparent that
they would not be able to agree upon the
Senate amendments as easily as was first
expected; in fact. they got into pretty
tangle right away and the question at Is
sue was the Senate amendment affecting
applicants for government positions al
ready mentioned.
Not only was strenuous objection raised
to this amendment, on account of the
ofR fho 3ukv vs0f H.Yf
Director North of the census bureau anG
the civil service commissioners opposed
it on the ground that 1t would work a
great detriment to the government serv-
Ice.
In. the first place, as regards the tenn
porary employees for the thirteenth CEN
sus, Director North pointed out that there
are large number OF skilled operators
Of the tabulating and other mechanical
devices used in the census work who live
in the District and are anxious to return
to this work on account of the better sal
aries.
Mr.. North said that these men and
women, made perfect by experience in
work on the last decennial census, can
do the maximum amount OF work upon
the states and territories would be under
the necessity of learning to operate. the
machines all over again.
Such a requirement, in his opinion.
would be senseless, as 1t would mean a
great loss Of time and money to the gov
ernment.
It is true that the Senate modified its
amendment before adopting it, so as to
exempt these skilled employees from the
apportionment law. but this did not relieve
the difficulty entirely. because II these
men and women should claim residence in
the District of Columbia they would, OF
course, lose their legal residence in the
states to which they are now or may
hereafter desire to be accredited. This
would, of course, deprive them of the
mert, when the temporary census work is
over for the apportionment law would
apply to them as soon as they sought
other positions even under the census Of
flee.
Another troublesome feature of this pro-
vision was that citizens from the various
states and territories who might have
qualified under the law for temporary
positions either in the census Office or
any other branch of the government
service, would have lost their right to
take examinations later for permanent
positions by coming here and living for
a few weeks or months. At least, that
was the way the amendment was con-
strued.
Injury to the Service.
The officials of the civil service COM
mission also pointed out to the conferees
that the government service would be
immeasurably injured when it came to
getting efficient men to fill technical posi-
tions.
{ This class of employees has always been
the hardest to get, because the govern
ment salaries are not tempting as COM
pared with salaries on the outside, and
this. it is said. is likely to be the condi-
ton indefinitely.
Now, under the Senate amendment, such
men who might have been employed on a
job away from their home state or ter
ritory-and this class of men is usually
at work away from home-would have
had to go home and live there for year
before they could have taken the required
examination. This, It was explained, they
manifestly would not have been willing to
do, for they could not have given up their
employment without losing money. and
under no circumstances would they do So
merely to run the chance Of getting q
government position.
There was very little discussion OF this
important amendment at the time OF its
adoption. The general sentiment, how
ever, seemed to be in favor Of 1t. 1t just
happened that no senator pointed out the
objection to it as a practicable scheme.
Senator McCumber of North Dakota was
responsible for having 1t adopted. having
advocated 1t in committee Senator La
Toilette of Wisconsin, chairman of the
census committee, stood by 1t on the floor
rs a committee proposition, as 1t was his