The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-02-05
President Roosevelt Vetoes
Thirteenth Census Bill on
That Account.
Submits Reports Showing
Waste and deficiency.
LAST CENSUS COST TOO MUCH.

WaSlluEtOus rem. e."ff+eiutht
Roosevelt today sent the following
message TO the lower house, vetolng
the thirteenth federal census law. be-
cause Il provides the spells system OF
securing census employees:
II herewith return. without APP
proval. II. r. 1884. entitled An act
to provide for the thirteenth and sub
sequent decenniai censuses.' I do this
with extreme reluctance. because III
fully realize the importance OF sup
plying the director OF the census at
as early a date as possible with the
force necessary 20 the carrying on OF
his work. But II Is OF high conse-
quence 10 the country that the stats
teal work Of the census shall be con-
Quoted with entire accuracy. This Is
as important from the standpoint OF
business and industry as from the
scientific standpoint. II Is, there
fore. In my Judgment. essential that
the result should not be open to the
suspicion OF bias on political and per-
sonal grounds: that It should not be
open TO the reasonable suspicion Of
being waste Of the peoples money
and a fraud.
The spoils System.
Section Z OF the act provides In
effect that appointments 90 the CEN
sus shall be under the spells system.
for this IL the real meaning OF tho
provision that they shall be subject
only to noncompetltive examination
The proylso Il added that they shall
be selected without regard TO political
party affiliations But there Is only
one way to guarantee that they shall
be selected without regard TO politics
and on merit. and that Is by choosing
them after competitive examination
from the lists OF eltgibles provided by
the civil service commission. The
present director OF the census In his
last report states the exact fact about
these noncompetitive examinations
when he says:
"a noncompetitfve examination
means that every one OF the many
thousands who will pass the examlna-
lions will have an equal right to APP
polntment, and that personal and po-
iiticai pressure must In the end. as al
ways before, become the determining
factor with regard 70 the great body
OF these temporary employments.
can not too earnestly urge that the
director OF the census be relieved
from this unfortunate situation
''To provide that the clerks and
other employees shall be appointed af-
ter noncompetitiye examination. and
yet to, provide that they shall BE- Sc
lected without regard to political
party Affiliations. means merely that
the appointments shall be treated as
the perquIslties OF the politicians OF
both parties. Instead of as the per
auisltes OF the politicians OF one par
~ I do not believe in. the doctrine
that to the victor belong the spoils:
butI think even less OF the doctrine
that the spells shall be divided with
out a fight by the professional poll
ticians on both sides: that this would
be the result OF permitting the bill
in its present shape 70 become law.
Both OF the last census, the eleventh
and the twelfth, were taken under q
provision OF law excluding competi-
ton: that is, necessitating the appoint
ments being made under the spoils
system. Every man competent 20
speak with authority because of his
knowledge OF and familiarity with the
work OF those censuses has stated
that the result was TO produce extray-
aganco and decentralization. Mr.. Rob-
ert p. Porter, who took the census In
1890, states that
Porter's Report.
"'The efficiency OF the decennial
census could be greatly improved and
its cost materially lessened II II were
provided that the employees should be
selected In accordance with the terms
OF the civil service law
'Mr. Frederick II. Wines the as
sistant director of the census of 1900
states as follows: ~
"a mathematical scale was work
ed out by which the number OF as
signments' to each senator and repre-
sentative was determined in advance,
30 many appointments to a senator, a
smaller number to a representative
half as many to Democrat as a Re-
publican. and In Democratic states
and congressional districts the as
signments were made to the Republi-
can state and district committees
The assignees named in the first In
stance the persons to be examined