The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-02-18

NHF
In these words President Roosevelt
summed up a message to the House OF
representatives, returning without his
approval the bill providing for the taxi
ing OF the next census, because of the
provision providing that appointments
shall be made on the basis OF non
competitive examinations, instead Of
through the civil service commission
AS passed by congress the bill per-
mitted members and senator's to desig-
nate persons for positions after they
had undergone a simple examination.
Incidentally the president referred to
the provision authorizing the printing
OF reports by private concerns, n laid
stress on the point hat where work
was so allotted the eight-hour law
should be applied I'm effective fash
ion"
Outside of those matters the presi-
dent said that on the whole the bill
was satisfactory to him and represent
ed an Improvement on previous legisla-
ton on the subject.
The House adjourned without action
on the message.
Text of Message.
The message is as follows:
herewith return, without approval. II. r.
1884, entitled An act to provide for the
18th and subsequent ~decenniaI censuses. .
lido this with extreme reluctance, because
/ fully realize the Importance OF supply
ing the director OF the census at as early
a date as possible with the force tneces-
Eary to the carrying on OF his work. But
II is OF high consequences to the country
shall be conducted with entire accuracy.
Thts is as important from the standpoint
"a business and industry as from the
scientific standpoint. 1t is, therefore, in
should not be open to the suspicion OF bias
on political n personal grounds; that 1t
should not be open TO the reasonable sus-
picion Of being a waste of the peoples
Section Z OF the act provides in effect
that appointments to the census shall be
under the spoils system. for his is the
real meaning Of the provision that they
examination. The proviso is added that
they shall be selected without regard to
political party affiliations. But there Is
only n 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 eligibles provided by the civil .serv-
ice commission.
North,s Views. #
The present director of the census in
his last report states h exact fact about
these noncompetive examinations when he
says:
"A noncompetitive examination means
that everyone OF the many thousands who
will pass the examinations will have an
equal right to appointment, and that per-
sonal and political pressure must in the
end, as always before, become the deter
mining factor with regard to the great
body OF these temporary employments. j
Oan not too earnestly urge that the direc-
tor Of the census be relieved from this
unfortunate situation
To provide hat the clerks and other
employees shall be appointed after non
competitive examination, and yet to pro
vide that they shall be selected without
regard TO political party affiliations,
be treated as the perquisites Of the poll
ticians Of both parties, instead of as
the perquisites OF the politicians OF
Doctrine that to o the NOT Sict Ssi'G Seion n tine tine
Hpoils; but / him even less OF the doc
trine that the spoils shall be divided with
out q light. by the professional politicians
suit Of permitting the bill in fits present
shape to become a law. Both OF the last
census, the 18th and 18th, were taken
under a provision OF law excluding com
petition; that Is, necessitatinE the ap-
pointments being made under the spoils
system. Every man competent to speak
with authority because of his knowledge
OF and familiarity with the work of those
censuses has stated hat the result was to
produce extravaganza and generalization
Mr.. Robert +. Porter, who took the cen
suH of 1890, states that
The efficiency Of. the decennial census
would be greatly improved and its cost
materially lessened IL 1t were provided
tnat the employees should be selected in
a~ccordance with the terms OF the civil
service law"
frederick II. Wines, the ssistant direc-
TOR Of the census OF 1900, states as fol-
lows!
"A mathematical scale was worked out
by which the amber OF assignments to
each senator and representative was de-
seInlined IN advance, so many appoint
ments TO a senator, a smaller number TO
a representative, half as many to a demo-
Srat as TO a republican, and In democratic
states and congressional districts the as
signments were made to the republican
state and district committees. The as
signees named in the first instance the per-
sons TO be examined. They were after
wards furnished each with a list of those
named who had passed and requested to
name those who they desired to nave APP
pointed. Vacancies were filled in the same