Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1909-08-20
TAKE THE CENSUS
OUT OF POLITICS
PRESIDENT TAFT SERVES NOTICE
ON CENSUS SUPERVISORS
AND ENUMERATORs.
PAY ATTENTION TO BUSINESS
Any Man Engaged in Taking Thir-
teenth Census of the United States
Who Engages in Politics Will
be Dismissed.

Beverly, Mass.-In a letter ad-
dressed to Secretary Nagel of the
department of commerce and labor,
President Taft serves notice that any
man engaged in politics in any way
will be Immediately dismissed from
the service. Outside of casting their
votes the president believes that CEN
sus supervisors and enumerators
should keep clear of anything that sa-
vors of politics, national, state or local.
The president orders that the secre-
tary of commerce and labor and the
director of the census embody in the
regulations governing the taking of
the census the rule SO forcibly laid
down in his letter.
Mr. Taft says that in appointing
necessary to select men recommended
by senators and congress men in their
| districts. He says he realizes that
this method of selection might easily
be perverted to political purposes and
it is to take the census out of politics,
so far as the actual work is concerned,
that he has explicitly expressed his de-
sires as to the regulations.
President Taft has told the repre-
sentatives and senators who have
urged various men for census places
that he would insist that no active par
tisan should be named and that no at
tempt should be made to build up a
political machine in any state or dis
trict through the distribution of the
census patronage. The presidents let
ter in full follows:
Beverly, Mass, Aug. IA. 1909.
MY Dear Mr.. Secretary:-The taking
| of the census involves the appointment of
| some 300 supervisors, who, in turn, are
to appoint many times that number of
| enumerators. The supervisors are given
| complete discretion in the selection of
| enumerators respectively to act under
them. The success cf the census will de-
pend upon the efficiency and strict at
| tention to duty of the supervisors and
upon the intelligence of the enumerators
| and their faithful application to the busi-
| ness in hand.
Generally, there is a supervisor for
| each congressional district 1t has been
| found to be the quickest and best means
| suit the congressman and senators as to
| competent candidates from their respec-
| tive districts and states.
| This system can easily be perverted
| TO pontlcal purposes II the supervisors
| are not forbidden to use Ii as an instru-
| ment for influencing local and general
| elections and primaries in the interest. of
| partisan candidates or parties. 1t is not
| an unreasonable requirement that any
one who accepts an appointment as SUI
| pervisor or enumerator shall. during
| the term of his employment and service,
| avoid an active part in politics.
| II therefore order, that, in the prepar-
| alton of regulations for the taking of the
census, you and the director of the CEN
| sus embody therein a provision that any
| supervisor or enumerator who uses his
| influence with his subordinates or COL
| leagues to assist any party, or any can
didate in primary or general election,
or who takes any part, other than mere
| ly casting his vote, in politics, national,
state or local, either by service upon a
political committee, by public addresses.
by the solicitation of votes, or otherwise,
shall at once be dismissed from the
| service.
II wish to make this regulation as
| broad as possible and wish 1t enforced
Importance that the census should be
taken by men having only the single pur-
pose of reaching a just and right result
| and that the large amount of money to
be expended in the employment of SO
vast a machine the census shall not
be made to serve the political purposes
of any one. Sincerely yours,
civilian Howard Taft"
"Hon. Charles Nage,
| Secretary of Commerce and Labor. v