The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1910-01-21
MR.. NAGEL
TO SUPERVISORS.
The Secretary's Vigorous
Address Following the
Presidents.

Nagel of the Department O.
Commerce and Labor. under
whose supervision is the work O.
the Bureau of the Census, at the
conference of eastern state SUI
pervisors here gave a vigorous
talk on the subject of their duty
in which he emphasized anc
added to what had been sale
by the President to the census
field chiefs previously at the
White House. The Secretary
said:
I wanted a chance to meet
you-not to speak to you, but to
shake hands and possibly eX-
change a word here and there
as occasion might offer. There
is further reason why it will
be difficult for me to say any
thing at this time. We have a
rule that after the President has
spoken his Secretaries have
nothing to say. Laughter |
happened to be in the White
House when you were there,
and heard what the President
said. To now repeat would not
give emphasis; to add is barely
pardonable.
Il am very glad that you did
have an opportunity, however,
to meet the President himself
and to hear from him just what
the attitude of the Executive on
this matter of the taking of the
census is; and | am glad that
he had an opportunity to say
to you how thoroughly he is in
earnest about what he has here
tofore said. 4
st is unnecessary for me to
dwell upon the Importance of a
correct census. Of course, we
want to take a better census
than has ever before been taken
and that is no disparagement
of the work of predecessors. We
ought to improve; we ought to
improve for reasons which are
self-evident; we ought to i'm
prove because the need for a
correct and adequate census now
is greater than it has ever been
before. 1t is so on account of
the growth of our own country,
and because we are coming into
relations with other countries,
so that a correct report and a re-
liable statement, to be used not
only at home but for comparison
with what other countries are do
ing, is the one essential foun-
dation of all calculations.
Now, we have done, as we
think, what we can to accomp-
lish that result. So far as we
could. we have placed in charge
here at the head men who are
experienced, competent, and en-
thusiastic. Of course, the office
here might be perfect in its
machinery and it's administra-
ton, and yet the entire work
would he failure unless you
did what the President indicated
this morning. After all, grant
ing a false premise anything can
be proved. No matter how fine
the superstructure may be, il
the foundation is not right the
building is not worth anything.
1t is for you to furnish the foun'
dation for what is going to be
done You are responsible tt
the Director, TO me, and to The
President. That is the import
ance to your position.
Nov, there is lot of human
nature in this thing, as was indi
Gated to you this morning. Yol
! will have to be judges of a goof
many things, and you will have
to show some discretion. Ant
there is a lot Of human natur
beyond you when it comes to tn,
activities of the enumerators
themselves. A man might, foI
illustration, be a good business
man and vet not be a goo'
enumerator, because ne nigh
not have the confidence of tn,
people with whom he has t
deal. It is not always easy t,
get men Of the right qualifica
tions. 1t is easy enough to max
ext Munitions. but It nastAEa fal