Show V THE CENSUS ENUMERATOR In the Census building a great room Ix now the scene of bustling activity the work of preparing portfolios for iisj by cntinxerators in he coming count of the population being fairly 1 under way Those portfolios of whit I Ishbrown l paslebord hinged together t i with black cloth are eighteen iiuhes lone and ten wide and tier with four J sets of tape The tape used is not that i I red tape which to the I ordinary l mind I I signifies circumlocution and delay The I law requires speed In the census of 1J00 and common evcryclay uhltc cotton tape will fasten the scheduleTilled I I portfolios In their round from habita I lion to habitation For convenient nc I curate and rapid enumeration I the I United States has been divided Into 300 1 Miuervlsors districts and tlnse III turn into about 50000 enumeration dls J trlcls or K D V as they are called r III the census office Each of the jOQOO ii enumerators is yet to IK appointed so I I on the portfolios a blank space is loft I for his name I The last census found the unhappy I ottumcratnr loaded down with from ten I to thirteen schedules each havinfr voluminous vol-uminous Instructions to master which I I reauired considerable mental abilltv I and power of memory That census was 1 taken under a law which required enumerators to ask many obnoxious nuestlons Under din penalties of I threatened prosecution and fine in case I of refusal at every home the family I skeleton must be brought forth for I classification and iccord Sensitive people who SparUinllke had long Concealed I Con-cealed an insidious malady gnawing at I their Mtals must divulge their hidden I ailment Harassed unhappy persons I struggling under a burden of debt yetI yet-I striving to keep up appearances must V confide to the enumerator their financial I finan-cial woes He sternly demanded Information I Infor-mation as to defects of mind sight I hearing and speech and If a member I of the family was a prisoner convict I homeless child or pauper The In I Jlrmatles of crippled maimed or de formed must also be duly classed and I catalogued That answers thus ob I tained t were not for publication ill the daily papers but simply for tabulation by i employees sworn not to divulge census cen-sus facts failed to alleviate the painful l duty of making them The census act of 1900 happily for all does not require those disagreeable queries Four schedules not ten cover enumerators enume-rators inquiries In lOOfl Schedules requiring re-quiring Information about population vital statistics manufactures and agriculture agri-culture Jn cities the enumerator will l seldom need the agricultural or in rural districts the manufacturing schedule so he will infrequently carry more than I three o a j Frequent complaints and charges of inaccuracy in preceding censuses have arisen from distrust of the enumera t ors Not Infrequently the gross Ignorance Igno-rance i of an enumerator rendered his work valueless A stream cannot rice above Its source and the census cannot rise In accu racv I above the standard established tfy the enumerators Concerning affairs whether local or national In Importance but 1 which only admit of national administration ad-ministration time individual citizen eels little personal responsibility The Federal census Is primarily of local l Importance I For the United States asa as-a whole a general average will beached e b-eached of a magnitude which inaccu rale returns from a considerable number num-ber i of E Ds will not essentially affect af-fect On tIme other hand In any political politi-cal district the peoples constitutional l rights may be seriously Impaired by a dishonest i or incompetent enumerator Where rival political parties predominate predomi-nate In different part of the same Stale the constitutional apportionment of representation upon the census bal ol population decides State and Vt times t national Issues 11 i is sellcvldunt that enumerators Sn i tick districts should be of unquestioned unques-tioned ability and Integrity OC the 50000 enumerators for whose appointment and work the census ofllce must be held responsible It can have no direct knowledge but It has ire j nfared and will send out a test schedule which each candidate is expected to Jill out according lo accompanying1 instructions in-structions From this schedule when completed and returned an Idea of his ability to comprehend and follow Instructions In-structions a mviii be obtained For his honesty and Integrity those who recommend hc commend him must bo held responsible A general icallzatlon by American citizens of their personal Interest In a successful prosecution of the canvass by i this whiletape army should arouse sentiments t of local Interest and prfde nnd in each enumeration district citizens citi-zens would concern themselves about the selection of their registrar and local arbiter 4 A marked degree of pride and patriotism pa-triotism t local and national was evoked when the National Guard was Called out for service in the Spinlsh Amerlcan war In order thut dread of lost l employment should not be added tn t the risk and danger of a soldiers life l many cmployeis held cPn for their mun the places they had left and not Infrequently eorinued time payment of their salaries so that a private soldiers small pay might not be the only dependence de-pendence of their families Thu whlteUipe army should be made uu of iivn of as high a standard as Ihoyo who of laic won the worlds re sped and admiration They should be quick competent courteous tactful und truthful Ten hours a day for two weeks in urban und four in rural districts dis-tricts they will spend in gaining entrance en-trance to those Impregnable castles the homes of American citizens To prove thulr victory correct replies to all the schrdulj questions must be recorded for each of these castles rue white tape soldiei will have no chance for glory or preferment He must find eaurage In feeling that peace hath Its victories und that the world knows nothing of its greatest men When he shall have completed his duties Incidentally Inci-dentally making enemies for life of village vil-lage gossips who did not want to tell their own ages but demanded to read Ihorfe of everybody else he will receive a compensation which the Director of the Census IH endeavoring to fix at such a rati that each energetic enumerator may earn at least S3 a day under the condition prevailing In his district Now that the high tide of prosperity leaves few men of the required ability unemployed the enlistment of this whitetape army should waken feelings oC local and Individual responsibility Enumerators arc to be residents of the districts where they perform duty Voters In each district should satisfy themselves that suitable selections of enumerators are made If the local and national value of the service were better understood the enumerators oinco would attain greater dignity In time nubile estimation and each district I would assure Itself against injury through mistaken recommendations or appointments |