Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-06
CENSUS WORK.
The Frauds at st. Louis Unearthed and
Nesp Census to be Taken.

Washington Cor. New York World.
Gen. Walker, in charge of the census bu
reau, says he has seen statement printed,
purporting to give his estimate in the aggre
gate of the census this year. Gen. Walker
says that he had not permitted anything like
approximate statements to be given out at
this point. All of the estimates given have
been where census supervisors in various
cities have given out information on their
own responsibility. Before the census was
begun, Gen. Walker made prediction that
the enumeration this year would aggregate
for the entire United States between forty
seven and forty nine millions. Gen. Walker
says he does not intend to revise that pre-
dictiOn in any way, holding that it is cheap
or than to count the actual returns. Nothing
can be known officially about the census re-
turns for various States for several weeks
yet. A force Of
SIX HUNDRED CLERKS
is now directing its attention to couating
the census lists. Each list is counted eight
separate times by clerks independent of each
other, so that absolute accuracy is obtained
through detailed and minute comparison.
The only place where the work of enumera-
ton is being done over is in st. Louis. For
many years that city has been making
boasts of a much greater population than it
possessed SO it was not at all prepared for
the honest count by the census enumerators.
The census of st. Louis in 1870 was fraud
ulent one, Gen. Walker says he believes
that fifty thousand names were Improperly
included in the enumeration at that time.
He has the
FULL DETAILS OF THIS FRAUD,
and names of people guilty of the act, and
were it not for the statute of limitations
could have them punished for the fraud in
question. With this false basis the people
of st. Louis were not at all prepared for the
result this year. The postmaster of St..
Louis has himself, through his letter car
riers, taken another census of the city, and
alleges that twenty-five thousand names
were omitted from the lists taken by Gen.
Walkers enumerators. After this Gen.
| Walker sent special agent to st. Louis to
investigate. Upon his report re-ennumer-
alton has been ordered, and twenty-five of
the most experienced and skillfui of the old
| enumerators detailed to the work. st.
Louis is the only city where any COM
plant has been made. In all
others the chief superintendent of
census has had for an assistant a trained
statistician from Gen. Walkers staff at
Washington. In st. Louis the superin-
tendent was allowed to select his own assist
ant. The report of the special agent shows
that in some of the districts of st. Louis
the work was done specially, while in others
due diligence and skill had not been EN-,
ployed in looking up people who were in GU!
of the way places. While Gen. Walker is
certain that quite number of names will
be found that should properly be included in
the census, yet he is equally certain that
THE posTMAsrER's LIST
of twenty-five thousand will be found erro
neous. In this list are four classes of names
to which objection will be made:
!. Those who do not properly belong in
the list. This covers men employed in St
Louis, but who reside outside. A great
many of the employees of railroads work in
st. Louis, but live in East st. Louis, across
the river, in Illinois.
2. Names of people who do not come un
der the act, who have not been residents Of
st. Louis since June L.
3. Those about whose identity there may
ne some doubt. For instance, name OF
Gen. Walkers list may be spelled one way
and in the postmaster's list another way
Variations in initials through inaccuracy
may lead to the belief that two names repre-
sent two different individuals, when they
really mean only one.
4. Names of people who have reported
themselves as not enumerated by the United
States census takers In many cases wher,
men have reported themselves in this way i
will be found that information concerning
them has been obtained from relatives with
out their personal knowledge.
A careful revision of the entire list of so
called extra names will have the effect t.
cut it down very materially. However, whe,
the last enumeration of st. Louis is ended
its accuracy can be trusted. The work ii
being done by experts who have no persona
interest in the matter except to carry on
their instructions to obtain exact results