Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-17
FIGURES THAT LIED.

Sorisas Charges -4G0i.,st Il. z. Potter.
Washington special to the New York
World says: Mr.. Robert =. Porter, for
merly special census agent in charge of
the compilations of wealth, debt, and taxa
ton, and latterly stetistican for the tariff
commits sion, prepared for The North Amer
tcai, Pscie21 III the spring of last year an
| article purportfng to give the exact fnan-
| cial condition OF several of the southern
states. The figures therin given were re-
garded as authentic,andthe article.appear-
ing at the time of MahOne's entry into the
senate, was frequently quoted in that body
by Republicans during the heated review
of the financial icondition of the South
provoked by Mahone's expository speech.
1t is now charged, with an array of cir
cumstances tending to fasten partisan mo-
tives upon Mr.. Porter, that the figures
were not only inaccurate and unjust to
the South. but that VIXEN the fact of their
lnaccuracy was brought to Mr.. Porte. s
attention he refused to accept the cor
rected figures, out ordered that the official
bulletins be made to conform to his pro-
nunciamentO. The charges are brought
by the Critic in an article which says with
reference to the correct figures that when
lnaccUi acieS in the North american article
were discovered one clerk called the atten-
ton OF his chief to the fact that the debt
of Tennessee was cne-tifth less as compu-
ted from the Official sources than appeared
il this magazine article.
"Well,' said Mr.. Porter, 'sthat doesn't
matter; the otficiahfgures must conform
to the figures in the article"
But" exclaimed the clerk, with aston
ishmert. ''our report won't be accurate,
then.''
Never mind" said Mr.. Porter, 81 will
take care of that. I want those figures
just as they appeared in The North Amer
icon ReviciU. Il you dor't do it I will do
it myself"
It was done, aud when the advance bulle-
tins were sent out from the bureau for the
popular information, protests came pour
ing in from every southern state,
to the effect that this fnan-
cial status was incorrectly Civ
ell by the bureau. 1t is understood
that Senator Harris, of Tennessee, was
one of the protestants against the alleged
condition of his state financially, but the
good work of census-making went on as
bravely as ever. The protests found con-
temptuous sepulchre in the waste-basket
of the bureau.
Not only were the southern states mis-
represented in this special department.,
but the Pacific coast states and territories
were made to suffer equally cruel wrongs.
The departmental circulars which were
thrown broadcast over the country for infor-
nation did not come in promptly from that
section, so their financial condition was
left largely to Mr.. Porter's fertile imaoi-
nation.
The Cr;;'::c recalls, also, what has before
been published-that Mr.. Porter's able
work on the resources of the West was COM
piled from data prepared especially for
that purpose by twenty or thirty census
clerks during regular Office hours, and thai
when prepared the work was sent to Lon
don for publication, instead of being given
out in this country. Another charge
brought against Mr.. Porters division is
that B"adstreet's commercial agency fig
ured extensively in the work, Mr.. Porter
being, it is alleged, in the employ of the
firm at the time at salary of $4,000 per
annum. One advantage of this connection
was that some 100000 of the firms adver-
dsements were inclosed with the govern
rnent circulars sent throughout the coun-
try for statistical information. This must
have saved the firm at least $4,000 in post
age stamps, besides being one of the finest
advertising lodges ever contaminated.
Fun ther disclosures in this line are prom
ised, seriol5 enough it is predicted. TO war
rant q congressional investigation at the
coming session.