The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-03
School Census Figures That
Do Not Tally with
the Facts.
FOLLOWING UP CROOKED LISTS.
A Jersey City News Reporter
Makes u Canvass in the Fourth
Distrlct---Facts for the Grand
Jury.


State to the effect that the enumeration
of school children made in Jersey City
was fraudulent, were false.
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS, knowing my
enthusiastic belief in the honesty OF the
census-takers, sent me out to verify their
reports, and thus refute the charges Of
fraud.
1t was with grief in my heart that L
found the charges of fraud were more
than true. | did not go very Tar, put af laf
enough to prove conclusiyely that at least
one Of the census takers swore to what he
knew to be lie.
And all for five cents name!
The census of the children of school
age in Jersey City is taken by ennumer-
ators appointed by the Board o OF em
house to house and make record OF all
children between the ages OF five and
eighteen years, together with their resi-
dences, the names of their fathers or
mothers, as the case may be, and their In
dividual ages.
Some of them may do this-I have not
gone over the ground after them and can
not say-but for one | can answer. -
The most serious charges of fraud were
made about the census of the Fourth dis
trict, where it was said that the number
of children was within few hundreds OF
the entire population of the district. This
was, of course, the first place tried.
WHAT Mr.. woRMsLEY SAID.
James Wormsley is the enumerator |
went to him, told him of the charges, and
asked him what he had to say.
1T was a fair and square canvass, so far
as my district was concerned" he said.
II went from house to house, and was
surprised to find, when the canvass was
completed, that, notwithstanding the in
fux of population in the last year, my fig-
ures were thirty behind those of my pre-
e'sOi dren in the district last year
between the ages of five and eighteen
years was II, pa This year | could lind
but 1924. Now the only way can
account for the shrinkage in the figures is
that among many of the uneducated
classes was set down for factory in
spector, | caught number of parents
whose children work in the factories and
help to support their families, during
portion of the year, trying to conceal the
information / was looking for through
fear that the law would compel them to
call their children from the factories and
send them to school"
was very much pleased with this
statement. 1t only strengthened my, be-
lief that the census was honest. then
went over to Hoboken and looked at the
report of Mr.. Wormsley now in the pos
session of the Rev. George c. Houghton.
who is the representative in Hudson of
the State Board of Education.
IS THIS PERJURY?
Mr. Wormsley had gone before notary
public and had sworn to the accuracy OF
his enumeration-as, indeed, every one of
the census takers must do before Mr..
Houghton will take any notice of his re-
port
thought it more than unlikely that Mr..
Wormsley would take his oath to the
truth of fraudulent census.
Just to satisfy myself l copied few
pages of the report, and went up to the
Fourth district to verify them.
Alas!
1t was all a lie!
I had not taken any particular pages of
in the middle, had copied the names in
rotation, and this is what found:--
The very first house on my list was NO.
1866 South street. where Fred. Wenk was
supposed to have, of school age, four chill
dren-Fred, Louis, Annie and John. |
name of her only child was Anna Freda.
This staggered me little, and went
TO the floor below, where, according to
Mr.. Wormsley's report, William Drinkie
lives with five children ofschool age-Lena
Katie, William, Adolph and James Lena
Wormsley makes no mention, but none OF
the others.
CLEAN OF HOPE.
felt pretty bad. One house visited,
and six names out of nine found to be
false! But in the house of David P. Rose,
at No. 200 South street, We're seven chll.
dren, all of school age, just as the report
claimed, and felt better, thinking that
Mr.. Wormsley might have been deceived.
Alack-a-day!
1t was the only house, with one excep-
ton, where Mr.. Wormsley had not lied
about the family-and in that 7, ,1 one There ere
were also seven children, SO that ne dld
not dare to add any.
John Stroble lives at No. 204, and Mr..
Wormsley had correctly reported him as
the father of John, Adolph, Otto and
Charles, but had generously added
Emma, Annie and james, with whom
Mrs. Stroble has no acquaintance.
Mrs Meyer, of No 2l0, has Lizzie and
Henrietta, but Edna, Katy, Theodore and
George, are not children of school age"
belonging to her. BY the way, Mr..
Wormsley had forgotten to speak OF Hen
rietta.
as being the father of Charles, George,
T,ouis. Lena, August and James, denies
ali but the two first mentioned.
The following people do not live in the
house at all:--John Mcmahon father of
.I0hn. Maggie, Auiilo, w IAllc duSl lnOulHS,
Jonis Heine, father of Louis, Annie, Will
lie Anton and Kate. and William Meters,
father of Willie, Lena, Minnie, August
and John. But on the other hand, Mrs
Danbeck does live there with her three
children, Teresa, Otto and Emma.
THE SAME OLD STORY.
Naxt door. at No. 212, Mrs Frank Barth
assured me that of the five children of
school age sworn to by Mr, Wormsley-
Charles, Albert, Gsorge Gorge henry ans an and An
f;enry Astheimer, at No. PA, owns up
"a Willie, Robert and Dora, but denies
Peter Hem, Of No. 2l6, in the same way
acknowledges Elizabeth, Margaretta,
Peter and Mary, but wonders who Theo-
dore and James may be.
Christian WIGHT lives next door, at No.
2ls, and though Mr.. Wormsley had got
the names of his seven children all right,
he had lied about their ages. Miss Emma,
who u sixteen years old, assured me that