The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-13
YOU BEEN COUNTED +?
If Not, Go to Supervisor speer and
Put Down Your
Name.
Helena Must Have q Complete
Census Taken Of Her
Population.

population.
Tho Citizens Committee viii Assist Mr..
speer-Let Everybody Help Roll
Up the Figures.
The men of Helena can do wonderful
things when they work together. Some
time ago, in accordance with the law, the
government started out to ascertain the
number of people in the United States.
Montana used to be considered as not be-
longing to the great family of states. but
she now counts one on the starry field of
the American flag. That's why Uncle Sam
appointed supervisor &c take charge OF
the count in Montana. After the count
was made great wall went up from all
parts of the country. Close to Montana
were seen the two rival cities of Minneapo-
lis and St. Paul both engaged in a conten-
tion over their respective populations, not
unlike the famous battle of the Kill
kenny felines. Denver made big
kick and other towns which had any preten-
tions at all, sent in strong protest against
the results and the methods used by Uncle
Sam and his minions. Helena, too, had
her grievance. She had what was called an
enumeration of her inhabitants and after
some of the returns had been sent to the
supervisor at Butte it became appa rent that
the work was not complete. Then the re-
turns were sent back and another effort was
made to complete the census, but this Sec
nrd QftAronf did NOT entiafQnk nv
Then the men of Helena showed what they
could do by united action.
And while they were beseiginR the pow
ers at Washington THE INDEPENDENT kept
the question before the people and aided
in the efforts to secure complete census of
people of Helena Superintendent Porter in
structed Supervisor Speer to 60 over the
work again and do everything to secure q
correct count of the city's population. In
obedience to these instructions MIR. Speer
arrived in Helena yesterday. Characteris-
pervisor here and not to provide him with
the necessary funds to secure Office quar-
ters and other necessary cOnveniences to
enable to carry out his instructions. As
soon as this was learned the Chamber OF
Commerce rendered Mr.. Speer the use of its
room in the basement of the Power block
and furnished him competent clerk. The
supervisor took up his quarters yesterday
morning in the Power block and was busy
all day in,getting ready for the work. Mr..
A. w. Beary of the Chamber of Commerce
will act nd Mr.. 6peer's assistant. s.
The eysdence all goes 10 show that the
work in most cases was poorly performed.
In. the first place too much was attempted
to be done, and long before the enumerators
had commenced work most people were pre-
JUDGED against the census. Certain of the
questions were clearly impertinent and
there IS nothing that an American citizen
will resent any quicker than an intrusion
difficulty alone that the enumerators had to
encounter. Cases are known where they
have gone to houses and no one being at
home to furnish the necessary information
the enumerators went away and have not
been seen since. In fact there are people
enumerated or not. And there are people
who have not been enumerated at all as will
appear when the citizens committee get
through assisting Mr.. Speer. In the West
ern Union telegraph Office there are % men
employed, and an employe of the company
more than six of the force had been emu
merated. Assistant Postmaster Hoss says
he does not know whether he has been
counted or not and that four persons at his
house were not seen. Marshal Cronin, one
would think, could easily be found by a
diliRent enumerator. Not one of them took
his name, however. "None of them ever
came near me,' said the marshal. Hon.
Samuel Word is familiar figure in Helena
and how he over managed to escape the
keen-eyed ennmerators is a mystery. Hon.
A. j. Seligman and DR.. Cole did not get
their names on the lists until yesterday
afternoon, when they went to the chamber
Of commerce room for that purpose. How
did the enumerators miss them? Even
Neil Vawter. whom everybody in Helena
knows, was not called upon. The King
family, numbering five. who reside in the Orc
Fino terrace, are well known citizens,
yet they do not seem to have made the ac-
Sherwood Wheaton, the deputy county
clerk and recorder, says he has not been
enumerated. There are four persons at the
residence of County Clerk and Recorder
Tooker whose names were not taken. The
Rev. +. b. Allen, pastor OF the Baptist
merate his mother-in-law and two sisters.
Mr.. A. W. Lyman, editor of The INDEPEND-
ENT, and his family Of four have not been
enumerated. These are only few instances
and plenty more could be found
in a short time. There is oAe
case to show in what manner
of State Senator Brown, says that the
enumerator told him that his name had
been put down. That was all Mr.. Brown
could learn from the enumerator. HE
doesn't even know my age" said Mr..
Brown. From what can be learned the
statistics that have been collected, outside
of showing the number of people, are moth
ing more or less than lot of figures, and
answers to questions which nine times out
of ten nobody would hesitate to evade.
Within short time after the census was
reopened persons began to come in and
give their names, among them being such
well known people as G. l.. Vawter, Hon.
A. j. Seligman, Mr.. Lainie Higgs, DR.. Cole.
Hon. Sam Word and Erastus Green. The
citizens committee are CO operating with
Mr.. Speer and his assistants and the work
will commence in earnest tomorrow morn
ing.
The meetings in the various wards last
night under the auspices of the citizens
committee were generally we'll attended,
and the work of organization was under
taken in earnestness. Different methods of
assisting in the work were adopted
in the various wards, but it
is probable that, good work will
be done in every ward. The plan favored
by the citizens committee is to have the
work in each ward in charge of O residen
OF that ward who is thoroughly acquainted
with lts people, and to have as a staff as
sisting him g body of twenty-five active
men, each OF whom shall be assigned by
the chairman to make . canvass of single
street. This was the plan put in Operation
by Mrssrs. Cory, Seligman and others Of the
night. 1t is believed that very many peo-
Pile in that part Of the city have not been
enumerated, and Chairman Richards, who
in ahnN kaIs