The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-10
he CENSUS OF HELENA.
e. Spser Thinks Large Percent
ago Of Helena Has Been
Enumerated.
responsible Citizens Of Helena
Do Not Agree. With the
Supervisor.

The Supervisor in Reply to q Petition for
Recount Writes = Surprising
Letter.
Ono W. O. speer, of Butte, by the grace
Of the powers that be at Washington, is
supervisor of the census for the district of
Montana. It is not known whether he was
born to fill the position, whether he achiev-
ed it or whether it was thrust upon-most
likely the latter. After the Helena enumer-
ators had sent in their returns the super
visor Of the census for the district of Mon
tana estimated that Helena had popula-
tion of about II 600. A good many we'll in
formed men here believe that the city has a
larger population, and various estimates
have been made ranging from $1,000 to TO-
Geo. There has been much telegraphing
and writing of letters about the matter to
secure recount of the city. Mr.. Speer
some days ago received telegram from
Superintendent Porter reading as
follows: prominent citizens of
Helena telegraph Sanders and Power
that you have oroered the re-
turn of schedules before completion. They
claim that thew have hundreds of names
yet uncounted. There is no reason why
sufficient time should not be allowed emu
merators to make complete and satisfac-
tory enumeration of the people of Helena"
TO this telegram Mr.. Speer sought fit to
send the following answer:
BUTTE, July 1.-The dispatch of persons
to Senators Sanders and Power from Hell
ena is absolutely false, without the slight
est foundation for any such statement.
Enumerators were granted all the time
asked or required and were required to 60
over their districts again; also to take all
the names presented by the citizens COM
place 9hem there upon being satisfied that
such persons were entitled to be enumer-
ated. / cannot compete with newspapers
and real estate boomers in fixing popula-
tion.
On the Sd of July Mr.. +. r. Wallace, of
petition. which was signed by fifty-two re-
sponsible citizens of Helena, for the pur-
pose of securing fair enumeration. The
petition was also accompanied by letter
stating that it was not an effort by real
estate boomers and newspapers to boom the
city.
The fact of the matter is that just as the
committee of citizens was about to get
down to work the returns were forwarded to
Mr.. Speer, thus removing the opportunity
of the citizens to secure full enumeration
of the inhabitants.
In answer to this respectful petition the
supervisor wrote as follows:
Office of Supervisor of Census for the
Dictrict of Montana, Butte. Montana, July
9Th, 1890-Messrs. David A: Cory, A. j. Sci
igman and others, Helena, Montana.-Gen-
tlemen-Your remarkable communication
of July the I'd at hand and noted. The sur
prising character Of this document alone
makes it difficult to answer. 1t may there
fore be we'll in the first place to state that
no one of standing could. l imagine, sign
this document, if he knew the facts. 1t is
quite reasonable to suppose that the per-
sons signing this statement have regard for
truth, that they would not knowingly or in
tentionally make the misstatements it con-
tains, which are so very apparent to one
possessed of the facts that l have in this
case. It is also quite reasonable to sup
pose, that persons who have the good un
Outstanding of most of those whose names
are appended to this document would not
knowingly and voluntarily parade them
selves as in this case as lacking that es
sential. So after careful examination of
the names attached to this communication,
/ am forced to the conclusion that most of
the persons signing the same did not fully
appreciate what they were signing. 1t is to
this class that make answer.
In this communication you say you are
prepared to state from knowledge of the
facts, that there are thousands of your peo-
pie not yet taken by the enumerators. Now
cannot believe the gentlemen signing this
document are prepared to make any such
statement. Most of them have not had the
time to devote to the subject, to ascertain
this fact, if fact it be. They have not the
data to arrive at this conclusion. Certain
data which l conceive are absolutely neces-
sary to the determination of this point, VIZ:
A list of those collected by the enumerators.
If you or any of you have this information i,
should be pleased to know from whom you
obtained the same.as the returns OF the
cases to be confidential if you
have this data, which you must
have obtained surreptitiously (Which l do
not believe). do not believe that one of
your number has interviewed thousands
and compared them with the results of the
say there is a general balance of thousands
who have been missed by the much abused
enumerator. But on the superstition that
you do not have the returns of the enumer-
ators. l do not believe there is one of your
number who has interviewed one thousand,
to say nothing of thousands, upon the sub
iect of enumeration. The substantial ac-
curacy of the census of place where thous-
ands are to be considered, is not determined
by personal interview. but by comparison
Oh GI0 VOTES CdSL OE TeSlSbeTeu lue NUM-
Der of children of school or under school
age, with the number of persons purportlng
to have been enumerated. This latter
number you do not possess. This is but
one of the many ways of arriving at the
substantial accuracy of the census. Tried
by this rule, your statement would make
Helena an anomaly indeed. That
there are many persons, particularly
men who have not been person
ally enumerated by the enumerators is true,
and this is especially the case of men of
family, whose enumeration has been given
by the wife, or some other credible member
of the family acquainted with the facts.
Helena is a city of families and of stable
population, and have no doubt that very
large percentage of her people have been
enumerated in this way. A perfect census
is never had. All that has or can be OBJ
tanned is one that is substantially SO. This
am quite convinced that you have had,
from a comparison of the number enumer
ated with the data in my possession.
You also state that sufficient time was not
granted to complete the lists. All that l
can say is this, that all time asked or re-
CURED by the enumerators was granted.
Schedules being returned by them to this
office. in most cases, a second time, and in
all cases upon their own motion. except as
hereinafter mentioned. After being
instructed to go over their districts
second time, for the purpose of
collecting those who may have been missed