The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-29

answer and says that the government can
not compel reply. The editor claims to
have taken legal advice in the matter, and
tells its hundreds Of thousands of readers
not to be bulldozed or frightened into
exposing private affairs THE HERALD
does think that the statistics obtained will
be of very little value, for the reason that
truthful replies will not be given. No
matter what the law commands, people will
not expose family secrets such as the au-
thorities propose to eXtort. The average
man may be opposed to lying. but he will
state an untruth before he will tell things
that are asked, and the deception, or false
hood, as you may prefer to call 1t, will
trouble his conscience less than would the
truth Here are some of the offensive
qneries that will be profounded next week:
22-whether The or she isl suffering from
acute or chronic disease, with the name OF the
disease and length of time afflicted.
2s-Whether defective in mind, sight, hearing
or speech, or whether crippled, manned or de-
| formed. and name of defect.
24-Whether o prisoner, convict, homeless
child. pauper.
25 and 26-Is the home you live in hired or is
it owued by the head or by a member Of the
family?
Elf owned by head or member of family, Is
the house free from mortgage incumbrance
2S-If the head OF the family is a farmer, is the
farm which he cultivates hired, or is it owned
| by him or any member of his family?
29-If owned by head or member of family, is
the farm free from mortgage incumbrance?
3o-If the home or farm is not owned by head
or member of family or mortgaged. give the
post Office address of owner.
Now, we submit that it might be OF in
terest to some to know how many people
there are in the country suffering from
every acute or chronic disease, and we also
submit that there are good many people
suffering from such diseases who would
about as soon go to prison as to let others
know of their Affections. Political econo-
mists would undoubtedly like to know how
many people are living in rented houses,
how many are carrying mortgages, and so
on, but most men are sensitive as to debt,
guarding the secret of their liabilities and
financial obligations as sacredly as they do
the skeletons which are held under lock
and key in their closets. The questions
are simply improper, uncalled for and i'm
pudent. They are offensive to the sensi-
tive person, and the fact that they will
not be answered generally and correctly
should be sufficient cause for their elimi-
nation from the schedules The popular
protests against them became so earnest
that the other day one Representative, Mr..
MCADoo, of New Jersey, introduced IN the
House the following resolution:
Whereas, Complaint is being made by citizens
of the alleged inqusitorial character of the
questions proposed to be asked by the censu;
enumerators, which questions are declared t
be incompatible with the rights of free men ant
r an unwarranted and unconstitutional exercise
| of power by the federal government; therefore
> be it
Resolved, That the committee on the eleventh
census be and they are hereby directed to make
inquiry into the questions proposed to be asked
of citizens by the census bureau or its agents
and to report by bill or otherwise, looking, i
found necessary, to the proper restriction of th'
same.
e 1t is too late now to pass the resolution
o and correct the wrong. The schedules hav,
: been printed and are being distributed
n and next Monday the work of listing tn,
i people and insulting them at the same tim
n will begin; but tie fact that such resolu
v ton has been presented proves that blum
= der was perpetrated in arranging the ques
It tons to be propounded.
o THE HERALD does not advise anybody t
t refuse to answer any question found in tn
a blanks, but it thinks a man would be an as
S to answer correctly some of them, and GU
+ opinion of Dr. CONDOR is that he possesse
:. so much good sense and is so independen
: as citizen and man that he will agre
l. with US in this matter.