The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-26
The War OF tho Padded Census-The
Crime OF Room AZ.

The census war between the Twin Cities
continues to wear wrinkled 'front.' and we
Judge from fierce and flaming tales in the
st. Paul and Minneapolis newspapers that
each Twin Is torn and deracinated by about
the same quantity Of wrath. To give any
adequate idea Of the excitement we shall
have to quote largely from the original au-
thorities. Even our solemn contemporary,
the st. Paul Pioneer-Press, which Is ordinar-
fly used for paper weight, grows active In
the atmosphere Of emotion that now envel-
ops Ramsey county. by st. Paul, fraud
dies~ exclaims the now thoroughly aroused
old truepenny In headlines Of living black
and portentous size. And here is the proem
to its story Of the wickedness Of Minneapolis:
Aroused from centre to circumference, in such
fashion before, and to such purpose that all
the waters OF Leth0 would not u them TO repose
the citizens OF st. Paul.
"sow to wrath long suffering, conservative 10 such
degree that their conservatism IL sometimes mia
taken for leharRy the solid men OF this goodly city
the wholesale merchants and 1obberA the professional
men and tho nufacturerS, saturated with o
conviction that the frauds in Minneapolis
DO exposed and those who perporasd them punished"
Seventy solid men of the goodly city met.
in fact, in the Mayors room at the City Hall
affidavit OF one JOHN II. MASON "the de-
tective who, in pursuance Of his duty, so in
gratiated himself into the councils Of tho
census padders that he was trusted with
evidences Of fraud sufficient to condemn an
archangel." MAsoN's affidavit Is very pretty
reading. He AYERS that he was sent to Min
neapolls on May 81, 1890, to ascertain II there
was anything crooked In tho method OF the
census takers there. He watched the Office
of Mr.. f. J. DAVENPORT, supervisor OF the
census for Hennepin county, whereof Mime
apolis is the chief jewel, and found that one
Of Supervisor DAvENPoRT's most frequent
callers was Mr.. Z. A. STEVENS who had
charge OF the operations OF tho so-called
Citizens Census Committee. MASON ap-
piled for employment to STEVENS, and was
directed to Room Is in the Government
building, and set to work. The work con-
sisted In transcribing enumerators' returns
upon blanks of another form. Six other
copyists were employed. AS soon as
the information was copied upon the
blanks the first form was destroyed. and
the others taken inside of other rooms
communicating with Room 4s. and
opening "only upon a certain signal
consisting Of four raps given In a certain
way" there being a doorkeeper stationed
inside. According to MASON, tho purpose OF
the transcription was to get In condensed
form the number OF vacant blocks, houses,
and rooms In each enumerator's district for
the purpose Of filling them with fictitious
names subsequently. While he worked In
Room 4S many packages OF enumerators'
preliminary reports, official schedule blanks,
and other documents were brought from the
rooms Of the supervisor of the census on the
floor below, and dumped into the three secret
chambers. On June he was set 10 copying
| list OF names which. STEVENS afterward
informed him, contained the names Of per-
sons whom the Associated Charities had as
sisted, but whose present whereabouts were
unknown. Other lists copied contained
names obtained from employment agencies
and lumbermen's camps. On June MASON
saw one GUS PLUMAIEB filing out blanks
not from any list or paper, but from his own
imagination. STEVENS impressed upon MA
SON that the work WAS confidential "You
are able to draw your own conclusions, and
the work is confidential" STEVENS warned
MASON TO use variations as to the States II
In filing out the blanks remembering that
there was preponderance OF Maine people
In Minneapolis, but not to make too many
from Maine, and mono from Minnesota, as
they already had enough of those" What
follows is amusing enough to be told in MA,
SONS own words:
-said s1VDu informed me thai - SSOu a. hGt
sOAS zSuEh I'D Satbs SiEhtI-SEh1 ShsStA VI Whisl