The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-29
He Will Swoop Upon Land the Fifty
Thousand Strong Next
Monday.
They Will Ask All Sorts of I'M
pertinent but Official
Questions.
Twenty-Five heterogeneous Will be Pro-
pounded to Each Person-The PEN
atty for Refusing to Answer.

|
adelphia Record. They will be the census
enu,nerators, and they will ask all sorts of =
questions from chow old are your" to ''who =
was your grandfather" Robert p. Porter T
will hold the reins over this team, and di- I
rect their movements from Washington. !
For convenience sake, the country has
been divided into It's districts, and each :
one of these districts is under the immedi- ]
ate control of supervisor, who acts as one
of the superintendent's lieutenants. On an !
average each supervisor has charge of 2o5
enumerators. The superintendent receives ,
a salary of 5000 year. The supervisors ]
are merely paid for their labor with few !
hundreds of dollars additional, and the
enumerators will earn from 81 to Sc per
dav. This army must finish its work in /
one month The names of the enumerators !
have not yet been made known III many !
places. and in Philadelphia, where there ]
will be a21, they will not be Published be-
fore the end of the present week.
It will cost the government in the neigh j
borhood of 81, 600 600 to take the eleventh
census. It is to be the most elaborate one
ever made. It will comprise statistics upon
newspapers to the number of pigs on
mans farm. Neither age. sex, color,
health. wealth, occupations, incomes, out
laws, productions, things social, political,
agricultural, educational, commercial,
cases are expected to be. will be overlooked
nv this army of enumerators which Is
shortly to be let loose all over the land.
Concerning each person twenty-five ques-
tions will be asked. and, upon pain OF pay
must be told about him, from the place OF
birth to the disease of which he expects to
die. And the questions about mans pos
sessions cover the ground almost as thor
ouphly as he himself is covered. For each
living person the enumerator receives
CENTS unless the person be soldier, sailor,
or widow of one of these, then cents; for
each death cents; 20 cents for factory or
similar industrial establishments ana 10
cents for farm. ;,
The enumerator is compelled, under oath
and penalty of fine and imprisonment, to
make correct returns OF everything required
by the census law, and not to divulge any
Of the gathered statistics to any but one
authorized by law to receive the same. The
head of the family is asked all the ques-
tions pertaining to his family and their in
dividual properties or possessions whlch
come under the scope OF the census ?s; ,,4
Earth branch of information will be kept
under it's own particular head, or IN its
proper schedule. But in order to collect
the necessary information relating to mines,
railroads, telegraph companies, and IKE
institutions, special enumerators, not taken
from the army of $4,000, are appointed by
Superintendent Porter, and are paid about
what the average enumerator could make
There are many questions to be asked by
the enumerators which will be very dlstaste-
full to the interrogated. 1t will go like pulling
teeth for some newspaper proprletors to tel!
the actual circulation of their papers, and
for the MAYORS of many cities to tell what
kind of sewerage their towns enjoy. but
of the twenty five personal ones which will
be asked which will be objected to the most,
and are causing more comment than all the
rest of the census put together, are Nos. %
and % in schedule one.
acute or chronic disease, with name Of
disease and length of time afflicted;
and, second, "Whether defective in mind
sight, hearing or speech, or whether GRIP
pied, manned or deformed with name OF
defect.'' These two questions are asked
for the purpose of making up minute and
accurate vital statistics. They are new tc
the census, and are supposed to have
been incorporated at the instigation of DR.
look after the vital statistics of the country
In order to get an idea of how these two
questions are regarded by the medical pro
fession several we'll physicians wer'
interviewed yesterday.
DR., John Y. Shoemaker is decidedly OPP
posed to the asking of such questions, a
may be gathered from his remarks: II q.
not think people will answer them; and
Furthermore, l regard it as absolutely rldic
ulous to ask people such questions. Al
persons are remarkably sensitive about TIN
disease which afflicts them, and for the SAX
3. of their families and their friends comfor
thew do not want to know that they are sui
fering from any acute, chronic or incurabl
malady.
''It is easy enough to impose fine Q
$500 upon people refusing to answer sue
questions. if it be known that they are al
hicted in any way. But no one will tel
and the fine will not be thought of. 1t
the most impudent and extreme measure
have ever heard of. Why, even doctor
have the greatest difficulty in learning frol
their patients their exact ailments or cond
tions. The twenty-third question is wors
than the twenty-second, in my judgmen
The private asylums all over the countr
are the best proof of the fact that hui
dreds of families will never admit that an
of their members are troubled with an
mental affection. 1t will be impossible
get answers from one-quarter of the poop
who properly come under these two que
tions. can't see that any good whatev,
would result from such knowledge. III
whole idea is preposterous.'
Professor Thomas G. Morton, the wei
known surgeon, takes an entirely opposi
view of the subject. He said: "Everyboc
should answer those interrogations to Il
best of their ability. 1t is only proper tn
they should aid the government IN gathe
ing this needed information. The know
edge will serve good purpose IN that 1t
desirable to know i'll what section of t
country certain diseases are most commt
ly. 1t is unpleasant to answer some of the
questions, but it is for the good OF
country. 1t was unpleasant to go to "
but it had to be done. No. do not belle
that half the people will answer them c.
rectly, and so the statistics will be lnco
plete and inaccurate. The boards of CHI
ity could have furnished more imports
information for the census than can
gathered by the enumerators.
DIR. William B. Atkinson. secretary of
State Medical society, expressed his id
forcibly upon the questions. He s.
what perfect idiocy that is! Why, it
absolutely impertinence. What right
the government to pry into the poop
private affairs! 1t is par with the
pertinent questions asked by insara
companies. The answers to those 81
tons will only reveal number
idiots. for no sane person would ans
them.'
Ii loots as if the enumerators will b
some difficulty III gathering the requ
information on matters pertaining TO
health of the people.
As to the penalty for refusing to ans
the Objectionable questions above no
the following from Washington is i'm
tant: The superintendent has issued
following order 10 all census supersis
inst ali M n I.