New-York tribune., 1891-02-21
THE CENSUS INQUIRY.
TWO OF THE ENUMERATORs TESTIFY.
MR. MOTT NOT ALLowEn TO MIKE A STATE.

Mr., MOTT NOT AILO"i-D ~ MAhI@ - Sih4I--
MENT BEFORE THE COMMITTEE.
The queer census inquiry conducted by committee
,u.ciaIly appointed by The Assembly 10 try to find
omethnc d,creditabe in the methods pursued by tho
Federal anthorite, In taking the recent census in this
State resumed It's sessions in Part II, superior Court.
Yesterday afternoon. The committee has had hard
lnck thus far in It's investigation First the officials
of the Federal Government declined 10 become party
10 the presumption in which the Committee had its
foundation and then the other witnesses called up to
+be prcsent time have failed to show anything Of DIE
credit 10 the Census Bucau Yc,terlnY's session was
10 begin at II M, but it was nearly haipaat II
before all the members Of the committee appeared
Wright IIocOmb the chairman, presided and all the
other members were present when the committee was
called 10 order.
Franklin Bartlett, the committees cosnsei, an
nornced that he would not call Mr. Murray, local
supervisor of the Census TO the stand, and asked the
committee TO order him to be present TO c'tiy next
Friday Chairman HolcOmb asked Mr.. Murray II IL
would be necessary 10 subpoena nm again. alu MI
Murray consented to come without formal ORDER
Mr. Bartlett then called as the first witness AlfrM b.
Theme. who was enumeTatOr in the cehSu~S Oh
1850 and 1890 Mr. Theme was unique as Tlt
ness and his testimony had little weight because oil
his evident prejudice against the Government OWING
To his having received 81 56 less than he declared was
due to him for his work. Before al! questions "eF
asked the witness Mr.. Mott. who represents the De
Colonel Ethan Allen and john Baker, asked the chair
man 10 he would be allowed TO make statement.
Chairman Iolcomb pounded on the table and an
swered sharply No, sir' Mr.. Mott asked II nc
would not he allowed to inform The witness OF inc IT.
s,rpctons that he (Mr. Motif had received from the
Federal authorities.
aNo strip thundercd Mr. IIolcomb, after again
nonndinc his unoNcnding desk vicously Mr.. Mott
ried 10 say something else, but he was oidereu pc
rempto,ily by the chairman TO sit down. MIR. Mott
gray haired gray bearded and sedate, sat do"h VIII"
look of supreme disgust on his face Mr. Baruet' ,c'
proceeded TO draw upon Mr.. Themes rch l''hu oi
humor The district in which he was employed as a"
enumerator he said was the Fourteenth Elecuoh DIS
,r,ct Of the With Assembly District, III the lei''
Ward In reply to questions, he SAID tnat IL was n,',"
easier 10 take the of lsoO thah IL was " 'o
that of 1890, and II required less ac'udl UNIV
II took fourteen days 10 take tEe census
of 1850 and more than mat uhie s"o"i'
bove heen allowed for that of 1880 The reason LOT
ts WAS that In 1880 the enumerators had less Wiis
IN do because there fewer questions 10 DC asheu'
There were 50 many questions In $500 that le cu1'"
tors could not finish their work in the require" 'iV
The witness gave detail the number OF hours lie pe'
at work. and the number of names reported each ud9'
ThI, made total Of 50 hours and 3.OGo names hI'c
his work had been finished he received from euperih-
tendent Porter check for $50 81, representing al o
compensation Of two cents word seventy -eishV lcsS
names than he had reported. He had eApecteu onoo"
blanks had been lost ip Transmission TO washington.
The witness said that on Monday preceding the ftSI
dav of taking the census he applied TO supervisor M
ray for an extension of tmc and MI Murray aiioWc"
him until Wednesday 10 finish his work. On IuesuaS
the witness applied for further extension ana MI
Murray then ordered him TO turn in his por'ioHo l"0'
day night lie complied with the order although theie
were two large tenemcnthouscs In his district, the
Inhabitants of which had not been enumerated 1"cse
houses he said, contained about twenty laiiies edV
and each family had about ten children anu HAVce"
boarders He would estimate that there were -oV per
sons in each of the houses, or 400 III all t'V "cio ~
included in the enumeration.
one morning In June, the witness said' ne went 10
the census headquarters In Elghth-st' at o'lo'"
and found a crowd of cnumerat0rs outsde uIo uoo'
unable 10 get in. Mr. Murray came along ahd wis
pered through the keyhole. and was allowed TO enter
Nr uarctt ASKED the witness he had seen any Caeiul
Inspection Of tho enumerators' schedules al e
beadouartor and he replied that he was not alioweu
10 see anything. Mr.. Theme Sld ne spoke eevelH,
languages lie was born in Germany and had hVeu
in New-York twenty years. g.,
ON cro,s-examinaton the witness said he had LNco
omopp the Polish Hebrews, Russians and Rounallah7
IN Iudow-s for two years and knew that tiey hu'.'
pued rapidly. lie could speak their laIgoh OF pa'o''
and REGARDED himself as cosmopolitan By Pfolea9oii
he was the jantor of tenement mousse lie aolht'cu
that when he turned in his portfolio he cer'l"eu Oi1'
his work had been completed and that he did not tel
tbe authorities that lie had left the inhabitants OF TWO
houses unenumeratcd
Mr. Hidreth took the witness in hand again. lie
was asked why, he believed there were 1'ooo IL.
hobtants in his district, he had certified MS return Oh
3oe5 names to be correct especially As The 400 names
of the people IN the two uncnnmeiated tenement
houses wouh have raised the total to only o'4"o.
The witness would not answer, but when pressed sad
Iat the other thousand people needed 10 maze
M his estimate Of 1000 were probably mare up ol
the contingent which slept on me roofs ana irecs &c
canes llic witues, asked II lie beleNeu thc cen
sus to be generally correct IL reply he sad he & nc,
lieyed the whole thing was flud, becduse ne H'd
rad that il was in some OF the neWspapeie. -,
81 The afternoon session W MeM SpeeI' 'he
Mayors private secretary, testified to the correspond
cnce between the Nayor and tho Census Bureau coa-
Cernirr the substitution Of the police count for me
tcdn1 crnsus of The city. This correspondence has
already been published. The committee ad!9uraed
nntI II O'Clock this morning when Inspector Byrnco
viii be called to the stand 10 testify As TO the ponce