The advocate., 1891-04-29
come 10 doubt the sincerity Of the de
paFtment In this matter

- ENAAA y "N@ ~
Itisa fundamental maxim OF 0numora-
tion that a. few matters as possible should
bo introduced in tho houso-to-ho house i'm
quiry respecting which tho wife and grown
daughter cannot be assumed 10 be- equally
intelligent with the husband and father.
Aud yet we submit that the only in
formation relating TO any Of the family
affairs reported by the department which
Is worth the paper il Is printed upon Is
obtained in this very way. Now, TO
make the Issue between us clear and dis
tinct, will state that / understand the
object OF the inquiry, az contemplated by
those who petItioned 10 have II under
taken, was 10 ascertain the aggregate
mortgage debt resting upon the real es-
tate Of this country. II this view Is cor
rect assume that the method employed
by you will not accomplish the object
sought; and / appeal 10 your own official
documents TO sustain this statement. In
the first place, your enumerators we're In
structed TO ask the people certain questions
upon this subject They we're first asked
II they owned the property upon which
they lived? II 90, was II mortgagedY
Here the inquiry ceased. They we're not
asked II they owned any other property,
and II ID was moTtgaged. There has been
no effort to ascertain any indebtedness
resting upon any property except the
homestead. In fact this information is
positively excluded by the Instructions
Issued from your office i quote the fol-
lowing from your instructions to be OBJ
served in answering questions Of the
schedule" After the enumerators have
returned the names OF owners and occu-
piers Of homesteads which are mort
gagged, you mail 10 such parties list Of
questions TO be answered with instruc-
tions TO be observed In answering. 10 ls
from this l quote:
Include no valuation of real estate oCcu-
pied by tenants, nor the indebtedness upon
che same II IL may reasonably be avoided.
An onCumbranoe that lie lein upon
farm or homo that is occupied partly by its
owner and partly by a tenant, or upon a
farm or home occupied by los owner and
also upon OthoF real estate, should be ap-
portioned, IL the farm or home occupied by
itS owner is separable for purposes of valua.
tiOn and indebtedness; and che value Of
only tho real estate that is occupied by its
owner as a farm or home and the debt that
may fairly be appOTtioned TO 10 should be
reported.
WhyP II the object Is TO learn the
amount Of lnoumbranCe resting upon the
real estate Of the United States, why ex-
Clude any part Of it which can be readily
ascertainedH This is precisely the point
that ! have heretofore made In relation
to the census-that II was not designed
TO correctly report the full amount Of the |
debt. II these quotations from your own |
instructions do not bear me out In this |
inference am at a loss 10 understand
the meaning Of them.
In conclusion permit me to ask II you |
are willing to submit your instructions to |
enumeTators upon the subject Of mort
gage statistics for publication2 There
have been grave charges made respect
ing the character Of those instructions,
which may be readily dlspelled II un-
founded by their publication. and It an