The Wahpeton times., 1891-05-21
OR Is u;
The Manner in Which tie Census HI
reau IS Run the Talk Of Wash.
ington.
Strong Probabilities That the Work.
ings Of the Office Will Soon be
Investigated.

| WARRINGTON, special Telegram, Nay IL
| There 10 liable to bs an investigation, o
the census Office at an early date, and th,
possibilities are that there will be such 4
shaking up % has not been heard of in thi,
administration.
Many are the complaints made about thu
management Of this important bureau, and
as they have been so numerous and have
been made Porter's superion they will
no doubt feel compelled to look into
the way things are being conducted. There
is more or less said about the Office, and II
tenth part 10 true there IL sufficient to
create scandal of very large proportions.
Recently several gentlemen who had lady
friends or relatives in the Office have made
complaints and many have went 10 far a
to have them resign, alleging that the Office
is not fit place for ladies to work. ALE.
cations are made that the Offices are
crowded, and the employees, besides, are
driven at pace that Is q disgrace to civili-
cation. Employees have been generally
complaining bitterly of their treatment.
Heretofore Porter's superiors have not in
terfered with his management of the Office,
and he has had his own sweet way. But it
is said that no longer can they ignore it.
and, in fact, Secretary Noble has revoked
one OF his orders already. Porter himself
has so much outside business on hand that
he cannot give all the attention to the mat
ter that he ought to. He is in big land
syndicate down in Tennessee and has been,
with others, junketing over that country.
At present he is out on Puget sound trying
to secure for himself and party of East
ern capitalists about ], 800 acres OF land at
Port Gardner with a view of starting
townsite on the sound. It is said that this
land
BELONGS TO THE GOVERNMENT,
and that commissioner has been sent out
there to appraiss it and is expected to
report soon, when 1t will bs taken in by
those on the inside, and yet no one in the
interior department knows anything about
the commission.
The alleged acting superintendent OF cen.
sus also has land speculation in hand
and is down in the Southwest territories q
great deal of the time. The great statistical
bureau is lett to run ITSELF and goes along
to the officials in the interior department
who are accustomed to have business con-
Quoted in business-like way. An officer
who recently went through the Office says
that the methods employed allow no test OF
accuracy, and the result OF the statistics
that are being compiled depend upon the
various clerks who are manipulating the
machines, and who are liable. under the
pressure of speed, to make many errors.
1t the interior department should make a
rigid investi tigation that is hintcd at. it is
possible that great many things would
come 20 light that would tend to prove
what great many people have all along
understood that as q census the present con-
cern sailing under that name Is worthless
There is some doubt as to whether the next
congress will investigate the census bureau
or not. There has been some very cunning
work done in securing places in the bureau
ior friends Of influential Democrats In both
houses. and it may be that in case investi-
CATION was made that a coat OF whitewash
could be obtained.
II the interior department sets out to
probe the complaints made to the bottom,
there may be some revelations. provided
that all that is found is made public.