Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-22
MONEY THROWN AWAY
In Attempts of an English Army Off,
Ger to Work on Our Census.
SOME INTERESTING TESTIMONY
Brought Cut at Yesterdays Hearing Of One
of the Clerks.
CONGRESS TO WORK LONGER HOURS

WASHINGTON, MAY 21-The Census
Office investigation was resumed to-day,
and j. Fraise Richards, discharged clerk
from the division of wealth, debt, taxation and
local government, in the Census Office,
testified to what he regarded large number
of instances of mismanagement and waste of
public money in the division.
The chief, whose name was T. Campbell
Copeland, had been an officer in the En-
gish army, and conducted the Office as he
would an English convict station, lecturing
the force in class aud hectoring them.
Owing to his lack of knowledge of our in
stitutions, be gave directions to ascertain
various impracticable things, which
took up the time of clerks, and
after a waste of money, had to be
abandoned. For instance, he caused
an exhaustive examination to be made of
all State laws to ascertain how many of the
States had laws for the Imprisonment of
mothers of illegitimate children until they
revealed the name of the child's father.
He estimated that $4,000 or $50. 900 had
been thrown away in printing worthless
papers on one subject. The section relating
to school statistics, after the expenditure of
S35, 900 or $40, 900, lot of material collected
under the supervision OF MIS-. Ellen ii.
Walworth, was thrown away.
Thousands of Dollars Wasted.
L. c. Herr, of Minneapolis, who sue
ceeded Mrs Walworth, estimated the waste
at SIS, 600 in q conversation with witness. A
large quantity of printed material found its
way to the Junk shop, and he thought at
least 100000 had been wasted in the
division
Ostensibly as a benefit for deserving
woman, but really for the glorifcation of
the chief, the clerks were kept posing for
two or three hours while an artist went
through and took pictures of the employees
TO illustrate a magazine article prepared by
Mr.. Copeland on the work of his division.
The witness related a trouble which oc-
CURED over the publication Of an article
criticising Copeland as an alien and incom-
petent. Copeland lectured the division for
it, and, selecting the widow Of captain in
the Union armr, accused her of its author
ship, and endeayored to get information
from her. There was trouble between wit
ness and Mr. Copeland over it, and witness
placed an American flag inscribed ''Protec-
tion to American Industries" on a platform
in his Office, as protest against Mr.. Cope |
land.
One Way to Get Statistics.
Witness was next assigned to the agricul- |
tural division. He found that when |
enumerators returned statistics stating that |
q farmer produced so much sugar, the clerks |
We're told to alter the schedules and put in |
so much molasses, as it must be assumed |
they also produced molasses. Also, if /
factory returned molasses, sugar was to be |
inserted. He protested that this was man.
utacturing statistics, and the farmers at |
least ought to be corresponded with if there |
was TO be a semblance of reliabilitv.
The testimony of the witness showed that |
he had had considerable trouble in the |
Office, and finally he was dismissed.