St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-14
WORTHLESS STATISTICS
The Government Duped by Rus
sian Agent Known as Ivan
Petroff.
His Statements Regarding. the
Seal Industry Are Almost
Useless.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 13.-The Post TO-
day Published an article to the effect
that Ivan Petrotf, a special agent of the
state department, ana formerly in the
census Office, has been detected IN the
act of furnishing false information to
this government in relation to the seal
industry of Alaska, which has been
embodied i'll the preparation of the
Behring sea case for arbitration. Con-
tinuing, the article says:
when the state department began
the task, some months ago. of preparing
the Behring sea case for arbitration. it
became necessary to secure the assist
ance of all experts OH Alaska and seal
ing questions. In investigating the
literature on the resources of Alaska
the department encountered the name
of Ivan Petroff more frequently than
that of any other author, all upon in
quiry for him being instituted he was
found to be a special agent of the CELSIUS
bureau.
'It was also learned that he had taken
the census for the United States gov
ernment in 1850 and 1899, and written
the monograph issued by the bureau OF
statistics of the treasury department on
Alaska. In addition to this he had also
assisted Hubert Howe Bancroft in the
preparation of the latter's history of the
territory. 1t was quite evident to the
state department, therefore, that this
hitherto trusted official would be of
valuable assistance in the preparation
of the BehrIng sea case.
Mr.. Petroff was thereupon summoned
from the census bureau to the state de-
partment and he was intruSted with the
examination into and compilation of
certain facts relating to the sealing i'll
dustry. 1t was not necessary for him
to visit Alaska. and his work was done
in this city. Some time after it had
been submitted to the departments one
of the governments special attorneys,
while examining the data, discovered
an error. Closer investigation showed
that nearly the entire information fur
nished by Petrotf had been falSitied, and
in manner which left no doubt of falsi-
tication with willful intent TO deceive.
"This discovery aStounded the state
department officials. The information
had already been Incorporated in the
case of the government as sent TO Lon
don, and formed part of The arch upon
which the United States claim rested,
although it was not the keystone by any
manner of means. The British govern
ment was at once notified that the
United States had been led into errors
of statement, and was Informed that a
correction would be made when the
counter case, as the supplementary
papers are termed. was submitted.
1.-The discovery has created conSidera-
BILE excitement in official circles. The
superintendent Of the census has been
in conference with the president, the
secretary of state and the secretary OF
the interior regarding his faithless en-
ploye. The question has naturally
arisen if Petroff's work has been falSi
fed i'll one instance, are not his census
figures also unreliable?
'.rhis is an inquiry that can only be
answered after tedious and perhaps
expensive investigation. CuriouSly
enough, there is no law upon the statute
books 30 meet such case as this, and
MIR. Petroff will simply lose his govern
ment position, with the knowledge that
never again can he re-enter official life.
''Petroff is a Russian by birth, who
moved to Alaska when that country
was a Russian province, and he lived
there forty years. He is now sixty
years of age. He has been of an all
venturous spirit all his life. He took
the census Of Alaska in 1880, and it was
upon the recommendation OF Gen.
Francis A. Walker that he was selected
to furnish the Alaskan statistics for
the census which has just been COM
pleted."
Officials of the state department and
interior department, when shown the
article this evening, affirmed its cor
rectneSs, but declined to say anything
further.