New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-17
CENSUS RESULTS N0TKNOWN
SUPERVISOR WILBUR SAYS FIGURES
HAVE NOT BEEN AND CANNOT BE
GIVEN OUT-INTERESTING. CASES.

The statistics which have appeared in several
newspapers" said Census Supervisor Wilbur yes
terday. ARE the results OF pure guesswork and
nothing more. I suppose there will be q lot Of this
Kind Of business for time 10 come People
want 10 know how many persons there are in this
city and elsewhere. and they will naturally down
every story thSt comes along
Now. there has been no information given out
by me, and do not know who could have any to
give except myself. But AT this stage of the work
l do not know myself what the figures are Up to
last night only seven hundred books had been
handed in by enumerators from their several dis
tricts and six hundred and twenty of these must
be examined, added TO- subtracted from and other
wise rectfed
The Federal statute in reference to the taking
OF census specially provides that any enumeration
or supervisor who Is found furnishing information
unless authorized by the Director-CeneraI is guilty
of a msdemeanor. punishable by a fine In addi-
ton to this, each census supervisor has received
special request from Mr.. Merriam that all statis-
tics be withheld until they have been definitely
determined. when they will be given out from
Washington Whatever statistics. therefore that
have appeared In regard to the census OF this city
have been the work Of men who have deduced a
proportionate increase in population from one
definite period to another, and then given figures
for the year 1900 to accord with this ratio.
The work which has remained over the allotted
period Of fifteen days is going smoothly Mr.
Wilbur continued Nine hundred lists out OF the
total 100 have now beer handed in. and expect
the balance on Monday and Tuesday II an emu
merator wishes extra day or two to collect
Tanks or catch those who have thus far escaped
him. give my permission freely Then there are
others who want TO copy over some OF their lists
which had been written first in pencil or with
leaky pen.
Only three arrests have been made thus far and
I expect that two more will be made on Monday
During the last census there were forty arrests"
Who are the persons 10 be arrested" was asked,
'Cranks,'' was the reply. They refuse to give
the enumerators their names because they are IN
the popular phrase, 'Agn the Government These
people say that such information as the enumer-
ators ask is their own personal property. and the
Government is going too far demand it."
An occurrence on the East Side yesterday served
to bring out the truth OF Mr. Wibur's statement.
A enumerator had finally captured a man for
whom he had been hunting for the last week. When
the elusive man was asked 10 fill out the blank
This country is the same as those in Europe
which are still bound in the chains Of feudai
his Doomsday Book and now President Mckinley
must have his We going back TO the Dark
as the rest Of them refuse to let myself become
50 hound down TO this Government as TO let II
No amount Of argument could persuade the poor
arirv Elsewhere If was learned that the man had
only lived in tbs country nine years, and had
several times besn confined in an asylum
said she looking for her parents. When asked
her maiden name she said she didn't know It. So
had been brought up in founding hospital sne
said. and had been married twice. The second
marriage. she said which had been in
every way blessed She had attained 70 social
rank end considerable wealth, but both OF these
had become nothing to her compared with the
desire find her ia Their and mother. She had
revealed the facts OF her birth TO her pres
ent husband because she feared she might lose
his affections When the Supervisor heard this
last avowaI ne told the woman her first duty was
her husband, and that it would be by far the
wisest policy tell him everything first.
oh ! can't Il. I can't do it the woman
answered, If ready to cry, and hurried out of
the Office
Twenty OF the twenty-five special enumerators
who have been employed in rectifying the lists as
handed in were discharged yesterday.