The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-31
A LIST OF THE QUESTIONS
A Penalty of $500 For Failure to
Answer Them.
THIRTEEN MILLION PEOPLE TO COUNT
The Enumerators Are Given Thirteen Working
DAYS ia Which 10 Do Their Work. I'M
portance of Complete Census
FOR This City.
Get ready for the census man.

Tomorrow morning, bright ana
early, he begins his work. and for
two weeks the people of Raleigh will
receive calls from this inquisitive
agent of the government.
This is the twelfth decennial census
of the United States. Seventy five
million people are to be counted in
thirteen working days, for the taking
special classes, must be concluded by
June 15 There will be 1872 enumera :
tors at work in Kansas City next Fri
day. one in each voting precinct.
There is no regulation concerning
the number of hours constituting n
days work for Il census enumerator.
the only provision being that he con
clude the taking of the census in h.>
district within the specified time. But
there is a system of checking tie.
enumerators. At the conclusion of
each days work he, or she. must ma |
two cards, one TO the supervisor OF
the census in the Gibraltar building.
and the other to the director of CEN
sus at Washington. Upon this card
is stated the number of living persons
scheduled, number of farms. number
of manufacturing establishments.
number of deaths. He also states tn =
time actually and necessarily CONSUME
ed in performing the work.
The names of the enumeratOrs for
Wake county were published in this
paper yesterday.
The enumerators get 2H cents per
capita. They are guaranteed $500 a
day, and it is possible for them to
make Sc day
The census enumerator wears {?
badge stating his authority. and he
has power to enforce answers to til
question included in the schedule he
must, fill out. At the same time Il
heavy penalty is prescribed for the
enumeration who divulges any of the
information secured while taking the
census.
The law is very explicit on these
two points. If YOU refuse to give the
enumeration an answer. or reply UNI
truthfully to his queries. YOU ar,
subject TO be fined from 500 to $500.
Then in turn the enumeration is hedg-
ttl ttIJOul ny al llSltl law III ItSdIu -
your answers. "lou have no right 10
communicate TO any person any in
formation obtained by you in the dis
charge of your official duties. by SO
doing" thus the law declares. won
will render yourself liable. upon CON
viction. to a fine not exceeding $500.
You are not permitted to show your
schedules. when filled out. nor to re-
tain copies of the same; and it is
your duty to destroy all imperfect
copies not returned to your supervi
sor. If. at the close of the enumera
ton. you are asked what is the pop, !
lation of your district. or of any pOl-
ton thereof. reply that you are for
hidden by law to answer. All sucn
requests. whether from newspapers.
local officials or individuals, are to hs.
referred to the director of the cen
Sus."
After man has put his hand to the
plough and filled ont his test seize
dule. and finally taken the oath. there
is no turning back. He has entered
upon his duties as an enumeration.
and cannot, without justifable cause,
neglect or refuse to perform those
duties. IF you do so reads the law
as applied to enumerators. ''you rem
der yourself liable. upon conviction.
TO fine not exceeding five hundred
dollars" There is no room left fo;'
the enumeration to change his mind.
Though the census starts officially
on June /. it will continue until it is
completed. On that day. or some day
succeeding it, a man with large
book and long string of questions
will call upon every resident of the
city. He will ask each one whether
he is white or black, a deaf mute. an
imbecile. and certain other questions
which may strike the questioned one
to be of purely personal nature. All
of the questions, however, are care.
fully prepared for him. and the en-
ragged householder will get no relief
by throwing him out of the house. As
there are not enough census enumera :
tors to cover the entire territory in
one day. the appearance of the enum
orator at any house may be made af-
ter June /. When he does come. how
ever, replies to questions must be
made as if it were June i.
For instance. if the enumeration
calls on June 5 and the man whom
he interrogates was married on June
4, that man goes down as bache-
Tor and his wife as spinster living
at the home of her parents, or where
ever she did live before marriage. II
a child happened to be born on the
day preceding the visit of the enum-
orator. if that date is subsequent n
June l. so far as the enumeration and
the United States Government are
concerned that child doesn't exist.
Everything happening subsequent 10
June / doesn't count and is obliterat-
ed entirely from any reckoning in
the census. If the enumeration finds
that man who he is looking for died
on June 2. although he may call upon
him on June z. the dead man goes
down as part of the population of
the district Just the same.
1t is literally a house to house car
yass. for the enumeration canno. begin