The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-21
PREPARING FOR A RECOUNT
The Census Office to Rectify the
Returns From Maryland.

Assistant Director Wines in Charge
of the worE-An Effort 10 secure n
Reduction of tbeII's Bond-The Pc
sition Taken by MIR. Merriam.
The padding Of census returns in st.
Mary and Charles Counties, Maryland.
by the population enumerators. has been
the occasion of an investigation on the
part of the Census Bureau. and will result
in what is practically a recount of the
two counties. DIT. Wines Assistant Di-
rector of the Twelfth Census, is now In
Maryland. in charge Of the work. which
is being done by twenty clerks, employed
In the Census Bureau.
The original count. whether accurate or
falsificd will remain the official figures
OF the bureau, inasmuch as they nave al
ready been published. and cannot be al
tered, as the basis for apportonment
Such discrepancies as are uncovered will
| he acknowledged by the Census Bureau
| but will NOT be published in the reports
as the official returns.
As a result of the investigation into the
alleged Justification of the returns in
MARYLAND. Stephen \. Abel, a crossing
policeman In this city. who served as one
of the enumerators in St. Mary County,
was arraiened in the Police Court yester-
day morning, and he pleaded not guilty.
He waived the preliminary examination.
and the case went to the grand jury.
Abells bond was fixed at $500 after con-
siderable wrangling between MIR. Sloane,
seoSrapher at the Census Bureau, who
has charge Of the case for Director Mer-
riam, and Maurice Smith. the attorney for
the defendant
Mr.. Smith asked that the case be taken
up as his client desired to waive an eX-
animation. He asked that the amount of
bond. which had been placed at $1,000 by
by Assistant District Attorney Mullowny
Tuesday night, he reduced to $500. Mr..
Sloane objected to this and said that he
had been instructed by Director Merriam
to say that $1,000 was not satisfactory to
him, and asked that a larger sum be re-
quired.
Attorney Smith said that under the law
the offence was only a misdemeanor, pun
ishable 10y a fine of not more than 5000
or Imprisonment for not more than two
years. lie became somewhat heated in
his remarks, and referred to what he
termed the impertinence of Director Mer-
Ram in attempting to dictate to the
court what the bond should be. He said
that it was a matter entirely with the
court
The bail was finally fixed at $500. and
the defendants counsel is given until 9
O'Clock this morning 10 show cause why
the amount OF the bail should be reduced.
At the Census Bureau the returns from
St Mary and Charles Counties fell I'M
der suspicion as to their reliability when
first received from the enumerators. The
surmise was reached that the returns
were inaccurate and padded. Certain rep
! reservations made by Democratic news
papers OF the State. charging fraud in
the returns, in the interest of the Repub
Leans, determined their bureau to inves-
tigate the matter In the LeOuardtown
district the inaccuracies in the enumera-
tors reports were most patent and the
instances Of fraud were soon unearthed
by the investigation which was instituted
by the Bureau.
Abel, enumerator of the Census in this
district. was arrested as the result of the
investigation, charged with having, on
June y, 1900, while acting as an enumera-
tor in District III, Of the Third Supervis-
ors district of the United States Census,
willfully, knowingly. and unlawfully
made certain false returns to the Direc
tor of the Census. by setting out in the
returns that seven people were alive and
fact. they were all dead at the time the
returns were made.
The Census act of March 3, 1899. defines
in section p the crime and penalties for
conviction of altering census returns, as
follows:
That any supervisor, supervisors
clerk, enumerator, Interpreter, special
agent, or other employe, who. having
taken and subscribed the oath Of Office
required by this act, shall, without JUS
tifiable cause, neglect or refuse to per-
form the duties enjoined on him by
this act, or shall, without the au-
thority OF the Director of the Census.
communicate to any person not author
lied TO receive the same any Information
gained by him in the performance of his
duties, shall be deemed guilty of a mis-
demeanor, and upon conviction shall be
fined not exceeding $500; or if he shall
willfuly and knowingly swear or affirm
falsely, he shall be deemed guilty of per-
jury, and upon conviction thereof shall
be imprisoned not exceeding three years
and be fined not exceeding $500; or If he
shall willfully and knowingly make
| false certificate or u fictitious return, he
shall be guilty Of misdemeauor, and
upon conviction of either of the last
named offences he shall be fined not ex-
ceeding 5000 and be imprisoned not ex-
| ceeding two years"
Director Merriam, Of the Census Blu
reau, said yesterday that twenty men
| from the bureau had been sent TO the TWO
counties in Maryland to review the work
| Of the original enumerators. Clerks
| from the bureau, he stated. had
| been selected. in preference TO
| enumerators from the counties
| in order that the work should be
| perfectly fair and impartial The popu-
| lation lists turned in by the original
| men making the recount. All names
| found to be correctly accredited to the
| counties will be approved. Names of
persons on the lists who cannot be found
| will be erased.
| Whether the penalty upon conviction of
| classifying census returns, in more than
| one instance, is cumulative, Director
| Merriam believes rests entirely with the
| court to decide. He states that this is the
| first instance OF a recount authorized
| under the Twelfth Census In view of
| the fact that recOunts under any proceed
| ing census We're invariably instituted to
| ascertain whether the population Of GER
| tain places was not estimated at too low
| complaint under investigation is an over
| count, the Director considers that the
| situation is unique
| While no recount in any other county of
Maryland IS at present intended, Governor
Merriam states that if further develop
nents dema nd such il viii be done.
| When seen at the Ebbitt House yester-
day Representative Mudd denied any
connection with the case or any kuoWl-
edge Of Abells wrongdoing previous to
the arrest Of the latter
i want it understood" said Mr. Mudd
that / did not have Abel appointed 10
his position in the Census This was
done by the State Central Committee. !