Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-23
DISPUTES TIE CENSUS
New Directory Just Issued Gives
Marshalltown Population
OF 1868.
Mr.. Pettibone Says His Figures
Are Nearer Correct than
Those of Government
Book Contains Many More Names
than Preceding Directory
Publications.

The new city directory for Marshall-
town for 1902 is being distributed to sub
scribers by the Pettibone Directory
Company, and the present edition is the
largest ever published In Marshalltown.
Mr.. Pettibone finds reason to belittle the
recent government census and he says
the population of Marshalltown is A.
6SS. The book contains fifteen more
pages of names than the previous di-
rectory, and in addition thereto one
more name on each page, or a total Oh
about 100 new names. This in Itself IN
dicates substantial gain In population.
In the preface to the work Mr.. Petit
bone to show that his figures are more
reliable than those Of the government,
says:
Let us compare the work of the d.
rectory compiler with the census enum-
orator. The compiler has previous books
to check by, and II a name fails to ap-
pear this year special messenger goes
to hunt him up and gee whether he has
left the city; the enumerator works on
in blissful ignorance of the many he
never sees. The compiler takes every
mans name twice, once at his residence
and again ct his place of business, so
IL he fails to get him at home he surely
will at his office; the census enumeration
takes a man only where he sleeps, so II
he happens to sleep in a block and is
therefore not In his room during the
day, the chances are the census will
miss him. The enumerator is limited as
=. y h ic In
at the appointed hour, whether complete
or not; the compiler has an abundance
of time to examine and verify every
item. The enumerators are necessarily
inexperienced men working under half
understood instructions at a forced for
ty-two gait to get thru In time; the di-
rectory compilers are men who have
spent their lives at the business, and
have got the work down to a thoroughly
understood system, which makes 1t as
accurate as anything human can be.
The enumertor's beggary pay makes 1t
necessary for him to hurry thru as
quickly as possible, and 1t would be abb
surd to expect him to spend hours going
over and over his territory with the
hope Of finding a few more names at 2
cents each, especially since no one
would ever know If he did miss few;
the schedules Of the directory compiler,
however. are open to the world 8 inspec-
ton, and woe be to him IL name be
found missing. The enumerator's work
His examined in Washington by people
who have no more idea about Marshall-
town than mouse has of the moon-if
father and son of the same name and
same business appear with the same
residence the wise ones at Washington
will probably drop one as a duplicate II
his age happens not to be mentioned;
the compiling of a directory is done in
the city itself, by people thoroughly fa-
miliar with it, and where seeming errors
and duplicates can readily be hunted
up and verified. On these grounds, then,
we fear not to challenge even the con-
illusions of the census to comparison
with our work; and il there is any dis
crepancy between the two as to results,
we deny that the inaccuracy is in the
directiry Have we not given good rea-
sons for so doing? We find, after very
careful canvass, Marshalltown he's 1858
In population and growing rapidly"