Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1906-02-10


sion. said Worthington had convinc-
ed him of the desirablity of calling
witnesses for the defense. With ref
erence to the list of members of the
Utah constitutional convention, MEM
bers of the legislature and state Off
GERS, charged with being poiygamists,
Worthington said that 1t might be ne
cessary to call from one hundred to
two hundred witnesses to disprove the
testimony of the prosecution, unless
the committee permitted the filing Of
affidavits He said SmoQt was anxious
that the case be closed and that there
should not be one day of unavoidable
delay
Keep Commission Has New job.
Washington. Feb 9.--As a result Of
defensive movement on the part of
| James Wilson, secretary Of agrlcul-
ture. the Keep commission, created by
| President Roosevelt to investigate de-
partment methods, will begin an in
quiry as to the accuracy of the statis-
tics compiled by the census bureau
, during the census of 1900.
The Keep commission recently COM
oleted an investigation Of the bureau
Of statistics, department of agriculture
in which the statistical bureaus re-
! suits were compared very unfavorably
| with those attained by the census 1t
was recommended that certain work
of the bureau of statistics be improv-
ed or discontinued and that cotton
acreage estimates be transferred to
the census.
Now. the secretary Of agriculture
has assailed the accuracy of the CEN
sus statistics, and has induced Presi-
dent Roosevelt to order that branch OF
the government investigated.
Shortly after the report on the bu-
reau of statistics was handed to Pres
ident Roosevelt, about two weeks ago,
the president was advised by congress
sional friends to send the report to
congress that action might be taken
toward making 1t effective. All other
reports of the Keep commission have
been made operative through execu-
tive orders of the president,
The president was at first disposed
to act upon this advice, and was only
deferred from sending the Keep re-
port with a special message to con-
gress by the activity of Secretary VIII
son, who protested against such ac-
tion. In persuading the president not
to send the Keep report to congress
with a special message Secretary Will
son urged that the census figures were
: themselves erroneous.
The discussion reached so acute a
point that It had to be dealt with at a
cabinet meeting about ten days ago,
and It was then decided as matter OF
compromise that an inquiry into the
= census figures should be ordered prior
to any action on the Keep report
{ The Keep commission has not yet
been able to begin its work. It is now
feared that no report will be made OF
II until after the appropriation bill has
been enacted This would insure a de-
lay of at least year during which
: the statistics would continue on theil
present basis. a year has been men
toned by persons connected with th'
: department of agriculture as the per
G iod for which the reforms should b'
10 delayed in order that the department
j. might not seem to be retiring unde
: fire
I Chairman Keep asked Secretar!
: Wilson to designate two statistician
t from the department of agriculture
: to sit with the Keep commission dur
ing the investigation of the census
Mr.. Wilson has declined to designat
n the men. a refusal which may be tax
e en- as a compliment to the commission
but which is regarded by some as in
]. dcatlve of a disposition not to indors
\. the report of the census bureau.
Three years ago commission wa
: appointed by the national board c
trade to investigate the discrepanclC
2 between the census and the agricu
tural departments. At that time tn
census people urged that a represer
C. tative from the department should $
ID with the committee in its census II
IS vestlgations. and that census stati
n, tician should sit with 1t during its II
ne quiries at the department Of agrieu
ne ture. This was peremptorily refuse
IN by statistieian Hyde, who was then
r. charge Of the bureau of statistics.