The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1910-03-03
Live Stock On Ranges.

making extraordinary preparations
to ascertain the approximately exact
number aud value of live stock on the
ranges in the United States on April
Is next, the date of the livestock in
ventory, as required by the act of
Congress providing for the Thirteenth
Decennial Census.
Fearful that for one reason or an
other the livestock raisers may be
I deferred from freely stating the num-
Der and value of their holdings, the
Census Bureau is exerting unusual
efforts to assure the ranchmen and
farmers, especially of the western
range states. that their interests,
| whether personal or corporate, can
not possibly be affected in any way
by their frank and full disclosure of
their live stock possessions. The in
formation gathered by the Census
Office is held strictly confidential not
only in respect to the fact that under
no circumstances is it ever impaired
to any one not connected with the
Census Office, but In respect to its
eyer being given to any other branch
of the Government.
SIN behalf of the Census Bure au, 8"
to-day said Assistant Director William
F. Willoughby, 81 can give as positive
assurance of the confidential treat
ment of information called for by the
livestock questions in the general
agricultural schedule as 1 could if
confidence we're to be imposed upon
me personally and privately. The
Census Bureau is concerned only in
the collection and publication of
statistical facts. The spirit of every
act of Congress providing for the
various decennial censuses has been,
and is, that the information as to in
dividuals, firms, and corporations is
to be given inviolable secrecy. 1t is
as much privileged information as
that impaired by client to lawyer,
by patient to physician, by
dying man to a minister. 1t can not
even be impaired to another branch
of the Federal Government, no matter
how much the information may be
desired. No count ever has or ever
will ignore this Immunity from per-
slowed in return for information re-
quired by United States Census in
quiries. To do otherwise would i'm
pair, if not wholly destroy, the scien-
tiic efficiency of the census work. So
far as the livestock census is con-
cerned, the bureau, following fair,
impartial, and unbiased methods,
quickly separates the person, firm, or
corporation from the facts furnished,
aud private or corporate identity in
connection with any census data re-
mains forever sealed lad sacred in
the great safes of the Census Office" "
In his annual report for 1909 to
Secretary Nagel, of the Department
of Commerce and Labor, Census
Director Durand stated:
"The thirteenth census act is more
specific than that for the Twelfth
Census with respect to penalties upon
supervisors, enumerators, or other
employees who disclose information
which they secure, or who make false
returns. While there is no evidence
that EN- ployees of the Census Bureau
in the past have been Fguilty of i'm
proper disclosure of information-ex-
cept, possibly, in very few cases
these more specific provisions for
penalties are highly advantageous.
Although the census law requires
persons interrogated to furnish the
information called for on the duly
authorized schedules, reliance for
prompt and accurate, returns must
rest largely upons the good will of
those making the returns. Manufact-
urers, farmers, and others will not
freely disclose the needed information
unless they feel assured that it will
be treated in strict confidence. The
Census Bureau exists solely for the
collection of general statistics, and is
not, and should not be, an instrument
for disclosing the affairs of individual
persons, firms, or corporations. Re-
turns made by the Census Bureau are
in no case published IN such way as
to identify the business operations of
Individual persons or concerns, nor
are they disclosed to any person aside
from employees of the bureau itself
not even to other departments of
the Government or to other bureaus
of the Department. of Commerce and
Labor"