Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-20
CENSUS FRAUD IN
WESTERN CITIES
ACCUSATION MADE AGAINST IA.
COMA, PORTLAND, SEATTLE
AND MINNEAPOLIS.

n M
| COMA, PORTLAND, SEATTLE
AND MINNEAPOLIS.
Washington. D. c., Oct 17.-StaS
gered by the enormous growth shown
by the returns OF the new census To-
q number OF western cities, Director
Durand OF the census bureau ordered
an investigation, the result OF which
appeared In the announcement thai
gross frauds had been perpetrated.
Mr. Durand gave out also letter
from President Taft, directing thai
persons implicated In the alleged
frauds should be prosecuted.
Cities specifically mentioned as be
Ing affected by the frauds are Tacoma
Seattle and Aberdeen. Wash; Portland
Oregon; Minneapolis, Mimi; Boise
Idaho, and Fort Smith, Ark, but 1t IL
stated that there are many others.
The result Of second enumeration
OF Tacoma, Wash, was announced Sat
urday. The city shows a population OF
81, 1872, an increase OF 45,258, or 100 per
cent over the population OF 1900. The
1l6,248. In other words, the actual
population was padded to the extent
Of 1926, which would have meant q
futher addition of 40 per cent.
These additions we're made In thirty.
four out OF the seventy-three enumera;
| ton districts in Tacoma. In some OF
these districts the number reported
proved to be several times greater
than the actual population. In ten
districts the first enumeration showed
|29,753 names, whereas the correct
number was found to be 11,646.
TAFT Authorizes Publicity.
The statement issued by Director
Durand consists in the main of letter
from himeelf addressed to Secretary
Nag ! Of the department OF commerce
and labor dated Oct. 8, in which the
whole case Is presented, and Of brief
letter from President Taft to Mr.. Nagel
of date Oct. IL.
The letter of President Taft follows:
Beverly, Mass, Oct. IL, 1871
have read director Durand's letter ana
agree with him that it ought to be
published. The cases of all those who
appear to have violated the law should
be investigated by the grand jury.
and II suffi cient evidence Is found to
justify it they should be indicted and
prosecuted at once. Nothing will so
conduce to securing proper census
as the prosecution of those who at
tempt fraud upon the law.
81 am led to believe that the present
census has been much freer from at.
tempted frauds than any previous
census, but the instances cited by Mr..
.Durand are sufficient to require the
utmost vigilance to bring those who
have violated the law to justice and
proper punishment. Sincerely yours,
"William III. Taft.
Hon Charles Nagle,
Secretary Of Commerce and Labor.
The letter OF Director Durand, also
addressed to Secretary Nagel sets
forth that attempted padding" of the
census was brought about mainly
through the use of slips printed by
private individuals and containing the
census questions
These were distributed very gener-
ally on street corners and elsewhere
and were filled out by thousands OF
people who either had already been
enumerated or who were not perma-
nent residents of the city and not en-
titled to enumeration there. 1t is pos
sible that in some cases the names
were wholly fictitious.
These slips were turned over by the
private individuals who collected them
through SPECIAL agent Of the census
bureau named Corwin to thirty-four of
the enumerators, and they under the
Instructions of Corwin, added the
ames to the enumeration by assign
81 = them as "boarders" or dodgers"
to -arious houses in their districts.
IN other words. the director states,
the enumerators deliberately made the
false statement that these persons
were resident at this or that particular
street number, although the enumer-
ators knew nothing whatever with re-
gard to the names so fraudulently
added.
Census Director Durand has taken
this occasion to point out that lasting
good tor a city is never obtained by
nadding census returns He mentions
Omaha, Neb., and St. Joseph. Mo-, as
two conspicuous examples OF INJURIOUS
results to local interests that followed
the presentation vi IL duuulOAC AOpSA w.
4 aIt is now universally recognized,
he said, that the census of Omaha in
1890 was enormously padded. 1t
showed an apparent population which
was published 'as officially correst,
Of 40, 452.
Inevitable Corrections Harmful.
.eWhen in 1900 a correct enumera-
ton was taken, 1t showed a popula-
ton Of 1O2,555. and the apparent great
decrease in population gave Omaha
reputation of being an unprosperous
city
again, the census bureau only re-
Gently has announced the 1910 popula-
ton of st. Joseph, Nc. The figures,
77.403 show an apparent decrease of
24.S per cent. as compared with 1O2,799
reported in 1900.
at is now not merely admitted but
asserted, by the people of st. Joseph.
that the population in 1900 was padded
in an extreme degree, and yet the ap-
parent decline in population which
goes before the general public Is
IN q vnroh 1o i'm.