The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-02-19

pecially of the western range states,
that their interests, whether personal
or corporate, can not possibly be af-
fected in any way by their frank and
full disclosure of their live stock DOS.
sessions. The information 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 connect
ed with the census office, but in re-
spect to its ever being given to any
other branch of the government,
Assurance of Secrecy.
In behalf of the census bureau. "
today said Assistant Director William
f. Wflloughby, Il can give as positive
assurance of the confidential treatment
of information called for by the live
stock questions in the general agricul-
tural schedule as l could if a conf
dence were to be imposed upon me
personally and privately. The census
bureau is concerned only in the col
lection and publication OF statistical
facts. The spirit of every act of con-
gress providing for the various decen-
NAL censuses has been. and is, that the
Information as to individuals, firms,
and corporations is to be given invio-
liable secrecy. 1t is as much privileged
information as that impaired by a
client to lawyer, by patient to a
physician, by a dying man to his min
lister. 1t can not even be impaired to
another branch of the federal govern.
ment, no mater how much the informa.
| ton may be desired. No court ever
has or ever will ignore this Immunity
from personal or business involvement
bestowed 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-
ttfic efficiency of the census work. So
far as the live stock census is con.
cerned, the bureau. following fair. i'm.
partial, and unbiased methods, quickly
separates the person, firm, or corpora
ton from the facts furnished, and pri-
Vate or corporate identity in connec.
ton with any census data remains for
ever sealed and sacred in the great
safes of the census office
The Directors Report.
In his annual report for 1909 to Sec.
rotary Nagel, of the department OF
commerce and labor, Census Director
Durand stated:
The thirteenth census act is more
specific than that for the twelfth CEN
sus with respect to penalties upon
supervisors, enumerators, or other en-
ployes who disclose information vI.cIf
they secure, or who make false re-
turns. While there is no evidence
that employees of the census bureau in
the past have been guilty of improper
disclosures of infOrmatiOn-excep
possibly, in very few cases-these
more specific provisions for penalties
are highly advantageous. Although
the census law requires persons inter-
rogated to furnish the information
called for on the duly authorized
schedules, reliance for prompt and &C
curate returns must rest largely upon
the good will of those making the re-
turns. Manufacturers, 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 gen
eral statistics, and is not, and should
not be, an instrument for disclosing
the affairs of individual persons, firms
or corporations. Returns made nv
the census bureau are in no case pub
lished in such a way as to identify the
business operations of individual per-
sons or concerns, nor are thew dis
closed to any person aside from en-
ployas of the bureau itself-not even
TO other departments of the govern
ment or to other bureaus of the depart