The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-11-24
CENSUS OF MEMPHIS
GROSSLY PADDED
Southern City Is Accused of
Trying to Double Up
BLOW TO BUSINESS INTERESTS
Charge that 10000 Fictitious Names
Were Included ia Enumeration
Director Darand 40 Supervisor
FarIey-Refuses Recount.

.wroth because she felt Uncle Sans
census figures rudelY snubbed her. Mem
phis. Tenn, will fairly boil with rage
this morning when she learns that not
only has her demand for recount been
turned down By Director DuFand, but thar
She has been hatly accused OF outrageous
padding and frauds in connection with
the enumeration Of 1900
This charge came 10 light yesterday in
a pointed letter. which Director Durand
sent 70 john W. Farley. supervisor OF
the Memphis census. The communication
is a sharp Tebuke 10 business interests
in the Tennessee metropolis. which haYe
been insisting that the 1910 enumeration
was inadequate and that Supervisor Far
ley and his force were Incompetent
Wanted 20 "DOubIe Tp."
While Memphis was blssfuliy dreaming
OF a popuIatioRS approaching 200o00. the
official figures showed that she had barely
l3e, ,000 an increase Of 90 per cent over
the figures Of the previous decade. She
had confidently expected 10 double up
in this period, The howl Of rase which
lAEN iEG ft4l ~ ulu NfttB Altli4N PMS AElt
below 7c.0oO of her fond anticipation de-
termined Director Durand 10 recheck Ger
tain wards in which mistakes were most
likely TO occur This was done. and the
percentage of error did not exceed 5 per
cent, SO that Mr.. Durand decided to re-
fuse a recount.
In his letter the director then proceeds
TO relate some OF the frauds and padding
which have been lately discovered in
the Memphis census of 1900. These have
never been published before and make
interesting reading. The following are
excerpts from his epistle:
zone enumerator stated that after he
had practically completed his district IN
a proper manner he was instructed 10 go
to the saloons and restaurants In his
district and enumerate all persons found
there. The enumerator states that he
did so for several consecutive days and
enumerated persons as they got their
meals and drinks. The enumeratOr' s
schedules show plainly that he did just
what he states he did. Thus from one
house number he reported 3A persons.
These were reported in thirteen different
places in his schedules. representing thir-
teen separate visits covering q number
OF days In numerous other cases his
schedules show from three to seven visits
10 the some place.
House Numbers Fictitious.
I'm another enumeration district an
investigation showed that large numbers
Of persons had been enumerated from
fictitious house numbers. Thus, from ten
house numbers. between 15S and III Elii-
Oft street. eighty-three persons were
enumerated. whereas ,there are not now
and were not IN 1900 any such houses
whatsoever
From s. Front street this enumerator
reported on his first visit nine white
persons The head of the family which
then occupied the house states that this
wss the correct enumeration. On subse-
quent sheets of his schedule this enum-
orator reported no less than 1,O99 colcred
persons as dodgers in this house.
AS the result of such frauds. Director
Durand believes that the population of
Memphis was padded 10 the extent of
at least a0,000 Among the special agents
OF the Census Bureau who investigated
the frauds ten years ago was Victor
Olmsted now chief statistican of the
Department OF Agriculture. but owing TO
some defect in the method OF the in
vestigation. they were not exposed at the
time.