Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-15
TAKING THE CENSUS
Enumerators Begin to Collect
Information.
PAID ACCORDING TO NAMES
Some Government Employees Object
to Being Recorded.
CLAIM ANOTHER RESIDENCE
Supervisor Broughton Explains That
Citizenship Is Not Decided
by Enrolment.
CLAIM ANOTHER RESIDENCE

Taking the thirteenth census Of the
United States began this morning when
geo enumerators started out to ascertain
| the population Of the District and col
lateral facts. William s. Broughton. sup
pervisor OF the census for the District OF
Columbia. said that some of the enumera-
tors started out on their mission Of
gathering information as early as Z
o'clock.
you see." he said. cit will be piece
work in the city. and the more names an
enumerator turns in the more money he
earns. In some Of the districts the pay
Is 81 day and cents a name. In 9TH
er districts 1t is 21a cents a name straight,
and in the outlying or suburban places
1t is 81 cents name straight.
Objection Of Government Employees.
Mr.. Broughton also said the enumera-
tors were experiencing some difficulty
with those employees Of the general gov
eminent who maintain voting residences
in the states. They have in many in
stances seriously objected to being enter
ed upon the records as residents of the
District Of Columbia, in the belief. no
doubt. that such entry may interfere
with their suffrage in the state to which
they are accredited.
ITO be entered as q resident Of the
District" a Treasury Department clerk
said, would be to figure as a political
nonentity, as the American voting priv
ilege is denied the citizens here"
Supervisor Broughton has instructed his
enumerators that the government en-
ployes must be enumerated as residents
of this District. 'It is not a question
Of their real citizenship or voting place."
he explained, but the question of where
the man or woman is living and mains
tanning q residence on April Is, 191O.''
Questions Propounded.
The questions propounded by the emu
merators from the individual census
slip" embrace the name and address Of
the resident. sex. color or race single
or married; widowed or divorced; where
born; number Of children; mother tongue
or NAIVE tongue II Of foreign birth; as
to Naturalization; trade, profession or
usual occupation; is the resident able
to read and write the English language:
as to blindness, and the query. Were
you In the Union or Confederate army
or navy in the civil WARP"
Each ennmerator is also provided with
an enumerator's street book. The pur-
pose OF this book is to enable the emu
merator to furnish record OF any house
at which he did not secure at his ,.rst
visit all the Information desired to be en-
tered on the population schedule. Also
vacant houses. lots, public buildings.
churches, business buildings, shops, etc.
Status Of Housewives.
In view Of the fact that a number of
women OF the country are assailing the
recent ruling Of E. Dana Durand, director
Of the census. that housewives should be
CLASSIFIED as having no occupation, that
official has issued a statement in which
he discusses the question at some length.
1T is not intended by the instructions"
says Mr.. Durand, Ito imply that house
wives have not a high occupation and one
winch actually contributes greatly to the
wealth Of the country. The point is. how
ever, that the census idea of an occupa-
ton is necessarily one which brings in
money directly-which is a means Of SUD-
port to the family. Our statistics OF fam
lilies will show plainly how many wives
there are, and we shall certainly, In dis
cussin2 our statistics Of occupations, refer
to these wives as in most cases occupied,
although not gainfully occupied.
1T IS particularly important to get ac-
curate returns Of those women who do
work for wages or otherwise directly earn
money. and in order to get such returns
accurately 1t Is necessary to direct that
women who do not earn money, but who
are housewives in the family, should be
reported as having no occupation. If the
instructions were to report housewife or
'housework as occupations, many women
would be reported under this heading who
should have been reported as having a
gainful occupation. For example, women
who give part of their time to their own
homework, but who at the same time
earn money by teaching music, by dress
making. or In similar ways
Funny Experiences.
Funny experiences and pathetic ones
marked the first days work of some
Of the enumerators.
Il 'sposes de mex thing you'll ak me
is what's my Denomination an whar 1
keeps my money!
This was the peppery response one of
the census enumeratOrs received today
Washington. The enumerator was read
ing or the list Of interrogations from
one OF the census blanks.
We'll, honey. I mought as we'll tell
yer my Denomination is dat OBJ a Abra-
ham Lincoln Publican an my faith is
dat Oh q hard-shell Baptist. Yer needn't
ask mo bout my money, cuz amt |
gWine ter tell yer how much Ise got |
or whar I keeps 1t. Oar now"
Special Agents and Enumerators.
Those who entered upon the work Of /
rens,,s eo,,yoara tfop this ,,oorrtr- a. -.