Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-16

Vi ToOilefS ana -lOGSGrS.
William \. Mckenzie. a bureau expert.
who had charge OF the enumeration OF
the fourth district OF Alaska. was sent
by Director Dursnd to Tacoma, and
made a thorough investigation.
Population of Vacant Lots.
In the ten districts mentioned. a COM
plete accommodation WAS made. In the
twentyfour other suspicious districts the
head o Teach house was visited and in
teTogated. Many names were assigned
to vacant lots and they were eliminated
The director says il is not We, known
whether any individuals or group OF in
olVlduals were responsible for the false
enumeration in Tacoma. The calm is
made that the names We're given TO
the enumerators with the avowed pur-
pose OF ascertaining whether they had
been listed. Instead of using the names
Tor this purpose the enumerators addict
them without making any investigation
IN excuse Tor this course. they say
they were acting under instructions OF
stacey NJ Corwin, special agent OF the
census bureau at Tacoma. He distrib-
uted large punches of slips among the
ehumerators. stating. Mr.. Durand al
reyes tnat the names We're those of bona
noe residents, who should be registered
Mr. Durand declares that Corwn went
SO Tar as TO say that the names must
be counted, even though their owners
''~'N ss'o'Sht " lOlS.
Enumerators Also Guilty.
Commenting upon this phase of the
proceeding. Mr.. Durand says:
Even though IL lis possible that every
enumerator who improperly added names
to his schedule did so under the in
structions OF Special Agent Corwin, new
ertheless these enumerators We're not
only technically guilty of a misdemean-
or. under section 80 of the census act,
but they are also morally guilty and
personally responsible for what they did
Section 80 OF the census act, to which
the attention of the enumerators was
specifically directed before they began
work, explicitly prohibits false statements.
The false statement of these enumer-
ators that the persons named on the
slips were resident at places where. as
matter of fact, they never had resided.
was made knowingly. No enumeration
could fail to know that in doing SO he
was violating the law"
Mr.. Durand says that Investigations are
in progress with reference to a number
of cities, the names of which are not
given.
In some Of these cases." he says. the
padding was apparently not due to any
concerted action, but was done by a
few individual enumerators, apparently
rather in order to increase their own
pay than in order to exaggerate the
total population OF the city,
Explaining the course of the bureau,
Mr. Durand says:
Padding No Advantage.
I'm seeking to eliminate as completely
as possible all overcoming of the pop
ulation, the census bureau is not merely
performing its duty under the Law and
seeking a correct basis for the apportion-
ment of representatives and for the pop
ulation statistics of the country, but 1
believe it is also rendering distinct serv-
ice to the cities themselves in whiSA the
padding has been attempted.
1T is a mistaken theory OF those who
seek to initiate the census that the futCTc
growth of city and it's prosperity viii
be furthered by an overstatcmeRt II the
population. Such. / believe, is never the
case.
I'm some cases quite the reverse occurs.
In those instances which have happened
in the past, and which are likely To happen
I'm the futN~e, where the subsequent actual
growth of a city is not sufficient TO offset
and more than offset an oVercOunt, the
next census, by showing an apparent"
declining, stationary or slowly growing
population, tends to injure the standing CT
the city before the public