The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-04-15
District EnumeratorS Start
the Task of Counting
the People.
ALL PERSONS ASKED
TO HELP IN WORK
Blanks Left At Homes Contain
Questions Which Should
Be Answered

William Howard Taft is the first
citizen OF lie United states. literally
as well as iguratively-
This fact was established as a GER
tsinry today, when bright young
census enumeratOr called at the White
House and asked to see the head of
the house. for the purpose Of makins
him a part and parcel Of the pOpula-
ton Of the District OF Columbia
The Executive Mansion was the
very first place 10 be visited by an
euumeratOr, and the name OF the
President the first name recorded.
Also the taking Of the census was
begun in Washington today before It
began anywhere else in the country.
Therefore there isn't any doubt that
William Howard Taft is the first citi-
zen OF the United States
And there are several other citizens.
Any one OF the 200-odd enumerators who
started the decennaI national counting
Of persons in the District today can al
test that fact The counting Is a much
more serious business 20 the people
doing It than they supposed it would BE-
when they applied for the places.
Scope OF Work
There are 23S enumeration precincts
IN the Distict assigned to Ave super
visory officers In each Of these pre-
cints there is an estimated population or
1,s0n persons, and today there were 81
snumerators hUstling for the names
and family history OF each Of those in
dividUais.
Two weeks time has been allotted for
this purpose and the .euumerators will
be required TO have COro1leted their re-
ports by that time. On these reports
wiz be based the official statement Of
yle population OF the District OF COlum-
bia for the next decade as well as sta
usticai figures regarding other things.
Iheer are thlrty-tTvO questions OF all
the faculty with which these are an
swered depends the length OF time 70
be consumed in the taking Of the cen
sus-
Two days ago agents Of District Su-
perVlsoT William z BroughtOr left
printed blanks with every n5useheid In
ne clLy containing the questions to be
asked Wnlcn the nOuSeholder could fit
out az his own convenience The CUIPE-
IONS result u the recording Of the
name, age place Of birth, place OF
read and write, whether the home Is
o-Eneo Or rented, OF every person in the
The questions are put IN forms In he
easily understood and Il was not thought
that the enumerators would have much
difhculty in getting the answers.
Head Of the House.
Tor the census purposes the head OF
q house IS the chief person in the house
either IN point Of age OF Importance
thus a householder whose. parents were
living with him would be the head
rather than either Of the parents, as he
is the most important person IN the
house
IN the same way every person in the
house. whether servant. lOdEer. or mem
Der. would be considered a part Of the
household under the head of the house
vel as boarding houses and private
homes The manager or landlord Of the
hotel and the mana ger or officer Of a
club who makes the club his d0miciIe
e considered the head
Supervisor BrOughtou desires to i'm
press upon the people Of the District
The fact that the recording or the names
by the census enUmeTatOr has nothing
10 do with establishing the legal resi-
dence Of the person recorded Many
people have expressed themselves as op-
posed, to permitting their names in
clude5 In the District census. as Il
would deprive them OF a legal resi-
dence, and its consequent voting privi-
lege, in the States.
Afr. BroUshton states such a fear IS
grOundless- The census is the mere
counting Of the number Of people in
the country with a little general fhf6r-
CContinued on Page Twenty)