The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-03-04
WRONG VIEWS ARE
TAKEN OF CENSUS
Census Bureau Prepares official State
ment in Which origin, Purpose and
Uses is Shown.

| Washington, d. c., March 4.-Let-
tiers from the census supervisors to
the United States Census Bureau
show the erroneous apprehension of
a considerable element Of the popula-
ton that their answers to the enumer-
ators' questions in the next census, be-
ginning April Is, this year, will cause
increased taxation, legal entangle-
ments, or injurious consequences to
their persons and property.
In order to quiet such unfounded
fears, which would, unless removed,
materially affect the accuracy of the
census, the bureau has prepared an
official statement relative to the de-
cennial census, it's origin, purpose and
uses.
This statement should furnish COM
plete assurance to those concerned
that information given the enumera-
the strictest confidence with reference
to the identity of the informants, as
required by the policy of the bureau
and commanded by the law of the
United States.
The bureau earnestly hopes that
clergymen, priests, physicians, school
teachers, employers, and other public
spirited citizens who come in contact
with larce numbers of people will CO.
operate with the bureau by telling per-
sons who are believed to entertain
erroneous opinions of the census the
real facts and urging them to give full
replies to the enumerators. Teachers
are particularly requested to speak of
the census to the school children and
ask them to tell their parents about it
The statement issued by the bureau
explains that the Constitution requires
a census of the population to be TAX
en- every ten years in order to reap
portion state representation in the
National House of Representatives.
It is the means also to ascertain the
increase in the population, agricul-
ture, industries, and resources of the
nation since the last census.
1t is emphatically declared, by the
statement, that the information sought
from the people of the United States
is used solely for general statistical
purposes. 1t will neither be published
nor used in any other way to disclose
facts regarding any individual or en-
terprise. The census, it goes on to
say, is not, never has been, and can
not be employed to obtain informa-
ton that can be used in any way in
the assessment of property for pur-
poses of taxation or the collection of
taxes, either national, state, or local;
or for the deportation proceedings,
extradition measures, army or navy
conscription, internal-revenue inyesti-
cations, compulsory school attend
ance, child-labor law prosecutions,
quarantine regulations, or in any way
t. affect the life, lib 9rty, or property
of any person.
1t points out that replies to the emu
merators are and must be held by the
census bureau in strict and absolute
confidence. All the bureau officials,
supervisors, supervisors clerks, emu
merators, and interpreters, before en-.
tering upon their duties, are obliged
to take a solemn oath not to disclose
any information they may obtain, ex-
cept to the census bureau, and a viola.
ton of the United States law in re-
gard IT, his oath means a $1,000 fine
or Imprisonment for two years, or
both, at the discretion of the court.