The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-10-16
INVISIBLE men
OF The WEST
Tacoma Population List Was Padded
in Great Shape by Special
Agent, so 1t is
Changed.
ON VACANT LOTS
Thousands Of Ficticious Names Were
Added to the List in Order
to Swell The
VACANT
IGate City Leased Wire service.l

IGate City Leased Wire Servicel
WASHINGTON. Oct. 15.-The CEN
sus bureau sprung big sensation
when it officially announced that
padding has been discovered In the
census returns for Tacoma, Washing
ton; Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Wash.
Minneapolis, MINI, Boise, idaho;
Great Falls, Mont, and Fort Smith,
Ark.
letter from President Taft to
Secretary Nagel and made pubic by
Director Durand OF the census bu-
reau says in part:
The cases OF all those who APP
peared to have violated the law
should be investigated by the grand
jury, and il sufficient evidence is
found to justify 1t, they should be In
dicted and prosecuted at once. Moth
ing will SO conduce to secure a prop
er census as the prosecution Of those
who attempt fraud upon the law"
Director Durand named Stacey NJ
Corwin, a special agent of the cen
sus bureau in Tacoma as being re-
sponsible for much of the padding in
that city. He declared that persons
were enumerated as residing in va
cant lots and at ficticous numbers.
| The greater part OF the padding at
Tacoma, Washington was done by
slips printed by organizations and
private individuals in such manner
as to appear similar to the census
slips and containing the same ques-
tions. These slips were scattered
about the city distributed in stores,
factories, offices and from tables on
street corners.
Wherever person was discovered
who claimed that he should be en-
umerated, a slip was filled out for
him or by him. said Durand.
1t was explained that the slips
were printed in order to aid in Sc
curing correct enumeration and that
their ostensible purpose was praise
worthy although their results were
greatly to be condemned.
ut is not known as yet,' said Dur
and whether any organization or
group OF individuals in Tacoma delib-
erately undertook to secure a padded
: census by the methods pursued"
: The supervisor informed Durand
that he had instructed the three
: special agents who had immediate
4 charge of the Tacoma census to
!. make rigid investigation before
adding any from private slip.
s Had this actually been done,
h said Durand, "the result ,might have
e been to add a few hundred or at the
5 most few thousand to the enum-
Grafton AS a matter OF fact many
h thousands of names taken from these
S slips were entered by the enumera
1t tors in their old schedules without
l. any investigation either as to posi-
o Bile duplication or as to the right te
e enumeration. numbers of enumer
e. ators state that they were instructed
d thus to enter the names in their en-
st umeraton by Stacey M. Corwin who
was one of the special agents II
+ charge of enumeration IN Tacoma
v. Corwin distributed to many, if not all
i" of the enumerators under his dlrec
h. ton. large punches of these slips. HI
lie did not instruct them to ascertain
id whether the persons named in th'
q. slips had been enumerated, whethe
IN they were entitled to enumeration o
o. whether they resided or belonged IL
M any degree in the district of the en-
OF umerator to whom the slips wer
a handed. Instead Corwin gave ir
structions in substance that all of tn
ed slips handed to each enumerato
N. represented bona fIde residents G
nj the city who had not been enumera
SC. ed and who had to be counted some
how, that the enumerator must eI
IN. ter them as resident in his distrlc
yo and that the supervisors Office woul
de assume the responsibility of doing s.
tIa even though the enumerators mgr
ra find it necessary to enter the person
oh as resident or vacant lots or ficticot
,a4 street numbers.