The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-03-04
WRONG VIEWS Of
THE CENSUS
NO HARM CAN COME TO ANY
PERSON WHO ANSWERS THE
QUESTIONS OF THE ENUMERA.
TORS WHO WILL CALL.

Washington, D. c., March 4. 1910.a
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 emu
merator's questions in the next cen
sus, beginning April Is, this year,
will cause increased taxation, legal
entanglements, or injurious conse-
quences to their persons and prop
erty.
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 enumer-
ators is held by the Census Bureau
in the strictest confidence with ref
erence to the identity of the inform
ants, 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 pub
lie spirited citizens who come in con-
tact with large numbers of people,
will cooperate with the bureau by
telling persons who are believed to
entertain erroneous opinions of the
census the real facts and urging them
to give full replies to the enumera-
tors. Teachers are particularly re-
quested to speak of the census to the
school children and ask them to tell
their parents about it.
The statement issued by the bu-
reau explains that the Constitution
requires a census of the population
to be taken every ten years in order
to reapportion state representation
in the National House of Representa-
tives. 1t is the means also to ascer-
tain the increase in the population,
agriculture, industries and resources
of the nation since that 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 sta
tistical purposes. It will neither be
published nor used In any other way
to disclose facts regarding any indi-
vidual or enterprise The census, it
goes on to say, Is not, never has
been, and can not be employed to
obtain information that can be used
in any way in the assessment of prop
erty for purposes of taxation or the
collection of taxes, either national,
state, or local; or for deportation
proceedings, extradition measures,
army or navy CONSUMPTION, internal
revenue Investigations, compulsory
school attendance, child labor law
prosecutions, quarantine regulations,
Or in any way to affect the life, lib
erty, or property OF any person.
It points out that replies to the
enumerators are and must be held
by the Census Bureau in strict and
absolute confidence. All the bureau
officials. supervisors, supervisors
clerks, enumerators, and interpreters,
before entering upon their duties are
obliged to take a solemn oath not
to disclose any information they may
obtain, except to the Census Bureau,
and a violation of the United States
law in regard to this oath means a
81, 900 fine or Imprisonment for two
years, or both, in the discretion of
the court.