Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-03-17
CENSUS FACTS SECRET
Information, Gathered for Statis=
tics, Will Be Treated as
Confidential.
TAXES WILL NOT BE RAISED.
U. S. Bureau in Statement Allays the
Fears of Those Who Apprehend
Troublesome Queries.
washington Correspondence

Letters from the census supervisors
to the United States Census Bureau
show the erroneous apprehension of
considerable element of the population
that their answers to the enumer-
ators' questions in the next census,
beginning April 10, this year, will
cause increased taxation, legal entan-
clements 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, its 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 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 cler-
gymen, priests, physicians, school
teachers, employers and other public
spirited citizens who come i'll contact
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 enGmerators. Teach
ers 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 taken
every ten years in order 10 reappOr-
ton state representation in the Ma
tional House of Representatives. 1t is
the means also to ascertain the in
crease in the population, agriculture,
industries and resources of the nation
since the last century.
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, it not, never has been and can
not be employed to obtain information
that can be used in any way in the
assessment Of property 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, COM
pulsory school attendance, child labor
law prosecutions, or IN any way affect
the life, liberty 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, SUI
pervisors, supervisors clerks, enumer-
ators and interpreters, before entering
upon their duties, are obliged to take
a solemn oath not to disclose any in
formation they may obtain, except to
the Census Bureau, and a violation of
the United States law in regard to
this oath means a $1,000 fine or i'm
prisonment for two years. or both, in
the discretion of the court.