Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-03-11
WRONG VIEW OF CENSUS
NO HARM CAN RESULT FROM AN
SwERING QUESTIONS.
All Information Is Held in Confidence
by Government as TO Particular
Individuals.

| Letters from the census supervisors
to the United States Census Bureau
show the erroneous apprehension Of a
considerable element of the population
that their answers to the enumera-
tors 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 decen-
nial census, it's origin, purpose, and
uses.
This statement should furnish COM
plete assurance to those concerned
that information given the enumera-
tors 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
clergymen, priests, physicians, school
teachers, employers, and other public
spirited citizens who come in 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 enumerators. Teachers
are particularly requested to speak OF
the census to the school children, and
ask them to tell their parents about 1t.
The statement issued by the bureau
explains that the Constitution requires
a census of the population to be taken
every 10 years in order to reapportion
state representation in the National
House of Representatives. 1t is the
means also to ascertain the increase in
the population, agriculture, 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 information that
can be used in any way in the ASSESS
ment of property for purposes of tax
alton or the collection of taxes, either
National, state, or local; or for deport-
alton proceedings, extradition meas
ures, army or navy conscription, in
ternal revenue Investigations, compul-
sorry school attendance, child-labor
law, prosecutions, quarantine regula-
tions, or in any way to affect the life,
liberty or property Of any person.
1t points out that replies to the en-
umerators are and must be held by the
Census Bureau in strict and absolute
confidence All the bureau officials, SUI
pervisors, supervisors clerks, enum-
orators and Interpreters. before en-
tering upon their duties, are obliged to
take a solemn oath not to disclose any
information they may obtain, except
to the Census Bureau, and violation
of the United States law in regard to
this oath means a $1,000 fine or inn
prisonment for two years, or both, in
the discretion of the court.