River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-03-10
Wrong Views Of The Census
No Harm Can Come to any Per-
son Who Answers the
Questions

WASHINGTON, -. ", MdlCA - - w.
Letters from the census supervls-
ors to the United States Census
Bureau show the erroneous appre-
hension OF a considerable element
of the population that their answers
to the enumerators' questions IN
the next census, beginning April Is,
this year, will cause increased taxa
tion, legal entanglements, or in
furious consequences to their per-
sons 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
decennial census, its origin, pur-
pose, and uses.
This statement should furnish
complete assurance TO those con-
cerned that information given the
enumerators is held by the Census
Bureau in the strictest confidence
with reference to the identity of the
ineormants, 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 numb ers
of people, will cooperate with the
bureau by telling persons who are
believed to entertain erroneous opin-
ions of the census the real facts and
urging them to give full replies to
the enumeratorS. Teachers are par
ticularly requested to speak of the
census to the school children and
ask them to tell their parents about
il.
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 presentation
in the National House of Represent
atives. 1t is the means also to as
certain the increase in the popula-
ton, agriculture, industries, and
resources of the nation siuce 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 sta
tistical purposes. 1t will neither be
published nor used in any other
way to disclose facts regarding any
Individual or enterprise. The CEN
Sus, it goes on to say, is not, never
has been, and can not be employed
to obtain informant that can be
used in any way in the assessment
of property for purposes of taxation
or the collection of taxes, either ma
tional, state, or local; or for depor-
tation proceedings, extradition meas
ures, army or navy CONSUMPTION,
internalrevenue investigations, com
pulsory school attendance, child-la-
Dor law prosecutions, quarantine
regulations, or in any way to affect
the life, liberty, or property of any
person.
1t 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 interpre-
ters, before entering upon their du-
ties, are obliged to take a solemn
oath not to disclose any information
they may obtain, except to the Census
Bureau, and violation of the Unit
ed States law in regard to this oath
means ST, 900 fine or Imprisonment
for two years, or both, in the discre-
ton of the court.