The Calumet news., 1911-02-21
Census Director Durand Reports
Evidences Of Conspiracy in :
Work of the Enum-
orators
ONE PR Cent NOT COUNTED
Population of United States As Whole
Might Even Reach Two Per Cent
More Than Has Been Al
ready Announced.

Washington, ID. c., Feb 21.-A con-
siderable part of the annual report for
1gO9-1O which Census Director Durand
has transmitted to Secretary Nagel of
the Department of Commerce and La
Dor is devoted to the subjects of over
counting, or padding" and under
counting the population; of several de-
liberate conspiracies between prlvate
individuals and local special agents
and enumerators to initiate census re-s
turns of the desirability of Federa6
law prohibiting the unofficial circula-,
ton of printed slips containing censusl
questions; and of the extent of the
margin of error in the Thirteenth Cen
sus count.
After careful investigation of the re-
turns and schedules by expert clerks in
the bureau, it was found necessary to
correct the population figures for some
% cities of the United States, whose
census returns had been inaccurately
made, or padded" either Intentionally
or through carelessness or error In no
case. however, was any correction in
the population figures made without
first conducting careful investigation
. in the city itself.
Deliberate Conspiracy.
The Director states that in several
cities there seems to have been delib-
crate conspiracy between private indi-
viduals and some of the special agents
or enumerators, or both. to initiate,
fraudulently, the census returns. 1t
would be inadvisable to present the
evidence of such conspiracies i'm any
individual case at the present time, as
inly after investigation by the Depart
ment of Justice and the possible en-
using prosecutions will the facts be full
ly known.
Up to the present time indictments
have been brought and convictions Sc
cured i'm the case of three enumerators
i'm Great Falls, Mont, and indictments
have been secured, which are now
pending trial, in the case of one emu
merator in Seattle, Wash, and Of three
enumerators and one special agent in
Fort Smith, Ark.
II is not believed that the errors and
fraud In the present census in any way
exceeded those i'm previous censuses;
on the contrary, II is very likely that
they were less extensive. Greater ef
fort, however, was given at the pres
ent census than at any preceding TO
the investigation of the correctness Of
the returns. and consequently errors
and frauds were discovered i'm a larger
number OF cases than at any preceding
census.
In describing the general character
and method of overcounting or pad
ding" the census returns I'm large
cities, Directors Durand VS. in his
report that it was impossi - in many
cases to distinguish clearly between
deliberate fraud and misjudgment. IL
is undoubtedly very difficult in many
Individual instances for an enumerator
to decide whether a given person is or
is not entitled to enumeration In his
district. The difficulty arises chiefly
in connection with the floating popula-
ton.
Some Sources of Errors.
In a considerable proportion of cities
in which overcounting took place. II
was due largely to the unauthorized
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