The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-02-22

rs VA 9 z, IS 5aiast5y e VI s
Census Dire Durand Gives
Deals of His Annual
Report.
4 SSe as 3 mos. p. e, FEB. e
siderable part % the annual Fepori
sfor IsQ9s10 which Census Direeto,,
Dprand has transni tied 10 secfetary
Nagel q the Department 81 Commerce
and Laborsis devoted to the stl6iects
e eyegcounttng, o. padding. and
andercopnting the population; Of sew
ssral Deliberate conspiraeies between
private individuals and local special
agents and enamerators 70 initiate cen.
gus returns; 81 the desiralbillty Of d
Federal Law prohibiting the unofhcial
circulation Of printed slips containing
census questions. ana az the extent 81
3the mRrgain Of error in the Thirteenth
Census count.
Il After careful investigation OF the
returns and sehed dulles by expert. clerks
IN the bureau, 1t was found necessary
!t2 correct the population figures for
some 90 cities ct the United states,
whose census returns had been mac
curately made, or padded, either
Intentionally or through carelessness
Tor error. In no case, however. was
ANY correction in the population fig
ures made without first conducting q
careful investigation n the city itself,
Evidence Of Conspiracy.
The director states that in several
cities there seems to have been de-
lEberate conspiracy between private in
dividuals and some the special agents
or enumerators. or both, to initiate
fralfdllently, the census returns. II
would be inadvisanole to present the
ew. dence OF such conspiracies in any
individual case at the present time
as only after investigation by the De.
tpartment of Justice and the possible
ensuing prosecutions will the facts 'oe
fully known.
BY direction Of the President, the
Census Bureau has already laid the
facts thus ascertained with regard to
several cases OF padding" before the
Department Of Justice, and othe,
cases will shortly be brought to It's at,
tentton.
Up to the present time indictment;
have been brought and convictions se.
cured in the case Of three enumerator.
IN Great Falls, Mont, and Indictment.
have been secured, which are nov
pending trial. in the case OF ono
enumerator IN Seattle, wash. and O
three enumerators and one specta
itagent in Fort Smith, Ark.
It is not believed that the errors ant
fraud in the present census in any way
exceeded those in previous censuses
on the. c3ntrary, It is very likely thq
they were less extensive. Greater et
fort. however, was given at the pres
tent census than ut any preceding t.
the investigation of the correctness O
the returns, and consequently error
and frauds wc.e discovered in a large
number of cases than at any preceding
census.
In describing the general characteI
and method of overcoming or pad
ding" the census returns in rye cit
les. Director Durand says in his re
Itp"rt that II was impossible in man!
leases to distinguish clearly betweel
deliberate fraud and mlsjudgment. l
is undoubtedly very difficult in man!
individual instances for an enumera
tor to decide whether a given person
Us or is not entitled to enumeration
in his district. The difficulty arise
chiefly in connection with the float
ing population.
Sources or Overcoming.
The names improperly enumerate
in the various cities and districts con
ccrned may be roughly grouped un
der the following classes: !.
Purely fictitious names, probabl
J comparatively few.
Persons who were residents OF tn
city, but who did not reside In tn,
instrumentation district in which flctl
tiously reported and who were alread!
enumerated at their true residence.
Persons formerly residents of tn
city but who had permanently left II
or who, in some cases, had died
names in such cases having been a
times taken from old directories 0,
from pay rolls Of employers.
Persons who have never had per
hmanent residence in the city and wert
not there at the time OF the enumer
alton, but who previously, at one TIM
or another. had been temporarily pres
rent in the city.
Persons temporarily present in thu
r.'ty m tho census day CAprll 1.5O llu