Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-27

since the first census, taken in 1870.
Indeed, for many years the entire
bureau was regularly abolished after
the census had been taken and compiled, re-
Quiring for the next census an entirely new
corps of Statisticians, clerks, etc., who knew
no more of their duties when they took office
than they did those who performed similar
duties 10 years before.
Strange as it might seem to the economist,
Congress did not provide for permanent
Census Bureau until legislation was being en-
acted for taking the twelfth census in 1900
when President william Mckinley, on March
g. 1899 signed the bill establishing census
bureau in the Department of the Interior, and
which, among several things, provided that the
chief officer be the director of the census
instead of superintendent as formerly, to be
appointed by the President and confirmed by
the Senate.
was one of the best laws Congress ever passed,
and since the establishment of this bureau 80
years ago it has not only saved the Govern
ment millions of dollars, but has kept together
a corps of experts unsurpassed in any other
branch of Uncle Sans service.
No doubt the twelfth census got off to
better start than did those conducted in pre-
vious years, for it was at this time that
Matthew C. Emery erected on B street be-
tween First and Second, building especially
equipped for the purpose.
TN his story of the First Railroad Into Wash
ington,' Washington Topham has this to
say regarding the building erected for the
Census Bureau by Mr.. Emery:
AT the close of the year 1899 the first home
in the history of the country that the Census
Bureau ever had was erected on square STA,
between First and Second streets and and
Indiana avenue, on property owned and occu-
in 1885.
MIR. Matthew G. Emery had purchased this
property from the railroad company in the
early Sos and constructed the building in
accordance with plans approved by the direc-
tor of the census. 1t was the home of the
twelfth census of 1900, as well as that Of the
census of 1910.
THE Emery building was also occupied by
the judicial department of the District of
Columbia for nearly three years, from Novem-
Der 13, 1916 to the Fall of 1919, while the old
City Hall or Court House was undergoing re-
construction and repairs"
OF course since the Federal Government
moved here in 1900, the headquarters for the
Census Bureau has been somewhere in Wash
ington, but just where is far more difdcult
question to answer than it is to ask.
The home of the seventh census, taken in
1850, according to the city directory, was on
the west side of Eighth street between and
F. but just in what building the writer is
the superintendent of the census at that time,
and the bureau was under the Department Of
the Interior.
The Offices of the next census--or the census
of 186O-occupied the Patent Once Building at
- Seventh and F streets. Joseph @. @. Kennedy
was again superintendent and Hallet Kilbonrn
the chief clerk. It was KilbouTn who, to-
gether with Adolph Cluss and Alexander r.
Shepherd, built the three stone residences
on the north side of K street between Seven
COn0ecticut
corner house to the west being occupied by
Gov. Shepherd Later it was the home of
Washington Mclean and subsequently became
the property of william r. Draper United
States Ambassador to italy. It was here that
Margaret Draper, the Ambassadors daughter, =.
and Prince Boncompagni were married in the
great ball room Of the house shortly before the
World War, the ceremony being performed by
Cardinal Gibbons who came from Baltimore
especially to pronounce the VOWS to the couple,
being permitted to do this. we are told, by
reason of the fact that the bridegroom was
OF royal blood. Some years ago it re-
ported as having been sold to the Masonic
Mutual Life Insurance Co.
HALLET KILBOURN was one of the few
men to defy the will of Congress and get
away with it, even though he was forced to
spend some time in the local jail 70 do so.
Later on, after several trials, he even recov-
cred damages from the sergeant at arms for
his arrest and incarceration. Judge Job
Barnard, reviewing this case before the Column
bia Historical Society, in 1913, had this to say:
mr. Kilbourn had been summoned before
a special committee of the House of Repre-
sentatives in March, 1876, as a witness and
declined to answer certain questions asked him
concerning certain real estate transactions, and
also declined to produce certain private papers
called for He was then brought before the
House, where he again declined to answer the
questions or to produce the papers called for,
when he was adjudged to be in contempt and
was arrested by the sergeant at arms by
direction of the House of REPRESENTATIVES and