Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-03-14
ERRORS IN SIXTH CENSUS.
Letter from Tic Secretary 81 Satc rcaiirc 10 alleged
Errors Of The Sirh Cencns.
February -, lSl5--Read, and referred 10 The
Select Committee OF the House OF Representa-
,;vec on thai Snhect
DEPARTMENT or STATE,
W. Shinoton Feb 3 1918

lives on that subject.
DEPARTMENT or STATE,
Washington, Feb. 8, 1915.
Sir: In compliance with the resolution oil The
House OF Representatives OF the 18th utmo d.
recling The Secretary OF State ITO inform this
House if any, and what steps have been taken
10 ascertain whether the errors imputed to The
las, census by The memorials Of Edward Jarvis,
| VIM. Bingham, and ]. WIngate Thornton and
of Thomas Earle and others, presented 10 this
House al It's last session, praying that an in
uuiry should be made as 10 The accuracy of The
last census, and which memorials were referred
10. and reported upon by the Select Committee
on Statistics, he correct or not; and whether The
result OF the inquiry, necessary for that purpose,
has been such as TO impeach, or not, the general
correctness of the same,n-l have the honor 10
state, that deemed il 10 be my duty, as The cor
RICHNESS of the late cencus had been questioned
during the las, session of Congress, and The errors
imputed to it had received, TO certain extent
the sanction Of one of the committees u the
House. 10 adopt such measures as the department
could with propriety, in order TO ascertain whe-
lher the errors imputed TO that important stalisl-
cal document, on which the distribution OF power
among the States of this Union, and the egisla-
ton of Congress, for the time, must 50 much de-
pend, were well founded or not. For this pur-
pose employed WIN. A. Weaver, Esq, as
person in every way well qualified 10 perform The
task of making thorough investigation OF the
subject He was originally appointed by Mr..
FORSYTH, and continued by Mr. Webster, 10 SUI
pcrintend the taking of the late census including
the correction of the returns of The marshas, and
OF the proofs OF the printed documents. The me-
MORALS addressed 10 Congress, impeaching its
correctness, with the report OF HE committee in
reference 10 them were placed in his hands with
the direction TO give the subject a thorough and
impartial investigation, and 10 report the result
to The department
A copy Of his report is herewith enclosed,
which will furnish the information called for by
the resolution of the House.
1t would seem, from its statements, that great
and unusual care was taken in order 10 insure
accuracy in the late census; and that many items
charged as errors in it by the memorialiss, are,
in fact, errors on their part; while as 10 the great
er part of the residue, ii is malterof doubt whe
Their they be errors or not. Many items for in
stance, charged as errors under the head OF "edl-
cation, involve mere questions oil classification (;
and whether they he errors or not, depends on the
fact, whether the classification adopted BY The mar
shas, or by The memorialists, I've that intended by
The acl providing for the taking Of the census.
But as The great object Of the memorialiss, in
impulng gross and glariDg errors 10 The late CEN
sus, seems 10 he To destroy lis credit, because
il exhibits the condition o. The free negroes of the
non-slaveholding States 10 We 81 much worse than
that Of the slaves of the other States in reference
to the far greater prevalence Of insanity, blind
ness deafness and dumhness. comparatively,
among the former than The latter, The report has
given this part OF The subject a more full and
thorough examination.
The result would seem fully 10 sustain the
correctness Of The census on this highly imror-
tant point After examining and pointing oui, in
detail, The erroneous statements and conclusions
of the memorialiss, il proceeds 10 sustain The
correctness of the census in this respect, by evil
dence drawn from the preceding census in 1880.
Tint provided for taking the number afflicted by
the same diseases, emitting that Of insanity
Table marked A, (incluIicd in the report formed
from the returns Of The TWO, emitting cases OF
insanity in the latter, exhibits their comparative
results as TO the number OF deaf, dumb, and
blind. II will he found, on reference 10 it, that
the census of 1880 strikngy confirms, through
out the late census, as 10 the far greater preva-
lence OF these diseases among the Tree blacks oil
the non saveholding States compared with The
slaves OF The other States. But, as conclusive
as this collateral evidence may be regarded, 1t
is not more 50 than that drawn from different
source. 1t is well known, that there IS an init
male connexion between extreme physical
wre,chedness and crime. The same causes
which produce the one, will the other. In order
opened with the proper State authorities, with a
view 10 obtain authentic statements rs 10 The num-
Der of white and colored convicts, including both
sexes, in their respective State prisons, for the
year 1910 and the subsequent years. Table
marked B. gives the results, as lar as statements
have been furnished for 1910, the year the census
was taken. Like table A, il strongly confirms the
correctness Of the late census, BY showing that
the prevalence of crime among the negroes OF the
non-slaveholding States, compared with The
slaves OF the slave-holdiDg States, is not less
striking than the greater prevalence OF disease,
as exhibited by The same document.
On review Of the whole, two conclusions, it
is believed, will be found 10 follow inevitably
The one is, that The correctness Of the late cen
sus. in exhibiting far greater prevalence Of the
diseases of insanity, blindness, deafness and
dum5ness stands unimpeachable. That il may
contain errors, more or less is hardly to be doubt
cd II would be miracle il such document,
with so many figures and entries, did not. But
that they have, if they exist, materially affected
the correctness of The general result would seem
hardly possible Nothing but that the truth is
so, would seem capable of explaining the fact,
that, in all the non-slavehodine States, with
ont exception, the census exhibits, uniform
ly, a far greater comparative prevalence OF
these diseases among the free blacks, than
among the slaves of the other States. They
are, indeed, vastly more so among the most ia
vorable OF the former than in the least favorable
Of the latter. If to this be added the corrobora-
tive evidence furnished by the census OF 1850, and
the returns furnished by the States showing
like greater prevalence of crime, as has been
shown, the conclusion would seem to be aloge-
Their irresistible Why the fact should be so, isa
question Of deep import Without undertaking
10 investigate it, it may be asserted that the cause,
be it what it may, must be deep and durable
None other can account for The uniformity OF lis