The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-10-31


and embarrassment.
OFFICE OF CENSUS BOARD,
WAsHINGToN, October %, lS49
To Professor DE Bow,
Dept Of State, Ne,o Orleans, La.
have just concluded the perusal Of your series of
interesting letters written at the request Of the Gov
ernor Of Louisiana, and addressed through the New
Orleans papers to the United States Census Board.
These productions worthy of serious conside-
ration, no less account of the known character
of the writer, than the Importance of the subject OF
which they treat. As to me il seems that you labor
under some little Misrepresentation, have thought
proper to address 10 you a few remarks through
channel similar to that adoptedby yourself, in your
communications to the board; in doing which. it
shall not he my object 10 comment upon the entire
series, concciving nothing farther called for than
notice of such portions of your letters seem to
convey censure upon the action of the board.
One reason for the proposed oariatiOn Of the blanks
for taking the Of 1850, originated in the fact
that the act of Congress Of Sd March, 1919, limits
the blanks TO 100 questions, whereas the census
blanks of 1910 extended the number to more than
200, exclusive of population.
II was in view, therefore, of such limitation, and
sible by the be taken in the middle Of the
century, that the board ''authorzed," should it
seem necessary advisable, after obtaining all the
information attainable the publication of the blanks
to differ somewhat in order that every section
of country might be enabled to exhibit many of
its peculiar resources possible; the Board, in
my opinion, wisely considering it better to order,
authorize, the issue of blanks which would be
returned with columns filled with interesting sta
tisical details, than to issue such blanks must in
the nature of the case he returned with large
number of columns as blank when issued from
the office. In this way il was supposed that more
han hundred subjects in the aggregate might
be developed, without, although you seem to fear
a contrary result, in the least dsparaging any
tioA of the Union. The board has used great eff
fors to acquire information of what interests in one
Stale might be dspensed with in blanks sent to
Other sections exhibiting such resources, substi
tutng for them headings having practical bear
ing upon their interests, and leading to their de-
vebpment To acquire this information, letters
have been sent to every United States Senator, and
member of the last and next Congress, the Cover
of the several States and all persons who have
been known to feel interested in the subject of
statistics. Although the obtaining of much in
ter,sting and valuable information has result
ed from these efforts, the responses have not
been so general as could have been desired
and many of them were far from satisfactory; so
much 30 that it is presumed the board has come to
the conclusion not to carry into effect the plan
proposed, it would hardly be practicable with
tn, informationit has been enabled toacquire dur
Ing the few months of its organization.
The blanks of uniform character, if adopted, will
beso from the force of circumstances, anu not from
Of heir for,
feence would certainly have been given to the
otier plan, had time sufficient been granted to
quire more thorough acquaintance with the diver
aty Of the interests involved.
BY reference TO the last census, il may be seen
that il included at least seventy or more headings
inapplicable to the State of Louisiana, taking for
data the list you give of ''items embraced in the
census of ls40 which had practical bearing upon
Louisiana that time" In addition to which,
gentlemen from other States have declared an
equal number inapphcable To them, but cite differ
ent subjects Now, it occurs to me, that if for those
seventy superfluous Questions in the Louisiana
blanks, Others had been substituted, tending to the
exhibition of resources not included in the blanks,
the effect would have been not 10 "promise in
the result injustice to Louisiana, but, on the
trary, to have made manifest productions of great
value to the State and the country. If then such
would have been the effect where the queries were
Numerous, how much more important 10 make
such discrimination where, by act of Congress, the
subjects reduced more than fifty per cent I?
II was not proposed to vary the blanks 30 as
to omit, in any sent 10 State, resources which
such State could be supposed to furnish-so that
the omission 10 include such subject from one
State might be equally satisfactory proof Of
it's being foreign to the interests thereof, if it
were included in the general headings and returned
as blank as the impression came from the printer
In addition TO this, il does not follow, merely be-
the original blanks for the State of Louisiana
might not contain headings for such articles by you
enumerated foreign to her interests lead, gold,
salt, granite, marble, barley, buckwheat, straw,
bonnets, paper and glass--that when these blanks
became returns, and digested, with those
from other States, into compend, that that State
would not appear without such resources; for, al
though the blanks might be diversified, the diver
sihcstion would be of such character as would not
interfere in the least with the exhibition of any
States resources, when all the returns became pub
lished; 80 that cannot come to the same concu-
sion with yourself, that "the plan proposed by the
Census Board If admitted practicable, promises, in
the result injustice to the southern States, and upon
this account, should meet with little favor" "The
circumstances, The only one which will lead TO proper
exhibition OF the numerous peculiar interests Of the
southern States, and would avoid much of the con-
fusion incident ~ too extended list Of subjects.
| One would imagine, from the phrascology of one
sentence in your fret letter. in connexion with the
one just cited in the paragraph, that there was
suspected design the part of the Census Board,
TO do the South injustice. You say that, Gin tabu-
lar forms framed for the South, IL will be easy to
omit some branch Of manufac actually existing
here, but in formula for the North it will be i'm
possible to omit any branch fagrictdt're" Should
mistakes Of this kind have occurred, the board
would certainly not be 10 blame, after the efforts
which have by them been used TO obtain reliable
information. Cards, soliciting attention 10 this
subject, have been published in every State Of the
Union, and several thousand letters and circulars
sent to every State and Territory during the past
five months; 80 that, should any branch of southern
manufactures have been omitted in the plan pro-
| posed, such would have been omitted, not because
sit would be easy omit" but for want Of response
given To the invitation to all 10 communicate infor-