The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-16
Defence Of tho Census NEaxshals.
11s CHAMBERS STREET, Aug. IA, 1866.
TO TEE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.

TO TEE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
communication which appeared In the HERALD
of Monday and which has been re-published rs orr
ginsl in one or two other journals Of this city Is
calculated to do injustice TO the marshals Of the
Seventh and Sixteenth wards and, In fact, to the
entire body Of New York City Census Marshals. At
the solicitation OF several ma,shas in the above
wards have been authorized to correct some Of the
material errors contained in the communication
signed Seventh Ward" The author Of this gene
raj denuncation Of the arshals Of the city Of
New York. insinuates that the Sixteenth ward shows
decrease, and that the Seventh ward ought to show
an increase. Now, what are the facts in the casei
The Sixteenth ward has been divided since the last
national census was taken, and another ward (the
Twentieth) taken thersfrom. Compared with 1850,
these two wards show an increase of 4723 inhabi-
tants-quite respectable figure, any one, ever SO
much Disposed to fault finding, will admit.
As to the presumed growth of the Seventh ward
since 1850 the figures Of the Of 1856 and the
present condition Of that ward give no indication
| thereof. For it must be borne in mind that the
opening Of Canal street and the widening Of Walker
street takes of thirteen houses, with at least $50
inhabitants, thus producing material decrease in
the population Of the Seventh ward. Then, the
erection of so many stores in East Broadway, and
the breaking up Of numerous boarding houses, and
the removal Of families for more comfortable quar-
tiers in the upper part of the city and the neghbor
ing towns have greatly decreased the population Of
the Seventh ward, as well as the lower part Of New
York city generally. .4-
| As your correspondent today partially retracts
what he said with reference to the delinquences Of
one of the marshals Of the Seventh ward, do not
deem it necessary to reply to that portion of his first
communication but in justice to the other marshals
Of the Seventh ward. consisting Of seven % intell
gent citizens as could be selected for the purpose
such broad assertions should never be made public
without specifying more particularly the delinquent.
| As it IL, the Seventh ward Iharshals are alike az
grieyed and injured in their own estimation and that
Of their friends, by this anonymous assailant. If
those persons disposed TO complain Of al
msrshals had devoted a email portion of their lei
sure moments in preparing abstracts Of the mate
nal statistics Of their own families there would be
very little cause Of complaint for the delinquen-
aware Of one-half Of the difficulties the census
marshals have been obliged to encounter in the dis
charge Of their perplexng and mulhfarious duties,
| am sure they would have much less to say Of
faults Of omission commission on the part Of the
marshals who are poorly requited, ut best, for all
their trouble early and late in collecting the census
Several communications have been addressed to
my Office by heads Of families out Of town, commu-
nicating the statistics Of their families which have
IL %g as hfoas # as in ns4
| every instance the marshals had obtained all the
principal facts embraced In these communications of
the neighbors Of the families supposed to be omit.
! family by the severest penalties
venture the assertion, that the census of 1855
has been more accnratey taken than any prior one,
while more valuable statistics have been obtained az
an inspection Of the schedules Of the marshals and
the published returns Of the census will ultimately
show. What more con be expected
f~s,
have drawn OF much Of our surplus population and
that the anticipated gain in city population has
been greatly ovcrestimated.
That there may have been some triaing omissions
on the part Of the marshas, readily admit; but it
will be proven that omissions have been more fire.
quently Occasoncd by carelessness on the part Of
persons answering the questions Of the marshals.
One of our city journals, not long ago. charged
ofthe Fourth ward marshals with emitting some
dodgers In boarding house in that ward. Upon an
examination Of the matter by committee of citizens
| Of the Fourth ward, in conjunction with com.
mittee from the Convention Of the Census Marshals
it was proven upon the admission of the party who
had answered the queries Of the census
alluded to, that he had put the questions in due
foim and that one Of the questions had been misap
pretended by the party complaining. It was ques-
ton in reference to the number Of inmates of the
family, the marshal nquiring if the names furnished
embraced all the members of the family and was
answered In the affirmative. When the Secretary Of
State saw the complaint which appeared in city
dressed the editors Of that journal for the number Of
the street in which the family was located 10 that
ne conld find out who was the marshal alluded to.
The Secretary Of State has also notified me to advise
him Of all delinquencies coming under my observa-
ton.
In inquiring into this matter, Secretary Ieaven.
worth wrote =" All such delinquencies will be in
quired into when brought to my notice, without de-
lay, and every effort made TO secure strict comp
ance with the law, and with the instructions issued
from this derer.m .o..
Again When informed Of the district from which
the complaint originated, Mr.. Leavenworth wrote
~ shall write him (the marshal) q line, and II
general complaint Is made, and Is well founded,
shal remove him."
sifted, and the marshal in the Fourth ward proved
to be In the right by the party complaining that the
Secretary Of State dismissed the charge.
The marshals throughout the city have exerted
themselves most diligently to discharge the arduous
duties required OF them by law, with the confident
hope and expectation Of fair remuneration by the
Board Of Supervisors aud Of obtaining the sympa-
thy Of the public In behalf Of their reasonable claims
For this end the marshals labored faithfully, and
but for those exerions the census would have been
failure in this county % the most Of the marshsls
accepted their commissions under protest, owing
to the inadequate compensation provided by the
amendment to the census law. But Notwithstanding
all the sacrifices we have made Of our time and our
money, there are some to grumble and to write COM
muncations full OF errors, calculated to prejudice
our claims for remuneration for our services. All
we desire Is to be set right before the public and
to obtain fair bearing.
Trusting that you will publish these corrections
in justice to the marshals and to the Secretary
OF State / am, truly, yours,
ID. c. HENDERSON, Secretary Of the Marshals.
MELANCHOLY Academia MAN KILLED IN
DEAN sTREEr.-John Dixon in the employ Of the
Northern Railroad Company, while engaged on Sa-
turday afternoon in assisting to switch cars from
one track to another, met with an accident which
cost him his life. II appears that his business was
TO attend TO the receiving and disCharQinQ Of