Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-04
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

oeoi DVuS'"e spent sOme tIne yeeteru"J III e"n
sultation with the President. upon the subject
Of the Kansas imbroglio OF course the ctty'fs
full of a multitude of rumors with reference to
their conversation and its result few Of which
deserve confidence. Many of them, originating
with the Opposition, are designed for no other
purpose than to embarrass and SOW the seeds
of distrust in the Democratic ranks, by creating
the belief that Democratic harmony this winter
is matter of impossibility. -
Senator Douglas is among the most tried
statesmen of the party, though so young in age.
In the course Of his long public service he has
never been found wanting whenever the inter-
ests of Democratic principles were in jeopardy.
His enlarged experience and proverbal devo
ton to the good cause, through good and evil
report must, Of couse, assure all that he will
not be found, as many of these reports allege,
taking ground which may throw him in opposi-
ton to the position Of those with whom be has
SO long acted; and more especially upon The in.
sufficient information concerning the present
shape Of the Kansas imbroglio as yet before
the members Of Congress here assembled; which
information is not in itself, sufficient to justify
any fixed plan Of action with reference to de-
tails. .
We feel very sure, from what We learn, that
Senator Douglas is as earnestly anxious as any
one can be for the prompt and entire settle
mont of this vexatious question by those only
who have really right to interfere in 1.-THE
people of the Territory. Knowing, as we do,
that that, and that only, is the aim of the Pres
ident's policy on the subject, we feel very
sure that Stephen A. Douglas will, when he
comes to speak for himself, be found standing,
on all really essential point, shoulder to shout
der and heart to heart with those who have so
long leaned upon him AZ one of their chosen
leaders.
The NEW THEATRE.-The work of the con-
version Of Carusis Saloon into an elegant me-
tropolitan theatre is to be commenced on We'd
nesday next, with q large force Of experienced
mechanics. 1t is anticipated that it will be
ready for the opening of the season by Monday
night, the 2Sth inst. The scenery, wardrobe,
and properties will be shipped from New York
in ample time to be all in place by the date
mentioned above. The house will be opened
by one of the best light-comedy companies ever
performing in this country. Quite number
OF members Of the different foreign legations in
Washington, leading citizens and public men,
have already secured stalls for the season,
which we advise all to do who desire to see the
enterprise 60 on with proper spirit and eelat
At present, there is every promise that the sea-
son will be eminently brilliant and successful
one. We need hardly add, that the enterprise
has our very best wishes The front of tho house
is to be so arranged as that there are to be one
hundred orchestra stall seats, separate seats for
seven hundred in the parquet, raising up each
receding row sufficiently above the other and
the boxes dress circle) are to seat four hundred,
all with extreme comfort. In capacity, both of
stage and auditorium, the house will be about
as large as Wallack's theatre in New York, on
the style Of which establishment the arrange
ments are to be modelled
The EIGHTH Cen sUs.-The time for taking
the next Census is approaching rapidly. 1t is
work Of prime national importance 1t is
method and mode by which the work is done in
this country exist. They are only to be obvi-
ated by a much earlier and more thorough
preparation than has been customary up to this
time. We do not feel competent to suggest the
remedies, though realizing that remedies are
necessary to cure the defects in our census.
taking arrangements and system.
To the end of directing the attention of our
Congressional readers to the subject, we insert
in the Star late communication upon it, ad-
dressed to the head of the Interior Department
by some writer unknown to MS, who is evidently
competent to offer valuable advice in the prem
Uses:
THE EIsHTH CENSUS
3, WAsHINGTON, Dec. l, 1857.
To the Honorable Jacob Thompson,
Secretary Of the Interior.
SIR: The decadal period is fast approaching
when, in accordance with the Constitution an
enumeration of the inhabitants Of the United
States must be made in order to ascertain the
ratio OF representation in their House Of Repre-
sentatiyes
Independent Of the fundamental law, and the
reason thereof il has been Of late years customary
for Congress to direct to be taken and appended
to this numbering of the people a reliable mass
OF statistics bearing upon their interests. This
appendix is so obviously a concomitant Of popu-
iation tables that the only surprise is that 1t was
osoPhy teaching by example the history Of the
Seventh Census instructs us a very salutary les
son The act Of Cong ress prescribing the m ,dms
1850 An anterior law was passed rad Mach
ioi9, but It's provisions, well as the inchoate
action under il, were virtually ignored by the
poStcfIoI act, which Ordained that the enumcrd-
ton and the general statistics should be taken on
the hrst Of the following June-a week after
This, Of course, was but fiction Of law
The great task Of preparing, printing, and
transmitting nine hundred folio volumes of
schedules. OF eight hundred pages each, to the
wide-scattered marshals, extending over space
OF nearly three millions Of square miles and
then those officials proceeding to enume sate the
almost infinite, and, in some cases, useless de-
tails OF population, agricultural, industrial med
ical, social, and other facts in any reasonable
space OF time, would have been almost superhu-
man. Ii is true that the Registrar General OF
Great Britain has the census Of that realm taken
In one doy; and that, too, with far more elabo-
ration than ours was ever taken but he occupies
years In preparation; and our Union lies in
States and Territories Of area three times lar
yer than the whole Of that Kingdom, France
Austria, Prussia, Spain, Belly ium, Holland and
Denmark combned-larger than the oman En-
pire in its palmiest days These are facts to
make US proud but, at the same time, discreet
III Rome was not built In a day SO cannot our
census he taken. At least SO was not the sew
enth. lmPortune, incomplete, and In high de-
gree erroneous; derogatory to the fair character
OF our country, after more than four years Of
painful and mo st expensive parturition, the re-