New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-29
THE CENSUS AND THE APPOB-
TIONMENT.


TIONMENT.
The UOrH "dares" Us to continue the con.rO-
versy in respec, TO the census, upon the bass OF
facts That is precisely the basis upon which
we intend to conduct it, instead Of upon the he
tons of The Uorld. Some Of those fiction' we
shall take up in their order.
First, LET US see what is in controversy. We
have not asserted the infallibiity of the census
takers. We have not maintained that it was
taken in the most perfect manner abstractly
conceivable. These are not the issues, ana we
decline to consider them such. The census had
70 be taken By such men as could be got 10 do
it at three dollars day, which was all the law
allowed: and this too, not paid weekly, as
other labor is paid for but only in gross, and
after long delay. 1t is absurd to suppose that
first.class enumerators can he obtained at such
rates. Yet it is certain that no Legislature
would have allowed more.
Neither is it disputed by lis that the popula-
ton OF the city has increased since l-6O. Half
the arguments Of The Uorld are devoted to
proving that there has been such an increase
We have denied, and still deny, the correctness
of the census taken in that year; but the mere
fact of an increase in population is not in dis
pute.
Setting aside those arguments of The Uorld
which are devoted to points wholly imma,erial
to the controversy, we take up its assertions in
their order.
/. The UorH asserts that the population of
this city has "quite uniformly been be-
roeen o. one to about eight and half OF the
population" We give statement of the vote
md population from 1880 to 1916 which will
show the untruth Of this assertion.
1880 Population. 2Oe5so Vote average between ISIS
and l-.l2), q. 49, or In II.
1885. Population, 27O,0-,
Vote 1884, 357O1. or in
1910. Population. 3l27l0
Vote. $40, ~ saJ or IN IT,
1915. Population. 81, l01
Vote l3ii. 5jO,i. or in g.
The elections Of l3i5 and 1852 drew ont so
small a yote-that of the former year being less
than 1914. and that'of 1859 being but very little
more-as to furnish no test Of the least value.
The census Of 1855 showed population of
63o SO, and the total vote in l-56 was 1906
or almost exactly / in 6. As a general rule
however, the proportion appears to have been
as | in -. instead OF uniformly" in y, as
The Uorid asserts. On this basis, the popula-
ton of the city would amount to less than
600 900. Moreover, the fraudulent vote last
Fall was prodigious-hr exceeding anything Of
the kind ever known before. 1t is absurd to
base any computation upon the vote cast in the
Fourth Sixth, Seventh, Fourteenth and Seven
teenth Wards in 1854. In many districts, the
fraudulent vote far exceeded the genuine.
The enrolment of l35 900 names between
90 and A., which The World points to as indica-
ting population of 900, 900, is in fact ndica-
tive Of population of less than 100000. BY
the census Of 1860, on which The World relies,
the male white population Of this city, between
the ages of 30 and 40, was 1929 The num-
Der between 40 and 30 was 1882. As the
numbers rapidly diminish after turning the age
Of 50, it is only fair to reckon that two-thirds
Of those who were returned as between 40 and
80 were under As years of age. This would
make the total number between 30 and IS
amount to Ia, Sos. The whole white popula-
ton was returned at sol 0SS, so that the num-
Der of males between the ages of 20 and As was
90 per cent of the entire population. Applying
this test to the draft enrolment it would give
a total population Of only G3O, 900. And if, as
The Uorld at the time strenuously insisted the
enrolment was q, 900 too nigh. the population
of the city could not have exceeded $4,000
3. The World adduces some figures to show
that the returns by wards do not show popu-
lation corresponding to their vote last fall. But
as neither The World nor we have the correct
figures, we do not care to discuss upon the basis
Of gueSs-work, especially such poor guesses as
those of our neighbor. But as an illustration of
lis weak powers of calculation, We may mention
that it cites the Seventh Ward as containing
population of 81 900, and giving vote of $500,
which il calls one in sir. According to Cocker,
il Is almost exactly one in seren. Considering
that the whole claim of The World is for the
difference between one in six aud halL which