Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-03-10
DISTRICT CENSUS OF 1867.

Interesting aud important Statistics.
DIR. +. Il. Hough, charged with the compila-
ten of III. information collected during the re-
cent census {. ken by the Metropolitan Pslice
has submitt, u report TO Hon. Henry Barnard,
Commission bf Education, under whose di-
recueR the census was taken.
HOW TIRE CENsUs WAS TAKEN.
1t was dc cided to make the enumeration as
dating 4. en- the morning of Monday, November
ii, and as nearly AS possible on that day There
We e certain ad, antages to be derived from this
:, lection OF a period when most of the families
Mo spnd their summers in the country had
returned, and before the approaching meeting
OF Congress had affected the aggregate totnls of
population by the removal thither of large
numbers Of persons, + mpcrarily resident, and
employed during the session. There could,
perhaps. be selected time in the year when a
cansu. would embrace more nearly the true and
actual population of the District.
IHs DIFFICULTIES ENCoUNTRREp.
An obvious difficulty in procuring census
returns in the method we adopted 10 due TO the
TO read or write. Without special assistance
the thumtT atoIs would be delayed in making
out the returns, and the District would need to
be gre ally reduced in size TO secure the prompt
return desired.
No REMEDY this, as far as practicable in the
present case, application was made through the
proper channels for assistance by the visitors
and agents of the Freedmen's Bureau, and by
the teachers of colOred schools. Much valu-
able assistance was freely and cheerfully rem
de red by them in filling up the blanks Of those
unable 10 write.
The principal diniculty in procuring returns
was ultImat ly found in a small class of per-
sons Of fair, and even finished education, who
thought proper to deny the authority upon
which the census was taken, or to charge that
the blanks called for more information than
was Impr d IN the joint resolution of Congress
lhtse ptrso IN some cases returned the blanks
without entries or with uncivll remarks The
enum. ratt rs reported a few cases IN which ap-
pr tensions OF cons criptiOn or other personal
liability appeared TO influence replies. Several
diplomatic representatives Of foreign countries
regarding the census as a municipal inquiry
not properly including themselves, respectfully
returned the papers in blank, or with only the
names of those in their employment, while
others reported complete. The inmates Of con-
vents, after taking the religious vows of a nun,
are seldom reported in census, and are not
returned in this. In thirty three cases only
was there refusal to MI the blanks or give
Information. In referring TO the matter, Dr.
Hough says:
Il cannot too highly commend the zeal and
intelligence with which the police force, under
the direction of Major Richards, accomplished
this labor and our public acknowledgements
sre due both to officers and men for the ener-
getic and thorough accomplishment of the
duty, without promise or expectation of ad-
ditlonal compensation, SO far as am informed,
and with no other motive than that it was an
order. The confidence with which the citizens
gave in q descriptive list Of their families, with
no pe naltles for noncompliance, and perhaps,
TO some extent, with no requirement beyOnd
that implied in an official req uest OF the civil
authorities, is equally worthy of commenda-
ton"
COMPARATIVE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS CRNsUsEs
The following table shows the growth of the
District, the population Of the part now un der
the jurisdiction of the State Of Virginia and in
Guided IN the city and county of Alexandria,