Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-03-28
NrEp1Ess 1Nau1srr1oN.

A bill to amend the Act Of 1880 for
taking the census Is again before the
National Legislature. This provides
mainly for an addition to the pay of
the c~ensus-takeE. The probability
or we might say the certainty-seems
TO be that no legislation beyond this
or some similar amendment can be
passed. The old law will, therefore,
be the basis for the census Of 1870.
No doubt there are some good reasons
why this failure Is to be regretted.
And there are other considerations
which reconcile us to the failure.
There was a disposition among some
of the legislators, and among not a few
of the people, to attempt too much,
aud to make a search into many par
ticulars Of doubtful valne. Statistics,
to be available, should be reliable.
Otherwise they are worse than nothing,
since they only mislead those who
attempt to generalize them. Among
inquiries proposed, some persons, with
IN almost insane confidence In official
figures, have desired that the new
census should include sail incomes,
large and small, derived from every
sort Of business" This, they argue,
would enable us to ascertain "the
national resources" We do not admit
such a conclusion. As well might we
go into the Rocky Mountains and
measure the feeders Of the Mississippi
mt its sources. in order to get the mag
nitude Of the river at Its mouth. The
latter is the place to measure Its vol
M ; not among the incipient brooks
and springs. There are certainly
easier methods Of approximatlng to
the national resources than summing
ND the earnings Of the hair d~resser,
The newsboys and the bootblack brig
ade. And an approximation Is all
we can reach, " though we should
multiply the volumes Of the census
returns by ten, or by a hundred.
Another difficulty is that the word in
come has n sense as indefinite rs the
size ola piece Of chalk. No two men
compute "incomes" alike, as the In
,ern.l revenue officers have discovered.
Granting that everybody was willing
and eager to report, the various modes
Of estimate and calculation would
make the returns too incongruous and
confused to be of any actual value,
But people are not eager; they are moi
even willing to open their day-book
and ledger, their invoice and pretty
cash to the eyes Of all the world,
There is serious inconvenience, and
not seldom actual business damage. In
the publication of what a man would
be glad to consider his private affairs
All business is more or less in the ma
ture of competition; and a mans best
laid plans may be defeated If he Is
compelled to disclose what often he
would most iealously ~conccal-his
profits. The internal revenue taxes
are onerous enough, far more intoler'
able for other reasons than simply fol
their draft upon the pocket. But the
imposition Of these taxes was a neces.
sity. They are tolerated as such with
more or less cheerfulness. The nation
has born them Except the income tax
with wonderful equanimity. Now,
however, all men are looking with
hope for relief from the income tax al
least. The unnecessary iuquisitions
of q census law, which looks to the
mere qualification Of theorists and the
satisfaction Of dreamy computors Of
statistics, would be regarded in many
quarters as an unqualified and super,
fluous nuisance. 1t would involve ex'
pense without compensation, and
cause delays and embarrassments to
the really essential work; while II
might even furnish foreign rivals with
the material to operate seriously to our
disadvantage.