The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-06
BOTCHIMG THE CENSUS.
A HITCH I'M THE CENSUS.
How Not to Take It-Blunt Conduct Of General
sharp-Census Enumerators Appointed to
Please Politicians-The Result Expected
A Farce-Prompt Action Required
to Save Us from Depewsm.

more Important event 10 our government anu people
of all classes than the taking Of the Presi
dental elections have their issues, Congressional
enactments have widespread interest," and every
new born day comes forth pregnant with some new
event. New theories Of government are advocated,
new men rise to power, there are new inventions
and new religions, new crimes and new criminal
codes new countries explored and peopled and new
literature and new enterprises extending their vital
growth and power In every direction. All these are
great facs-the milestones, so to speak, indicating
oui national progress on the grand highway towards
the brilliant goal Of our manifest destiny. With
every decade Of years comes the census, and these
aggregated facts are aggregated It's
PAUSE IN OUR ONWARD MARCH,
the roll call to make up the invoice OF strength,
the inventory to show the strength Of national
resources, the balance sheet giving record Of our
gains and losses. Nothing can be clearer than that
this decimal taking of the census and compliance
with all the other multifarous acquisitions involved
In the census, besides mere enumeration Of the
population, Is most important epoch in our ma
tonal progress and history. II Is equally clear also
that the work should be wen and thoroughly done.
The census includes everything OF interest. BY it
learn not only our growth IN population, but our
commercial growth, agricultural growth, financial
growth, mineral growth AID growth in every
branch OF natural industry and enterprise. Our
statesmen and inanciers and merchants have need to
study these census returns as the basis upon which
to decide great questions OF political economy, the
expanding volume or currency ana all the great
issues Of commercial speculation IL is unnecessary
to further enlarge upon this subject The question
OF paramount interest now is whether the taxing Of
the present census Is likely 10 be done with thorough
and conscientious efficiency. However the work
may be done elsewhere, 1t Is very certain, shown
-. .<~s,, In, tb,ti 10 spt
MOST LAMELY DONE IN NEW YORK.
The first proof Of this fact is the manner in which
scheming politicians have controlled the appointment.
Of the assistant marshas. and the cupable hardness
OF Marshal Sharp in getting these assistants their
work. The law explicitly states that the work shall
commence the first day OF June, but instead
Of this the appointment OF the assistants,
or enumerators, has but just been COM
pleted. There Is no excuse for the existence
Of such state OF things. Marshal Sharp has had
ample time to have made every one OF his appoint
ments long ago, and TO have had the enumeratOrs at
work on the first OF the month. But, no. So fearful
was he that a democrat would get an appointment
that he would not appoint single man unless ne
was endorsed and backed by all the leading republl.
cans OF the City. Had he, however, appointed the
first persons who were recommended to him by
these men he would have done well enough, and the
taking OF the census In the Southern District OF New
York would have commenced ut the proper time;
hut instead OF pursuing this course he like Micaw.
DcT, sui Which SOIciIllIik 10 All uU-
like that ilustrous procrastinator, something did at
last turn up to him. but it very different from
what ne had been looking for.
THE HOUSEHOLD DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF.
The principal parties upon whom Marshal Sharp
depended 10 recommend none but the '.rooy loil''
General Frederick A. COnklin, President OF the
Republican General Committee, and General Thomas
l.. Stewart. These gentlemen, however could not
both agree upon recommending the same parties.
General COnkiln wanted certain men appointed and
General Stewart didn't; so In short time the fight
grew lively. This disagreement Is what occasoned
tln ,a.lnu DALAI tnti.p
whole country cannot be estimated. Finally, how
ever by amt OF frequent 'Stfrrngs upr by the de-
partnent at Washington, list Of those who were to
be appointed was made out on the 4th ult. and
published IN the HARALD. But here occurred an
other delay. or course everybody could not be ap-
pointed, and as soon as John Smith, Charles Jones
and William Henry Brown read over the list
and ana discovered that Their Their friends were not
wars le Ms ey s're' once 'ef s'ePs TO-
bers street, and laid siege to Marshal Sharp.
The result OF all this was that nearly the whole
list was changed. " was ut this point OF the
ceeeilngs that General Sharp shovel his utter lack
OF decision OF character aud his entire unltness for
the important position which he holds. Although
this list was not made out until four or five days
after the time set for the commencement Of The
work, yet had General Sharp adhered 10 It, ignored
the clamOr OF petty politicians and made out the APP
pOntments with proper alacrty, the work OF emu
meratng the citizens OF New York would to-day be
well nigh completed, instead OF but just begun, as s
now the case.
THE CURSE OF PARTY GOVERNMENT
But about this time our United States Marshal was
d
full thing 1t would be, thought the saplent General If
the republicans could only GUST the Tammanyites
and carry the next electiOnS To accomplish
this object he saw at once that he must not only
appoint "loil'' men. but he must appoint enough
of them. To this end he began new process Of
subtraction, that is, taking from one. The law
allows each enunerator IL subdivision containing
10000 Inhabilants but fearing that the men could
not properly enumerate so large number, the Sec
rotary OF The Interior directed that in the large
cities the subdivision should not contain than
10000 each, and at the same time allowing marshals
to make them smaller If they thought t necessary.
Now, any one VINO Ii much given to arithmetic VIII
see at that at two cents per there is not
merator OF Uncle SANS SUBJECTS Ten thousand
however, would not be bad but instead
Of giving the assistants this amount Marshal
Sharp made two three subdivisions out of
one, giving 10 each man, with but very few
exceptions, one containing two or three thousand.
As excuse for this he said that the time allowed
for taking the census was now 50 short that the
assistants could nOtdO the work II they allowed
larger divisions. Considering that he has consumed
nearly one whole month OF the time trying TO make
his appointments this excuse looks plausible enough
but IL must be remembered that there are still four
months LEFT OF the time allowed. Bot
THIS LAST POLITICAL DODGE
is only another instance OF ''vaulting ambition DER
leapng ITSELF" Instead OF making friends for the
party by this operation OF increasing the sub
divisions and thereby the number OF appointments
General Sharp has actually made many enemies;
for after.a man gets his appointment and finds out
that, instead OF making 500 or $3.50, he can make
but twenty or thirty, he no longer feels grated for
his appointment. but he actually feels that he has
Let us see what are likely to be the results OF all
this delay upon the part Of the Marshal
OF this Southern district OF New YORK.
The great object IN having the work OF
enumeration commence simultaneously through the
entire Union Is 10 avoid enumeratng any portion OF
the population twice and To be sureas IL Is possible
10 be that they Will all be enumerated once IL is well
known that great many persons are constantly
changing their habltaton, are migrating from one
portion OF the country TO another and, unless the
epuperation commences at the same time through
out the land many II not all, Of these people, Will
either be
ENUMERATED TWO OR THREE TIMES
OF else they Will not be enumerated at all. For in
stance, at nearly all the great watering places the
enquelatols hgYe about completed their work. 1t Is
now a season Of the year when thousands Of our
citizens are moving TO these very localities. Had
General Sharp commenced his work on the first OF
the month, nearly, II not quite all, OF these people
would now be enumerated; but as he did not, and
these persons are going to section where the work
OF taking the has been completed they Will not
of course be reached by the enumerators all Again.
those OF Marshal Sharps appointees who received
AZ enturp an1 NOR