The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-02-02
POPULATION OF THE COUNTRY


Important Facts and sGafisfies-Re-
port CT the superintesdont Of tie
Ninth Census.
Gen. Francis a. Walker, SUperin
tendent of the Census till recently ap-
pointed Commissioner of Indian AZ
fairs, and now Acting SUpeTintendent,
has submitted his report to the SecTe
tary of the Interior. 1t is comprised
in forty qrartO pages, and IS intended
to preface the first, or population vol
ume Of the ninth census, Of which the
census Office has all the tables compile
ted, except those few which involve
the tabul2tion Of age and sex returns,
in their preparation.
The report deals first with the great
central facts of the census, which af-
feet the constitutional population and
political representation Of the country
in the national legislature, and then
discusses the questions pertaining to
tue true population as distinct from
the constitutional representative pop
ulation, and the causes which EaYe
contributed to reduce this population
below the number which calculations,
based on the increase of the people
heretofore, had led most persons to eX-
pect the census would exhibit.
The report opens with the following
clear and brief statement OF the causes
of delay ia the publication Of returns:
1.-The enumeration of inhabitants at
the ninth census of the United States,
which, by law, was commenced on
1st of June, 1870, was substantially
completed on the 9th Of January, 1871.
At that date returns had been Feceiv we'd
covering 38, ,339, AIT persOne, leaving
222 666, as was subsequently deteFn1in-
ed 20 be returned, more than one half
of whom is fair to assume, had then
been enumerated. Yet for this in
considerable fraction Of the population
the country was obliged to wait seven
and q half months. On the 23d Of
February returns had been received
COVERING all but 90. 2G6 Of the pOpula-
ton. The last returns from any Of
the former free States We're received
April 8, 1871, comprising -2Tl names
to complete the township of Lodi,
Athens county, Ohio. On the 9th of
June the number of persons still to be
returned was is, 606. On the 23d Of
June returns were received from the
last county in Mississippi. On the
10th of July returns were received
from the last county of Texas. On
the 23d of August returns were re-
ceived from the township of Bowen
and WhsTt0n's Creek, Madison cOun-
ty Arkansas, t304 names completing
the enumeration.
These DELAYS, most veXatious and
most discreditable in a national work
OF such Importance as the census of
the United States, were, as you are
aware, neutrality-suspicious. with ex-
isting census machinery. All the
authority and all the resources which
the law iutrusts to this office and to
the department were employed IN
abundant season to have secured the
completion of the entire work within
the time prescribed, but for the iBerau-
icsble defects of the act of 1850, under
which, With a few and slight m"difi-
cations, the census of the United
States continues to be taken, Until
the law shall vest in the department
the same control over its agents of the
census which IS possessed by other de-
Dartnents in respect TO their agents,
and by this department in respect to
all other operations, it viii never be
nraciicable to determine, within six
months. the period for the completion
of the census, nor to provide that,
when the work is supposed to be I'm
ished. some portion Of the territory
shall be found which was not covered
by the enumeration, and in which the
service must be organized at the Ilst
moment, without the pTeparatiOnl
and at a great disadvantage. With
sincere Difference I submit thai il is not
worthy of q great nation that its CEN
sus should be so tardily and 50 loosely
| taken as is inevitable in the United
States under existing provisions oi
! law"
Here follows q statement OF the
| constitutional population OF each OF
/ the thirty-fouF States of the Union.
The whole constitutional population
of the United States texeIuding, that
/ is, Indians not taxed p and tie in
habitants of the territories upon the
1st of June 1870, as finally determined
! by the complete census, was IS. II3, ,253.
| The'positive increase during the decade
had been g. 500, 700, gain of % - per
| cent. OF this aggregate Of 3S. 113, ,253,
4 white population embraced 33, ,203, 740,
an increase of 6,500, $50 during the de-
I cade, or 24.S9 per ceLt. sTwenty-threo
Of the States were found to contain