New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-30

the press OF the country next Monday at noon.
The Committee of the House has finished two
OF the minor appropriations bills, and has the
others in forward state. THE TRIBUNE'S dis
patches to-day contain a synopsis of some of the
recommendations of General Walker with ref
erence to the census. He proposes many
changes in the present system. The Post
Office Report has been printed, an unusual Oc-
currencc before the assembling of Congress.
| General Sheridan is coming East.
THE WORK OF TAKING THE CENSUS.
CENTRAL WALKER MAKES MANY SUGGESTIONS IN
RELATION TIFRErD-UNITED STATES MARSuALs
NOT IUE BEST SUPEGINTENDENTS-A CHANGE
OF DISTRICTS NEEDED.
icy TFLLGEtPH 10 THF TRIRUSE.l
WAsHINGToN, Nov. 20. General Francis Awaken
Superintendent Of the Census, has submitted his
annual report. Owing to the important social,
industrial and political questions which are
now receiving large a share of the public attcn-
ton, the solution of which is involved to
tent in the work of the censustakers, the subject Of
the census is interesting members of Congress and
public men everywhere.
Perhaps the point of greatest general interest is
the reapportOnmcnt of representation in the lower
branch of Congress, which must have as its basis
the results of the of 1850. Since the census
of 1870 the population in the Northwest has
enormously increased while that in the East and
South, except in Texas, has remained comparatively
| unchanged. Prominent politicians aud statesmen
who have been giving this matter attention are OF
the opinion that if party lines are drawn geographic
caly as they at the present time that IS, with
Republican prclominance in the East and West
! opposed TO a Solid South, the coming census cannot
fail to restore to the North that prcponderance OF
I nm i'm before
coored vote of the South was given consideration
Senator Morrill, chairman of the Senate Census
Committee, and Representative Cox, of New-iork
chairman of the House Census Committee are both
here ard have been in consultation regarding the
work to be- done by their committees during this
session. They have arranged for joint meeting of
the two committees for next Wednesday, at which
General Walker will be present, aud will engage in
the discussion Of plans for taking the census in 1880
Something of General Walkers views may be
gathered from MS report. He SAYS:
We refrain from the strongest assertion Of the
The co,tr under the act of 1850 That law passed
when dsticaI scic.cc was Ina s Infancy, and the art
Of collect * statistical data was y,t IN iudr ana nm
perfect Tho scheme Of enumeration ihrn erected
was good one, while 80 ar rs II was suited u me
then rXis ing conditions OF settlement ana lnuusy tne
country has been steadily growing away rom IL through
tue period that Ia, since elapsed
General Walker strongly recommends the repeal
that the mar,'as of the several judicial districts
shall direct and superintcnd the enumeration, with
the power of appointing assistants to conduct the
work. lie believes that tho work of CenSus-taking
IL 30 far exceptional and unique in It's
r,ourpmcuts as to demand that those
who conduct it should be selected with
es7eeial reference to their fitness for the duties
lie also finds that the formation Of judicial districts
il determined by reasons altogether different from
those which should dermiUe the formation OF census
grand divisions. For example he quotes from the
report of thc Superintendent OF the Census for
ISL a follows:
h p,rioIira. Is sjrcVu VITA wrecks From the same
f,ci- taken IN connection Vi.a It, pr'N unity to the
Island, of trc Gull. n affords great faculties for
,luugs' .u-. E'r these 1-onr ~ Is most prop
crly constituted judicial district, ana t"r
I mat reason most Improperly " IS ~ the law
of 1880 cou-t W.cd a c.n,u, G.'ulct VITA 30?
mluh tants, enumerated hI shs'r "-e', an h'I.tI
o.riiti III Northern Ncw-Ioik, with nearly t"o ana
~ H. , nI.o rnu.tit.tr. a census district, and ITS
M seven num- ed assistant mar,has are all 10 be- IN
-jIuo,d and "y'r'"hcd hN N Ih',cu 9t'7 ili'n'l.
Delaware ., district 50 Is MASSACHUSETTS ldaho Is
district 30 is Indiana Il l. hardly necessary to say
thai n sulcfcadcucr Is Of any account n census work,
tie -uuciiurnIrucc wlch II lr"NlGrI oJ Tue l"" Oh
! $500 must b. of the least account possible.
MIR. Walker believes that the best results will bc
obtained If there be appointed rs supervisors OF the
cousins one ar more persons in each State. not 20
exceed IN the aggregate 40, with a limit as 10
the amount of their per diem compensation
and length If service. He would vest III these
supcryi-o.s the power to appoint enumcratorS IN
their respective districts, aud to TX the Subdl-
visions to be cauvn,,cd by each enunerator, the
whole 10 be- submitted to the Department oi the III
terror for approval or otherwise.
General Walker dcyotcs considerable space to the
oucstiop of time 90 bc allowed 10 the ccnsrsahcrs
n,,thin which the whole enumeration should be
i'm N nd a n
countries of Europe tine taken AZ nearly in
simultaneously a. possible, and the people Of
the kingdom are az it were photographed
in fine posItion they occupied at a given moment.
10 he more sprcihc, the enumeration takes place
with reference to a single night and schedules
having been distributed IN advance, every house
holder makes return of all the persons at the time
undrr his roof On the other hand ia the census al
tEc United States. while the enumeration Is made
IA of a single day DIV the law OF lo1O' the Isl oil
Iuncl no attempt is made to photograph the people
IN the position they then occupy. On the contrary
tIc INJURY of the law is not where man was Oh
that dav but where was then his usual place OF res
i,lcncc or abode. Thus citizen of Pmlad'IPh"
Shaving at the Fifth Aycuuc Hotel on the nlght OF
May 81 would by the English system De
taken rs of the population oi New
York. BY the American System he would
h, returned in due time as having had
his usual place of residence in Philadelphia ut the
date of the census June I. BY some these TWO
methods are -cyerally called ;" the American, de
lure enumeration -; " the British de facto enum-
Grafton" Ia recognition of such facts and cond'-
tons the part of wisdom would seem to
he TO arm the census officer or the De
partmeut of the Interior with sufficient con
troll over the formation of subdivisions ana
the appointment of cnumcrators to secure the work
being done in the least time practicable WITHOUT
any apprccablc increase of expense. III the work