The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-14

THE new census bill as it finally passed
Congress, and was approved by the Presi-
dent, is very generally admitted to be an
improvement upon its predecessors. The
New York Times, which is not given to
undue praise Of such things, says that
while a better law might perhaps have
been framed, the new one is, at any rate,
beyond comparison the best provision
that has ever been made in this country
for taking the federal census, and it is, on
the whole, the most complete and perfect
law in the world for the collection and
publication OF statistics" The salient
features of the law have already been
pointed out in these columns. 1t pro-
Vides for q superintendent and one
hundred and fifty supervisors to be
appointed by the President; for the
subdivision of the country into
census districts Of appropriate and
manageable dimensions, so that enumera-
tons may be completed at short dates; for
several changes in the form and substance
of the schedules, and for the separate
taking Of certain classes OF statistics, as OF
trade, manufactures, &c., by a special
corps OF experts under the immediate d.
rection Of the superintendents. 1t seems
to be highly important that in order to put
the machinery Of the law in the best pos
sible working condition, and to get the
greatest amount Of good from it, the SUPER
intendent should be promptly appointed
and directed to select and detail his staff
as soon as possible. 1t is expected that
the President will make the appointment
OF superintendent a subject OF very careful
consideration. The country does not
contain many men competent for
such a place, which should be filled
not simply by an expert in the
bureau details OF such work, but by a
man fully qualified in other ways. He
should be a statistician in the broadcast
sense Of the word, and not merely a com.
piler Of figures; and he should also be a
publicist, acquainted with what other gov
ernmcnts have doneto promote knowledge
OF their internal economies, and capable
OF pertecting the fullest sort OF catalogue
rHtSOnee OF tho face Of the country and the
state OF the nation in 1850. With the or.
8anization for the enumeration perfected
in advance Of the time set, the country
will be able to escape the vexatious delays
which have always hitherto attended the
publication Of the results OF the n
taking, The present law very wisely
has limited the time allotted to depu.
tics in which to make their returns Of emu.
mOration, SO that the crude figures
will all be in hand within u few weeks
alter the S0th Of June, 1880, and the
clerks in the census bureau will be able
not long after to eliminate intelligent esti.
mates from the mass, so that we may not
BIO kept in suspense about whether or not
We arc making as much progress as we
should. 1t is greatly to be desired that we
should get at some Of these facts and data
as early as possible. Tho question Of the
condition Of the national wealth and pop.
lationin lSSois very important in relation
to n great variety OF interests. There
is an impression existing in some cir.
Giles that the next census returns
will show that our population has not
maintained its normal ratio of increase,
and thatthe property OF the country will
show an aggregate value diminished below
that OF 1870, even after allowance is made
for tho fluctuations in currency when the
enumeration was had. Property increased
from seven to sixteen billions between
1880 and 1860, and from sixteen TO thirty
billions between 1850 and 1870, .and-we
do not believe it has decreased in value
between 1870 and 1850, or that the cen.
u will show any ~retrograde. As
the Chicago Tribune says, in an intel.
ligent article on ~thesubject.
"There has been an humiliation Of
many values since 1873; the speculation
has been squeezed out Of countless