The Portland daily press., 1880-09-03
New York Times.l
Curiosities of the Census.


South Carolina is evidently not that unhap-
py land referred to by the poet as one to has,
tening ills prey, where wealth accumulates
and men decay On the contrary, if we may
believe the census-takers, it is man who accu-
mulates, and wealth which decays, in that re-
markable portion Of our beloved country The
returns show that, while every species of prop
er.y has receded and deteriorated, the popula-
tion of the State has enormously increased
Ten years ago, for example, there were 705 606
people in South Carolina living in 124 546
houses. Unless figures lie, there are now 2610
fewer houses than then, while the population
has increased to 996,S24. 1t will be seen then,
that the energies of South Carolina have been
concentrated upon the production of population
regardless of the decay of houses For not
only are there 2610 fewer habitations in the
State now tharin1869, but the value of this
diminished 1iamber of houses has greatly
shrunk. In 1869 the houses were worth 81, 1885,
37S more than they are now. Wealth does not
accumulate in houses but in men. Where do
the 29l ,218 men, women and children brought
into South Carolina since 1869, have their
habitation? Instead of building more houses
to accommodate the increased population, the
people of South Carolina have actually demol-
ished by fire or other means, 2,610 of the
houses in which their smaller population lived
ten years ago. OF course, since the attention
of the people has been SO exclusively directed
to the problem of the reproduction of the spe-
cies, it could hardly be expected that much vi
tality should be wasted in mere house-build-
ing. The taxable property in the State has
decreased from S63, LOG, ,72O to S36, ,574, 1858,
showing loss of S26,531 1902 in ten years. The
simple explanation of this is that the decay of
wealth and the accumulation of men which
has been going forward in South Carolina has
neoessitated the doubling up'' of the popula-
tion in houses, SO that nearly twenty people
live where there was only room for ten when
the census of 1870 was taken.
Then, again, although the population of the
State has increased 42 per cent, everything
owned by this popu lation has run down in
value. The horses and mules required by the
large number of people now living in South
Carolina are worth $57, 1892 less than they were
in 1870 To supply the inhabitants with "hog
meat ten years ago, 590,055 animals, valued
at 81, ,03S, ,13S, were necessary. Now, notwith-
standing the extraordinary increase in the re-
productive powers of the human species, 341,-
104 hogs, valued at $653 781, suffice. Is the de-
crease in hogs, amounting to 15S,951 in num-
Der and 1884 ,357 in value, due to general
foreswearing of pork or to reduced Ca
pacity for all food in the South Carolinian
stomach? But retrenchment seems to have
been the order of the day in every branch of
human activity in South Carolina. Notwith-
standing the readiness with which the people
of thu pa alrnotfn StafQ bova ohavad bo iufpa
command to increase and multiply, this OBJ
servance of natural law has not been permitted
to sheep, species which is usually most pro-
life. There are 1916 fewer sheep in South
Carolina now than in 1869, and the consequent
decay in this branch of the wealth of the
State is precisely $116,613. The same gloomy
state of facts obtains in the meat-market.
Whether the largely increased population ate
up much of the beef before the census was
taken, or the beeves were sacrificed in order to
facilitate the production of voters, is not made
clear. But it is certaini that, while there are
291, ,219 more people in the State now than
there were ten years ago, there are 403 ,257 less
horned cattle. Then again, this largely null
tiplied population carries 3,510 fewer watches
than in 1863, and plays on 166 fewer pianos
What has become of those 1866 pianos that
have gone out of the State since 1869? and how
do the 291 ,219 new people amuse themselves
since the disappearance CT this large number
of musical instruments?
ooey WhhO hOhcOo, AuulOof ouOCp1 Cdbtl0, Iud-
chinery, merchandise, hogs, pianos and
watches have run down, South Carolina
proudly shows an increase in dogs and men.
The population, which has increased 291, ,219
since 1869, requires $131,0 worth of dogs
more than the amount required ten years ago.
Then, the returns gave the total valuation of
all the dogs in the State at $267 1856. Now, the
aggregate canine valuation isiS39S, 1884, showing
that the State has spared some of the energy
otherwise devoted to the reproduction of the
human species) TO the improvement of dogs.
This gratifying gain in the value of dogs is
more marked when we consider that the dog
census actually shows falling off in point
OF numbers: for, while the dogs of South
Carolina shared in the general stagnation of
business, and fell from numerical sire myth
of 81 ,727 in 1869, to 66,318 in 1879, their in
crease in assessed value, as we have said, is
now $685., 1884, as against $267 ,2S5 in 1862 The
only increase in the valuation of any pr operty
in South Carolina is in the dogs of the State.
Sheep, pianos, horses, and watches may deter
iorate. In the improvement of dogs and white.
voters South Carolina leads the Republic.
'"Up with the voter and down with the taxa
BILE property" seems to be the motto for South
Carolina. Ii the ceusustakers in South Caro-
lima had padded out the census of men, and
had forgotten to pad out everything else, they
would have produced just about the result
which is now published.