Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-10-21
What hatSuperintondent Walker has
to Say About the Census.

WASHINGTON, October 0-Scoretary
Schurz has made public the report of Su-
pcriutcudcnt Walker, of tho census bu..
rcau, on the alleged census frauds in South
Curolina. After reviewing the statements
made by the press, alleging frauds, aud the
action Of tho census bureau in Investigating
the same, Gen. Walker says: "The extra
ordinury gains reported in certain Of the
counties of South Carolina and in tho
State as u whole over the census of 1870,
demanded therefore careful investigation
1t wus notorious that South Carolina had
not proGted materially during tho ten years
since 1870 by immigration either fron,
foreign countries, or from other Stutcs in
the Union. With slight advantage from
immigration it was not possible that an old
State could have guincd in population in
the interval since 1870 to degree which
is shown by comparison Of the two cen
suscs. 1t follows as the conclusion of the
highest authority either that the census Of
1870 was grossly defective in regard to the
whole of the State or some considerable
parts thereof, or else that the census of
1880 was dcfrandulont. The census of
1870 might have been defective in high
degree, without fraudulent intention,
through the Incompetence or negligence Of
the cnumcrators c,pploycd; but the census
of 1880 could not have exaggerated the
population Of the State without absolute
fraud, inasmuch MS the census law requires
the name Of every person reported to be
written Ut length in the schedules with IL
score OF particulars as regards their age,
ti,.it,
illegtimatc addition whatever to the schcd
ulc must be in the nature Of conscious and
purposcd crime" Gen. Walker then gives
his reason for believing the report of 1870
incorrect, ottributing it mainly to the de-
fects of the law under which it was taken,
namely, that of 1850, aud says there was
moreover acking in 1870 throughout the
general region one very important subject
of enumeration, viz: public interest 10 the
result.
The interest generally manifested
throughout the United States in the ninth
census was far below that which has bccn
shown The present year, tu, nowhere did
the interest in the work OF the census fall
SD low US in the States referred 10 in which
political nctivity under the Constitution of
specific allegation Of fraud in the enumcra-
ton of South Carolina has ever been made
to this office. The entire rcasoD for i'm
pcaching the integrity of the rcccn, cen.
sus was based on the reported gain of
population between 1870 and 1880. The
result of the investigation places beyond
possible question by any fair minded man
the entire fault of tho census of 1870. |
know of no reason therefore why any fur
the. charge SHOULD be made against The
enumeration recently brought to conclu..
sion Ivy the commissioned and sworn officers
Of the government iu South Carolina. The
presumption which existed in that work
has been completely overthrown and
ted by vcrfca:ion upon the ground of
schedules or the Inhabitants 10 the cases
of eighteen enumeration districts success
sivey taken for special investigation on
account of their exceptionally questionable
character.
Gen. Walker closes with consider ton
of the object urged against tho reasonable :
ness of the result Of the census of 1880,
derived comparison of the ratio OF in
grouse of population in South Carolina
between the years 1920, 1860 and 1880
After stating that the population Of the
State increased al per cent. during the first
mentioned period of forty years and forty
one per cent, or the same percentage be
tween 1860 mud 1880, period o: only
twenty years, he says: "Such comparison,
however, is not fair without refer encc to
certain general causes operating. During
the two periods from 1920 to 1860 South
Carolina was beehive, from which swarms
were continually gong forth to populate the
newer cotton growing States of the South-
west. Between 1920 and 1880, immense
tracts of fertile lands belonging to the
Greeks and Chcrokecs in Georgia were
cedcd to tho United States and were largely
occupied by South Caroinans.
Later iu the period an active emigration
of whites from South Carolina sprang up
and was maintained in favor of Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana, while South
Carolina negroes were sold in great nun.
bors to cultivate the cotton, rice and sugar
fields of those States. Still later the an-
nexation of Texos made further drafts upon
tho population of South Carolna.
With reference to the emigration from
tho State between the years 1860 and 1880,
the report concludes as follows: Wo do
not know fully what effects tho destruction
of slavery and the vast change resulting in
the conditions Of labor have produced upon
the emigrating propoDsities Of the people
Of South Carolina. We do not know that