Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-07-02

CREASED SINCE 1S70-sOME FACTS AND
FIGURES.
The result of the recent census, giving the
present population of this city as II 1851, was
naturally very unsatisfactory. both as giving
us n much smaller number of inhabitants
than everybody supposed and as appearing
to show startling decrease in the last de
cade-the census of 1870 having given us
IA 49,. At first blush the General belief was
that tie present census was inaccurate.
However thai may be no one can Lave tie
slightest doubt but that our population has
increased rather than diminished since 1870
/. OUR GEowTH SINCE 1870
According to the figures returned to the
Secretary of State the number of polls in
Burlington in 1870 was 1 sos in 1871 it was
1,S09; in 1872, 1875; in 1878, LOIS; in
1874, 1,95G in 1915, 5000; in 1876, ., 100
in 1877, 2,0G4 in 1878, 2,04O. These figures
show. on the whole, pretty steady in
crease, and indicate q total gain, 1S70-7S,
of 442 polls.
This much from one point Of view.
Now let us look at another proof.
The law requiring and providing for
an annual school census was passed By the
Legislature in 1870 and repealed in 1873, and
our figures must, of course, embrace only the
intermediate dates. In this city the census
was taken with great care and may, We be-
lieve, lie depended upon as substantially cor
rect. According to it, in 1871, the number
of children of school age lover and under
20 years old was 3,O1G; and this number
gradually rose TO 3,2jS in 1878 Tie num-
Der of families in 1871 was 1899; in 1873,
it was ., iGa These figures, like the ones
first quoted, Enthusiastically point to gradual
and steady increase of population.
Again, let us consider another point The
years 1870 and 1873 were non-presidential
years, and therefore neither party polled their
highest vote. In 1870 Blrlingtons aggre-
gate vote for Governor was |, 22j. in 1873 it
had risen TO /, $50
The figures for 1880 are, OF course, not
available; but in taking the statistics of 1873
We have done so on the fact, within every
body's knowledge, that the last two years
have been locally prosperous and have wit
messed an undoubted increase in our popula-
ton. Were the figures of 1880 at hand they
would but strengthen the argument. The
convcrgcnt facts wehave cited prove clearly
and Enthusiastically, we think, that the city
has been constantly on the gain, in the last
ten years and we believe that rightly view
ed there is no cause for Encouragement or
humiliation. And this brings US to our sec
ond point.
J. TIE INACCURAcY OF TIE CENSUS OF 1870
The census of 1870 gave US a population Of
14,3S1. The tabulated returns give lis but
little clue to the manner in which this
result was obtained, but two items
are given which are sufficient, we
think, to pretty conclusively prove the mac
curacy of the enumeration. They are these
The census of 1870 gave us 4,116 children
between the ages of and IS. The school
census of 1871 gave us of children between
. and 20 only 3,076, and the census of 1873
gave us only 3,25S, the intermediate years
irving intermediate numbers. OF male citi-
zens over 81 years of age the census gave us
3,i49, while the number of polls returned TO
the Secretary of State was only 1888,
in 1870, and only 2,O4O in 1873.
These are glazing discrepancies and
the balance Of probability is unquestion-
alb ly in favor of the civic returns as against
the Federal census. So great an excess of
children could not possibly be overlooked
by the school census-taker; nor could
there possibly be such a great dis
parity between the number of males over
u years of age and the number of polls re-
turned. Being so apparently erroneous in
these particulars, then, the fact is practically
established that the aggregate enumeration
was inaccurate.
No one ct all acquainted with Burlington
believes that it has declined in population
since 1870; and the facts We have given es-
tablsh the belief. The city has gained and
is steadily gaining in population as it is in
crcasing in prosnariiy A..i tho "rrorcns loss
is due first TO overcoming in the census of
ten years ago, and second, probably, TO
omissions and understanding IN the present
census. We trust TINT some means will be
taken to test the accuracy of the present
census. Our citizens want TO know what
our population is, and will not rest easy till
they are satisfied that an accurate enumera-
ton has been secured.
chittsnie1 County Sunday s:hool Convention.