The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-10-21
1sGO.-.1Sse...IssO.
Whnt 6Iperintcndcnt Walker Has to say
CT tho Census.
WAsHINGroN. October Q

| CT tho Census.
WAsHINGroN, October 8.
Secretary Schuiz has made public Oh
report of ofSuperintendent Walker, of th
| census bureau, on the alleged censu
frauds in South Carolina. After review
Ing the statements made by the press
alleging frauds, and the action of th
census bureau in investigating the came
Gen. Walker sa:a: "Tbe extraordinar
gains reported in certain of tae countie
of South Carolina aud In the State M
whole over the census of 1870, demande,
therefore investigation. II was notoriou
that South Carolina had not profitet
materially during the ten years sinc,
1870 by immigration either from foreigr
countries, or from other States of tn,
Union. With slight advantage from
Immigration II was not possible that ar
Gid State could have gained in popula
ton in the interval since 1870 10 q de
gree which is shown by n comparison o,
the two censuses. 1t follows as the con
clusion of the highest authority eithe,
that the census of 1870 was grossly de-
fective in regard to the whole of the
State or some considerable part, thereof
or else that the census of 1880 WAS frndu.
lent. The census of 1870 might have
been defective in high degree, without
fraudulent Intention, through the incom.
petence or negligence of the enumera.
tors employed; but the census of 1880
could not have exaggerated the popula.
tiop OF the State without absolute fraud
inasmuch rs the census law requires the
name of every person reported to be
written at length in the schedules with
q score of particulars as regards their
age, sex, nativity, occupation, &C., so
that any illegitimate addition whatever
to the schedule must be in the nature of
conscious and purposed cr.me." Gen.
Walker then gives his reason for beliey..
ing the report of 1870 incorrect, attribut.
ing it mainly to the defects of the law
under which it was taken, namely, that
of 1850, ooand says there was moreover
lacking i'll 1870 throughout the general
region one very important subject of
enumeration, viz: public interest in tho
result.
The interest generally manifested
throughout the United States in the
ninth census was far below that which
has been shonn the present year, but
nowhere did tho interest in the work of
the census fall 80 low as in the States
referred to in which political activity
under the Constitution of the United
States had scarcely revived. No specific
allegation of fraud in the enumeration of
South Carolina has ever beer made to
this office. The entire reason for i'm.
peaching the Integrity of the recent 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 fauit upon the census OF
1870. kEo.' of no reason therefore
why any further charge should be made
against the enumeration recently brought
to conclusion by the commissioned and
sworn officers of the government in
South Carolina. The presumption
which existed against that work has
been completely overthrown and a strong
counter presumption has been created by
verification upon the ground of sched.
ules of the inhabitans in the cases of
eighteen enumeration districte success
sively taken for special investig alton on
account of their exceptionally question.
able character.
Gen. Walker closes with consideration
of the objection urged against the rea.
sonableness of the result of the census of
1880, derived from comparison of tho
ratio of inct Sc of population in South
Carolina between the years 1920, 1860
and 1880 After stating that the popu-
lation of the State increased IL per cent.
during the first mentioned period of
forty years and Il per cent, or the same
per centage between 1860 and 1880, q
period of only twenty years, he says :
Such comparison, however, is not faii
without reference to certain general
causes operating. During the two peri
DDS from 1920 10 1860 South Carolina
was BEEHIVE, from which swarms were
continually going forth to populate the
newer cotton growing States of the
Southwest. Between 1920 and 1880,
immense tracts Of fertile lands belonging
to the Creeks and Cherokees in Georgia
were ceded to the United States and
were largely occupied by South Carolini-
ans.
Later in the period an active emigra.
tion of whites from South Carolina
sprang up aud was maintained in favor
of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana,
while South Cavolina negroes were sold
in great numbers to cultivate the cotton,
rice and sugar fields of those States
Still later the annexation of Texas made
further drafts upon the population OF
South Carolina.
With reference to immigration from
the State between the years 1860 and
1880, the report concludes as follows
We do not know fully what effects the
destruction of slavery and the vast
change resulting in the conditions OF
labor have produced upon the emigrat-
ing prooensities of the people of South
Carolina. We do know that the negroes
are no longer cold South to cultivate the
lands OF Yazoo: Red River and Rrazne
It is reasonable to suppose that concur.
ring causes may have checked in an
equal degree the outward movement OF
the white population. A comparison OF
"free" natives ofSouth Carolina living in
other States in 1860 with white natives
of South Carolina living in such State:
~ 1870 sLc%,: .i:c ::s.:Lc: &c have hoo oor;
respectively 193,3S9 and 148,574, a re-
duction of 5000 in ten years, between
1860 and 1870.
Frederick Douglass: the well.knowr
colored Republican, has published let
ter, in which. he says that during his visi
to North Carolina last week he eaw anC
heard enough to convince him tnat tn,
impression in the North that there ;s
conflict between the races in the South i
wrong. he says that he WAS extremei,