St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-16

..s1e idea that his bailiwick is to make the
biggest showing if he has to spread himself
TO do it. Thus it is that when a census
comes to be taken we see the difference in
the application of the two methods. One
city-it may be New York or Philadelphia
will send its census takers out with in
structions to take the names of only such
persons as are known to be bona fide res
idents of the city. The result is
a good showing, and the city is
satisfied. Another city, indoctrinated
with the new gospel of enterprise
say Chicago or ST. Louis for illustration
sends out its census takers with instruction
to pad the figures until they are swelled be-
You'd the showing made by its rival The
result is that in addition to taking a
list of bona fide residents, the hotel
registers are copied, the boarding
houses are visited, the lakes and
the summer resorts within a radius of
twenty-five miles are secured, excursions
are gotten up, and people from Dakota and
Montana and other distant places are
brought in by the train-load, and when
the census returns are made up their
names all appear in the popula-
ton Of the city. The city with
its modern ideas of enterprise Is proud of
the advertisement it gives itself. So much
for the two methods.
Now, as to st. Paul and Minneapolis, the
reader will have to determine for himself
which. if either, of these methods the
two cities have adopted. The GLOBE
can only speak for ST. Paul. We
know that in this city the census was taken
on the old-fashioned ground plan. There
was no paper padding about it. The only
fear that has been expressed is that in the
desire to make an honest count the as
SCISSOR has omitted to list some
names which ought to have been
taken, and in some instances has
been negligent about enumerating bona
fide residents. st. Paul has every reason
to be satisfied, and is proud Of the phe-
nomenal growth it has made. An increase
of 20. 900 in population i'm five years is a
growth without precedent in the history of
cities. We are willing that our
figures shall go to the world, for
they bear upon them the impress
of truth. We hope the same is true of our
twin sister. The return made by the CEN
sus taker will be a surprise TO many people
in that city. Old residents of both cities.
who have watched the growth and develop
ment of the twin sisters agree in their judg-
ment that at no time within the last five
years has there been a difference of more
than from two to five thousand in their
population. 1t is little singular that only
week ago a morning paper in Minneapo-
lis published, what it claimed TO be from
authentic sources, the actual foot
ingS of the two census returns. ST. Paul's
population was given at frac-
ton over III, 900 and Minneapolis a frac-
ton over lis, 900. The opinion at the time
Of those who were in condition to form cor
rect estimates was that st. PauI's figures
had fallen a little below the mark because of
the assessors negligence, and that the figures
given to Minneapolis were little
in excess of its real population because of
the extraordinary effort made in that city
to show up to its full limit. The candid
opinion of the best Informed citizens of the
two cities was that their populations was
about equal, and that 1851 would have
covered either of them. 1t will be observed
that the official figures given
out by the Minneapolis news
paper a week ago more nearly accorded
with an honest public opinion than did the
Hennepin county census returns made yes
terday. a still more singular fact is that
when few weeks ago a directory of the
two cities was published, there was only a
difference of sos in the two directories.
Calculating upon the same directory
basis, there was difference of less
than 5000 in the population of the
two cities. st, Paurs census falls below
the directory basis, as is always the case,
while the Minneapolis census presents the
wonderful and heretofore unheard of fea-
ture of being largely in excess of a direc-
tory estimate. It's unfortunate for our twin
sister that these singular features in connec-
ton with its census should appear 50
prominently, as it will give rise 10 a sus-
picion in some quarter that there
has been croOkedness. 1t is a matter of
sincere congratulation all around that here
on the banks of the upper Mississippi is
what is virtually one city with its popula-
ton of nearly quarter Of million and
rapidly expanding into the commercial
metropolis of the continent, as it is now of
the great Northwest.