New-York tribune., 1889-12-22
THE SCOPE OF THE CENSUS.
An INTERESTING DEBATIoN HE SUBJECT
IN THE SENTEf n
iR! INGALLS, OPPOSED TO NBITIoUs ExTEN-
SION OF THE WORK AND bNsEoUENT DE-
LAY-A WARNING FRol THE PAST.

SION OF THE WORK. AND hNsEoUENT DE-
LAY-A WARNING FRol THE PAST.
washington. Dec. 81 tspeciat-A bill called up
from the calendar TO-DAY, by sesor Hale providing
for an in the pay Of cens supervisors led
20 an interesting discussion OF IN proper scope and
aims of census Senator Ingallssgorously attacked
The last census as notoriously hccurate and sx-
tremely belated. Many volumes I IL were yet un.
published nine years after the tim il was supposed
10 have been taken. and much in Il contents of the
volumes that had bed published VS. mistaken and
misleading. The plans pursued by he suporintend
ent had been far too ambitious and IN country wanted
,he scope of the next undertaking C the same sort
Greatly narrowed and The work done much moro ex-
cautiously. The Kan,as Senator hped that the
,aure Of the last census would serve a. a warning
N the superintendent. who shouldle careful not
20 repeat the unwieldy opeiatons of As predecessor
Ne asked Senator Hale for siatenent of the plans
,ow under consideration b, superintendent Porter
Mr. Hale. who is the chairman Of the Senate Com
mi,tee on the Census. replied that the rev supern-
,.pdent would work on dfferert plan rom that Of
Mr walker and his subordinaes. Still
there was something 10 be said in
defence of the last census though a great deal Of
material, collected at large Expense, had not been
published, and would probably never be published,
and yet the Bureau had gotten out twenty
four volumes. the last about a year ago, and had
practically finished tt work. Mr Porter lad been
harassed by all sorts OF applications for extensions OF
the work of the bureau. Some Senator's hal even
introduced bills at this session for the COLLECTION OF
special sorts of statistics, the number of farms
cseed for instance. and the eXtdt OF the mortgages;
but il was the intention of the rnate Committee and
the superintendent to resist all ach applications and
TO coniine the work within the narrowest poss BILE
limits consistent with tie purposes OF the census
as named in the statutes. Mr. Hale hoped to see all
the coming reports published by the end of 1892.
Mr. Teller thought tina, a census made in two
years would be almost vaudess 1t took at least five
years he said, to do the work in many lines with
any thoroughness there should be permanent Bureau
Of Statistics, he urged which could keep census work
continually in hand.
senator stewart wanted particular care taken to
collect statistics in referense 10 the debtor and
creditor classes in the country.
Senator's Dolph and Blair however argued that
suoh statistics largely Misleading, not showing
az al the comparative prosperity of the two supposed
classes. Senator Blair urged that Mr. Porter gather
together all the facts he could hnd about the
prodncton, sale and consumption Of alcoholic drinks
lie thought IL would be a good thing TO know how
many saloons there were m the whole country, ana
how many saloons there were, for instance in each
OF the cities trying to get the Worlds Fair.
After this rather novel proposition the Senate
turned to other business.