New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-17
THE TRUE POPULATION.

"The New Ork Herald Illus IL HeCeSSaiJ
to admit that the enumeration by the police
could not legally be accepted by the Executive
Departments or by Congress as the true census
of the city, because the law requires the
enumerators to be officers of the United States,
sworn to perform their duty faithfully, as the
civ police were not and could not be. But it
fails to observe the equally important TACT
that no other part of the country and no other
city would consent to have New-Yorks pop
ulation reckOned at an enumeration IN OctoDer
while other cities and States are reckoned ana
represented according to census IN June. Inc
difference Of more than quarter OF year. IN
city growing as rapidly as this is not so
slight an advantage that other parts OF the
country will readily concede it. There can be
no constitutional authority for such favoritism
to any CITY or State. The Constitution re-
ouires that the regular decennial enumeration
of the population shall be tho basis OF repre-
sentation. and no other made at different
time.
Il Is a question how far an enumeration IN
October is better test OF actual population
than AN enumeration in June. great many
thousand people 60 abroad before the first OF
July each year to spend vacation in Europe
and thousands of them return before October.
II is also true that many thousands more 60
before July to country homes or farms, or 10
country hotels, seaside or mountain resorts
Inscriptions and indecent criticism calied the
United States census Servant-glrl' census
because the officials endeavored so far as they
could to get information OF the absentees from
persons who had been left in charge OF their
houses. But it is evident that the great ma
iority left no representatives competent to an
swcr the inquiries of the census officials, and
could not. therefore, be enumerated here within
the time set for the work by law. These per-
sons could be- and many Of them doubtless
wcre enumerated where they were living IN
the summer if they were not it was their own
fault The one thing cel ain is that the law
must fix some time ut which persons shotld
he visited and enumerated. and at each and
every season of the year there arc many thou
sands who cannot be found or enumerated at
the homes they occupy at other seasons ID
yiously, no other enforcement OF the law Is
practicable than that persons should be cnumer-
ated where they are found, unless they choose
TO provide the necessary information in their
absence for the census takers.
l}ut while such persons might be considered
part of the true population and the number
of such persons. though certainly very large,
cannot be definitely estimated there is on the
other hand a still larger body of persons who
spcnd every winter in the city, but who are
in no proper sense residents here. Every farm,
market garden, orchard, vineyard or brickyard
within hundred miles of the seacoast employs
hands during the summer who are not needed
A. ,,,tn ho ,haro f lch
workers who spend six or nine months in their
various avocations in the country, but come to
the city after crops have been harvested IN
the fall and seek work here during the winter,
must be very large indeed. Within short
distance of New-Yorlx there are more than
10 900 brickmakers employed during half OF
the wear, and there are over $4,000 farms
without counting a multitude of gardens, and
all these require many more workers in summer
than in winter. Then gentlemen's suburban
residences, numbering many thousand, are scat
tered in every direction around New-lOr and
these require at least twice as many hands for
care of grounds and places in summer as in
winter. This great army of workers naturally
orayitates to the city in the fall, in search OF
occupation or pleasure during the winter, but
thew cannot moro properly be called residents
of the city than of the country towns where
they spend half the year or more
These considerations make it plain that If
tho uoice enumeration were undoubtedly tho
more accurate, it would still be matter Of
great uncertainty whether the true population
of the city is more nearly shown by this
enumeration in October than by the census
taken in June. The fact is that the law calls
fo, a census in June, and not for an enumera-
tion at some other season.