The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-14
supt. Porter. census Attacked.

The New York World on Sunday pub
iished sensational dispatch from Washing
ton, in which it is intimated that there is q
deep laid scheme to falsify the census to
such an extent as to give the republicans
control of the next House. and insure the
election Of a republican President in 1892
The way this advantage is TO be given 70
the republicans. according to the World S
correspondent. is to cut down the popula-
ton in the states which are democratic, and
increase it in those which are republican.
II is alleged that the purpose is to reduce
the true census in New York, for instance,
fully 300, 900, and in all the southern states
which have had such an extraordinary
| growth within the last decade, TO the extent
of Il to 10 per cent.
The assertion is made that the men who
have charge Of this fraudulent work have
been especially selected for it, and that they
are quartered in a locality entirely sep
arated from the census office. They con-
duct their operations in secret, and with the
approval of high officers of the government.
The World will have to present stronger
evidence than it has yet before the public
census. OF course, it is not at all improba-
BILE that the superintendent of the census
would be glad if the census returns should
show a condition of affairs highly advant-
ageous to the Republican party, and the
fact that the enumeration of the population
of the city of New York has been shown to
be nearly 200, 900 less than it really is, would
seem to afford some ground for thinking that
the republican leaders are trying to manip-
ulate the census in such way as to give
their party an advantage, but there is no
evidence upon which to base a charge that
there has been deliberate attempt to fall
sify the census. II the World can obtain
such evidence it will be entitled to the ap-
plause of right thinking people in all parts
of the country.
There is good reason for saying that
hundreds of those who were engaged in
taking the census were wholly unfit for the
duties they undertook to perform, but be-
cause they were so many incompetent and
entirely worthless enumerators it doesn't
follow that the superintendent of the census
is engaged in a scheme to keep his party in
power.
There are no doubt thousands of people in
this state whose names were not taken simply
because to have done so would have taken
more time than the enumerators were will
ing to give to the census work. Although
Supt. Porter is responsible for the failure of
the enumerators to do their work thorough
ly, and in a conscientious manner, their
shortcomings hardly justifes the assertion
of the existence Of conspiracy to falsify the
census. In view of the loose way in which
the census has been taken however. aud
the discovery of extraordinary differences
between the census Office figures and those
furnished by the authorities of some of the
cities, it would not be unwise for congress
to order a new census with the view of
getting closer to the truth respecting the
population of the country. In the mean
time the World should try to substantiate
the charges to which it has given currency.