Evening journal., 1890-11-12
Mr.. PORTER'S DEFENSE.
A Partisan Census Is an Impos-
sibility, He Says.
NOT TIE WORK OF A SINGLE MAN.

A Strong Argument TO Prove That the
Federal Enumeration Was All Right.
Tho New Yorh Census Case Compared
with other Places in tho Country.
NEW YORK, Nov 12.-Frank Leslie's OF
this week just oat prints long article on
the eleventh census from Superintendent
Porter, in which. among other things Mr..
Porter, replying to critics, says: "A par
tisan census is an impossibility. The elev-
enth census Is not the work of one man,
but will represent the united labor OF 10000 |
persons. To assault the census, therefore, |
is to impeach the honesty Of vast army OF |
intelligent and conscientious men and wo
men. The assumption that IL would be
possible to depress the returns In one sec
ton of the country and initiate them In an
other Is based alike upon ignorance Of cen
sus methods and lack Of knowledge as to
the results thus far published. The emu
meration of the people thoroughly and
honestly conducted was hedged and guard
cd by a law passed by the same party that
~ so mallciously assails 1t, aud was
supervised by experts aud special agents,
nine.tenths Of whom performed the same
work ten years ago, and not one OF whom
4 was appointed because of his political faith.
Careless Omissions.
1.-THE census Of New York was taken
June /, and the results made public IN
July. No complaints of the enumeration
were filed until September. Without at
tempting, as other cities have done, TO
point out omissions, the local authorities,
J ignoring the fnct that the federal census
should be as Of the lst OF June. proceeded
to take a census OF their own In October.
No one supposed that the two enumera-
tions would correspond, and no one has
! thus far been able to ascertain whether
, the discrepancies outside OF those which
may readily be accounted for are due to
, the careless omissions Of June or the in
territorial additions aud Implications Of
3 October.
Federal Versus Police Census.
: "The federal enumerntors were paid so
: much name. They were under oath 10 emu
z crate the people in accordance with law.
TO oIAit names which should have been
!, enumerated made enumerators liable to
fine and Imprisonment On the other
7 hand, the police were appointed for the
sole purpose OF finding in October more
! ! population than the federal enumerators
Z found in June. Five doubtful cases in
each hundred would mean an addition oi
Y 75, 900 aud ten doubtful or improper emu
: merations, 10000.
Y ITO abandon the federal count merel.
Y on the ground that the mayor Of New Yorl
y had written a brief letter stating that a
~ enumeration thus conducted had bee
- made, and Offering no proof, would hav
brought the census Office into ridicule.
what New York should Have Done.
. I'm other cities the police merely aske
At OF householders II they had been enumei
q ated June l. The names Of those VIII
e claimed they were not enumerated wer
"a forwarded to the census Office and CON
+. pared with the schedules. Had this metho
n been adopted in New York at the props
ar time the substantial accuracy ofthe feders
- census would have been established to Oh
ye satisfaction Of all fair minded citizens.
az other Cases Cited.
be ssWas il partisan motives that prompte
e the superintendent 20 urge in spite {
be powerful protests recount In the tw
largest cities in Republican Minnesoti
well knowing that il meant reduction
population OF 10000 or $4,000 or that r
as fused recount in spite OF the tremendot
* efforts made to discredit the census in II
II, publican Oregon?
ng ''Those preiudiced partisans are 10
pitied who can see politics in the fact thl
Texas increased 40.24 per cent. during Il
decade and California "a Arkansas 40
IA and Wisconsin $3.50; Florida Ass al
Kansas 429f: Georgia 1895 and Ohio lag
=, Kentucky 1854 and New Hampshire SO
- Mississippi "a and Maine 1.75; Marylar
- - l1.2s and Indiana 1885; South Carolig
- 1873 and Vermont decrease Of .02 VI
~ ~ ginia 9.0l and Nevada loss Of 2ssl p
- | cent
s The Republic ih Danger.
- "If these percentages indicate polite
~ to the minds Of the American people th'
~ the republic is ihdeed in danger. for ave
~ age intelligence is at low ebb, but
- the still more remarkable percentages
y y growth in the northwestern and Paci
states are TO be attributed TO census pa
- ding for political purposes then o
"a growth and prosperity is myth, and
~ ~ other evidences Of advancement misles