New-York tribune., 1890-06-01
SyUE TENCT(

The decennia stock taking of the Nation Is
NJ hand. For the next fortnight the interest
of the people throughout the country Will be
concentrated on the taking of the census. The
Eleventh Census is of uncommon importance
because it is Just one hundred years since the
first census under the Constitution was taken
Tomorrow an army of enumeratorS Will begin
their work in the numerous districts into which
the country has been divided and for months
TO come information will be pouring into the
Census Office in Washington in an apparently
endless stream 1t is no cXaggerat'on to speak
of tho onrmerators as an army. since some
30 900 Of them will engage in the work OF
collecting statistics of the population. The
taking of the census of the United States is no
small task. While in the nature of things it
is impossbe to secure absolute accuracy in the
statistics collected, it is fair to assume that the
result of the enumeration will be reasonably
near the exact facts.
In England and in many countries on the
Continent. il is the custom to take the census
in single day, in which case 1t is obvlouS
that greater accuracy can be secured. Even III
the space of a fortnight. during which the
census in our cities is taken. many changes
NAV occur among our shifting popu!atIoh'
Hence il is easily possible that some OF the
inhabitants max escape the ubiquitous cnumcr-
ator altogether and it is likewise possible that
some with not over r-senSitive conScienccN may
he enumerated more than once. In England
the work of ccnSuS-taking is done through the
conStabulary, the country being divided INTO
very small districts. The blanks are dis
tributed one day and collected the next. In
this country we have no standing force oi on
cjals available for the work within one period
of twenty four hours. Besides our census i
much more complicated affair than the simple
enumeration of the people which ii is possible
TO make in one day in a compact country IKE
Great Britain.
The growth Of our census in the last one
hundred years is highly significant. The orig
inal census comprised only a single schedule
which called for the following Names "'
heads of families free white males of sixteen
years and upward, including heads OF families
free white males under sixteen; free whi'c
females. including heads of families all othef
free persons: slaves. How different the cen
s,ls which is to be begun tomorrow How
much history is concentrated in the iact tha'
there arc no slaves to he counted BESIDES thc
statistics of population including the relation
ship of the various persons in the family
whether they are married. widowed or single
etc. there will be full inquiries IN regard 10
vital statistics, agriculture, the mechancal III
dustries of the country. Indebtedness the mum
Der of paupers. criminals, and 50 on, not 10
mention the special investigations. which cover
a wide range of subjects of great interest. We
have not attempted TO mention all the lines Of
inquiry which will be followed, but only 10
suggest how different the census OF to-day Is
from that Of our fOrefathcrs The evolution
which has taken place is well worthy Of notice
The results of the census will be important
in many respects. OF course, popular interest
in it will focus itself upon the population OF
the country as a whole, and Of the various
cities which are close rivals Of each other IN
point of numbers TO answer even these
questions will take considerable time ana al
most endless calculations and additions. But
more important than this will be the CongreS-
Siona apportionmcnt based upon the pop'dd-
ton as determined in 1890 which is expected
TO give the West a far larger prOpOrtionatc
| share in the Government thar II now ENJOYS
and thus to affect the balance OF parties in the
| lower house to an important extent The
numerous other statistics collected will be use
! full in a variety of degrees. One interesting
point will be the relative growth Of the negro
population in the South as compared with that
of the whites.
II is a laboriouS and not altogether agreeable
task that the cnumeratOrS will be called upon
70 perform. Their work should be facilitat-
ed. and not obsttucted. by Albright thinking
ucople. and the head Of each family should do
all in his or her power to make the statistics
collected as full and accurate as possible. AS
for the questions which have provoked so much
criticism. it is altogether likely that many per-
sons will regard them as impcrtlnent and re-
fuse 10 answer. That is a question for each
individual to decide for himself. On all other
points it is the plain duty of Ill citizens to as
sist the taking Of the census by all reasonable
means at their disposal.