Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-12
THE ENUMERATION DEFENDED.

Superintendent Porter's Statement In
Reply to Criticisms Of the Census.
Mr.. Robert P. Porter, the superintendent Of
the census, has prepared the following state
ment as reply to some Of the criticisms that
that have been directed against the work Of the
census office:
"A partisan census il an impossibility. The
eleventh census 10 not the work Of one man,
but will reprssen. the united labor Of 10000
persons. To assault the census, therefore, is to
impeach the honesty Of vast army Of intelli-
gent and conscientious men and women. The
assumption that it would be possible to depress
the returns in one section Of the country and
initiate them in another 10 based alike upon ig-
norance Of census methods and lack Of knowl-
edge as to the results thus far published. The
enumeration Of the people, thoroughly and
honestly conducted, was hedged and guarded
by law passed by the same party that now SO
maliciously assails it, and was supervised by
experts and special agents, nine-tenths of whom
performed the same work ten years ago, and
not one of whom was appointed because Of his
political faith.
THE NEW YORK CENSUS CONTROVERSY.
"The census of New York was taken June 1,
and the results made public in July. No COM
plants of the enumeration were filed until
September. Without attempting, a. other
cities had done, to point out omissions the
local authorities. ignoring the fact that the fed
eral census should be as Of the LIST Of June,
proceeded to take a census Of their own in Oc-
tober. No one supposed that the two enumera-
tions would correspond. And no one has thus
far been able to ascertain whether the dis
crepapcies outside of those which may readily
be accounted for are due to the careless
omissions of June or the Intentional adj
ditions and Implications Of October. The
federal enumerators were paid so much
name. They were under oath to emu
merate the people IN accordance with the law.
To omit names which should have been enum-
Grated made enumerators liable to fine and i'm
prisonment. On the other hand, the police
were appointed for the sole purpose Of finding
In October more population than the federal
enumerators found in June. Five doubtful
cases in each hundred would mean an addition
of 5000, and ten doubtful or improper enum-
erations Isl, 000 To abandon the federal count
merely on the ground that the mayor Of New
York had written O brief letter stating that an
enumeration thus conducted had been made
and offering no proof would have brought the
census Office into ridicule.
I'm other cities the police merely asked OF
householdersf they had been enumerated June
l. The names Of those who claimed they we're
not enumerated were forwarded to the census
Office and compared with the schedules. Had
this method been adopted in New York ut the
proper time the substantial accuracy of the
federal census would have been established to
the satisfaction of all fair-mnded citizens.
THE CHARGE OF PAaTIsANsHIP.
"Was it partisan motives that pr ompted tho
superintendent to urge, in spite of powerful
protests, q recount in two of the largest cities
in republican Minnesota, we'll knowing that it
meant reduction in population of 10000 or
$4,000, or that refused q recount in spite of the
tremendous efforts made to discredit the CEN
sus in republican Oregon? Those prejudiced
partisans are to be pitied who can see politics
In the fact THAI Texas increased 40. "A per cent
during the decade and California 81. "a, Ar
kansas 1923 and Wisconsin 27.90, Florida A. SO
and Kansas AZ. 81, Georgia 1S 50 and Ohio 1465,
Kentucky 12.54 and New Hampshire 8.3l, Mis-
sissippi 1884 and Maine LIS, Maryland IL %
and Indiana 1866, South Carolina Is. % and
Vermont a decrease of 0.02, Virginia 9Ol and
Nevada u loss of % 81 per cent
IF these percentages indicate politics p
the minds Of the American people, then "
republic is. indeed, in danger, for average
intelligence Is at low ebb. If the still more
remarkable percentages of growth in the north
western and Pacific states are to be attributed
to census padding for political purposes then
our growth and prosperity is a myth and all
other evidences of advancement misleading"