Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-07-29
ABSURD CHARGES.

The latest absurdity is that put forth by
the New York Star 1t is nothing less
than the charge that the taking of the
census was manipulated with the intention
of securing such reapportionment as will
increase Republican strength in Congress.
The enumerators the Star calls "depopu-
lators," and the Superintendent of the
Census is charged with acting under the
instructions of the Administration for the
purpose referred to-
One Of the reasons given for the indict-
ment by the Star is, that the Superintend-
ent refused to order recounts in the dis
tricts where the enumeration has not come
up to the popular idea of what it should
be. In New York, for instance, estimates
made by city officials put the population
fully 100000 in excess of the figures re.
turned by the enumerators But the latter
insist upon the accuracy of their returns,
and point with force to the fact that they
made actual count and record, while the
city officials only estimate" and that the
records show count to have been made in
every house in the city.
Now the truth is that the estimated and
the real census never agree. There is
disposition in all communities to overstate
the population. But at no time in the
history of the country has this tendency
been SO strong as in the present The de-
cade has been one OF "booms" and ipfla-
tion, and in nothing more than in the esti-
mates of population, the values of realty,
and the advantages of towns and districts
inviting immigration. There is not
town or city in all California that has not
suffered modification on the disclosure of
the enumeration by the Census Marshals.
The towns have all fallen below the esti-
mates of enthusiastic citizens. In the
cases of San Diego, Los Angeles and San
Francisco there were discrepancies between
the estimate and reality to the extent of Is
or 20 per cent. Throughout the whole of
the West, where the speculative fever has
ragged, the estimates of population far ex-
ceeded the census returns, and even upon
the Atlantic coast the falling of from esti-
mates was great.
In the South, however, it turns out that
the enumeration and the estimates kept
pretty nearly abreast. The reason is OBJ
vious-the estimates were more conserya-
tive than in the North, because the specu-
lative fever has not so much prevailed.
Now if the Administration had desire to
control the enumeration venally, would il
not have manipulated it so as to increase
Republican strength by shearing Demo-
cratic enumeration in the South? 1t turns
out, however, quite the contrary.
, One of the most singular statements
made by the Star is that proof of fraud is
found in the fact that in New York, for
instance, the percentage of increase in the
decade was less than in the decade ending
with 1880, though the aggregate increase
of the population has been enormous.
Now the enumerators' figures give basis
upon which the percentage can be calcu-
lated, while the estimates of the objectors
are purely conjectursl, and are very lsrgely
animated by the desire TO make phe-
nomerally large showing. If there was a
purpose on the part of the Superintendent
of the Census to make the returns con-
tribute to Republican strength, we ought to
find the large enumerations in Republican
districts and the small ones in Democratic
strcngholds. But it happens that to this
date there has been made no complaint of
any such discrimination. In the cases of
charges of inaccurate enumeration, the
political complexion of the district has
been as often Republican as Democratic
IN fact, there had not been given bipartisan
phase TO any of the complaints until the
Star preferred its absurd charges.