Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-28
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.
Reasons for the Expectation That New
York,s New Census VIII show Up BETTER
What the Newspapers Did-The Paper

lFROM sTAfF CORRESPONDENCE
WE are to get new count of population.
Following the precept of an eminent
gentleman from Maine, will do our own
counting and certIfcation. If this scheme had
been followed in the original demonstrating,
every city doing its own counting the results
of the eleventh census would have been quite
different. The country may have polled sew
eral million more Inhabitants. And II only
women had been engaged as enumerators that
increase would probably have been doubled.
Any man who has ever played crlbbage, or any
other game in which counting forms an i'm
portant element with woman knows her
superiority over man as counter. No woman
ever lost point through not counting. She
will also travel further for cents than any
man living. If, as census enumerator, she
had missed man, woman or child in her dis
trict, she would have persisted until she had
captured that or cents if she wore out
new pair of shoes in the effort A man hasn't
the head for details. He hasn't the stomach
and legs for six flights of stairs six times for 8
cents. Pll bet cookie that when our recount
comes to the woman districts her job will be
found better than any mans.
Next to women as census enumerators, the
metropolitan police Will prove best They know
better tie character of New York's population
and know how to find it. The police of New
York are respected as representatives of legal
authority. This will get over the great and
primary difficulty that attended the late Fed
eral census The chief blame for that failure
lies upon our own shoulders Mr. Porter
treated us just as he treated the rest OF the
country where, with trifiing exception OF
couple of rival cities in the Northwest. where
local causes operated against success, the GEN.
sus was satisfactorily taken. In new I ork the
census was discredited in advance. The New
York newspapers jumped upon certain oplec,
40 hat
succeeded in arraying practically the Wnole
community against the census as sucn an
especial hostility prevailed In the more lgnor-
ant sections of the city. A considerable por-
tion of our population got the idea tnat
the census was an outrageous infringement
upon individual rights and the censustaker an
impudent varlet who should be kicked down.
stairs without conjunction. Now, unques-
tionably the press meant well but this system
attic onslaught carried wider and deeper |
meaning to most people than what was IN |
tended. It resulted in such difficulties in the |
way of a correct enumeration as were never De- |
fore experienced by the Federal census agents. |
They found themselves antagonizea al every every
wise have assisted them turned cold snouloer |
and gave such information only as the law COM |
PEELED them to give. People who were other- |
wise unsuspiclous and tractable bolted their |
doors against the Federal enumerators or ned |
from their places of abode at their approach. |
Many openly deted the enumerators and tie
laws and had to be dragged before United |
States Commissioner and forced to answer.
In those cases the persons apprehended ex. |
pressed their surprise that such thing was |
possible. What their favorite paper had |
taught them was an impertinence and an out
rage they thus ascertained was the law OF the |
land. Some Of the enumerators were even
bodily assaulted. Nobody would give any in
formation of his next door neighbOr who didn't |
want to give such information about himself. |
If hotel full Of permanent guests was missed
it was because the timid and gentlemanly emu
merator was snnbbed at the counter by an un-
derstrapper and refused any information con-
cerning the people who lived in the house, The
agent of the Government would have to try
every door in the house or let it CO. What
would you have done? Let it go, of course.
II the rooms of tenement were locked and
nobody would tell you who lived there what
would you have done? These are exactly the
conditions under which the census was taken
in New York City, where Superintendent Por-
ter is styled "The Depopulator." And these
are precisely the reasons why the count must
probably show that over 100 OO0 persons were
not before enumerated. 1t need scarcely be
added that these facts have not been noted by
any New York newspaper. Not to any great
extent.
Art of the Tailor.
ttNIo two men, even of exact height and
weight" said a prominent New York
tailor to me the other day, "can wear the same
clothes and be ft." He was measuring me for
a pair of trousers. "If the measurement were
couldn't DO it. Why? Now, don't know.
But have found it to be fact. The measure
ment for pair of trousers, for instance, might
be exactly the same, yet one man will have to
be allowed from one to three inches more
length in the legs than the other The man
has grown fat late in life, may look and even
actually measure alike, but the same cut of
cloth will never TT both. Herein lies the great
struction of the human body are marvellous.
Now, that man who just left-he is a minister
of the gospel. He must have clothes to fit him
and fit his business. His arm pits. shoulder
blades and arms do not correspond with those
of any other man; nor does the right side cor
respond with the left. He propably gestures
good deal with his right hand. He doesn't
Know that that arm is fully an inch longer than
the other This structural difference in men
is more general than you would imagine"
Betting on n Certainty.
THE other day three gentlemen were discuss
ing lunch in downtown restaurant. They
were commenting on the peculiar currency of
different countries, and one of them casually
that no paper money could be much
worse than that issued by the United States
during the late war, especially that peculiar
issue known as scrip" The 3-cent shinplaster
was the sum of all financial villainies
"You mean scent" interrupted the eldesr of
the party.
"OhI no you uon' u 1nis was Lne InlrQ
mar.
There wasn't any such ISSUE" said the eldest
party.
OFF,
speaker, getting hot in the collar. And he in-
timated pretty strongly that he could pardon
the ignorance of the younger man, since he
must have been a mere child when the cur
rency went out, but the gray-beard ought to
know better.
he wouldn't mind a bottle OF Pommery Sec on
it and leave it to anybody
.Very well-I would go you" said the Scent
man. IF it were not against the rules to bet on
a certainty"
'That won't do, Johnny; Pm betting on a
certainty, too. Well waive the rule, won't
Every well, gentlemen" replied the Scent
man. LET her gOi"
While the bottle was being disposed of
couple of mutual friends came in and ex-
pressed surprise that the trio were drinking
champagne at that time of the day.
'.Oh that's all right. Johnny's paying for it."
was the facetious reply. "Join us?" They
ioned When the bet explained the g. ;
cent man was very much astonished to receive ,
he incredulous commiseration of the new
You'll at least let me in for bottle on your
JohnnyT' insisted one Of the new
,omers
vent.
.she goes, gentlemen" I
Now call any gentleman in the roomp' cried
,he four in chorus. ,
"Oh. nop' said johnny. SIT would probably
De another bad memory" He toyed with
handsome cigar case as he slowed away the
6InVply isn,C IL? PraSaOt from