St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-01
ONE MILLION A YEAR
The Actual Growth of This
Country During the Last
Decade.
Supt. Porter Says the Popu-
lation at Present Is About
81, ,48O,540.
This Is Considerably Less
Than He Prophesied Some
Months Since.
Troops Ordered to Standing
Rock to Give Sitting Bull
q Scare.

q Scare.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.-The twelfth
In the series of census bulletins was
issued to-day on the population of the
United States. The bulletin says: 1.-The
population of the United States on June
/, 1890. as shown by the first count of
persons and families. exclusive of white
persons on Indian territory and Indians
on reservations in Alaska, was $780,
$40. These figures may be slightly
changed by later and mOre exact COM
pilatiOns, but such changes will not be
material. III 1880 the population was
so, 1878. The absolute increase of the
population in the ten dears inter-
vening was i2.324,757 and the per-
centage OF Increase was 24.57. In 1870,
the population was stated as $685. 81.
According to these figures. the absolute
increase in the decade between 1870 and
1880 was II. .597.4lc, and the percentage
of increase was 30.0S. Upon theirfa
these figures show that the population
has Increased between 1850 and 1890
only III, ,345 more than between 1870 and
1881, while the rate of increase has ap-
parently diminished from 30.US to 24.57
per cent. If these figures were derived
from correct data, they would be indeed
disappointing. Such a reduction in
the rate of increase on the face of the
enormous immigration during the past
ten years would argue great diminu-
tiOn in the fecundity of the population
or corresponding increase is its death
rate. These figures are. however,
asily explained when the character of
the data used is understood. 1t is we'll
known, the fact having been demon
strated by extensive and thorough iiI-
vestigation. that the census of 1870 was
grossly deficient in the Southern states,
so much so, not only 10 give All eXagger-
ated rate of increase of the population
between 1870 and 1880 between these
states. but to affect very materially the
rate of Increase in the country at large.
Charge 1t to Clumsy Laws.
These omissions were not the fault,
nor were they within the control of the
census office. The census of 1870 was
taten ulliera law which the sGperiil-
tendent, Gen. Francis A. Walker, char
acterized as clumsy. antiquated and
barbarOuS." The census office lad no
power over its enuIlIeratOrs save bar
ren protest, and its right was even ques-
toned in some quarters. In referring
to these omissions the superintendent
of the tenth census said in his report in
relation to the taking of the census in
South Carolina, lit follows, as a con-
clusion of the highest authority. either
that the census of 1870 WIS grossly de-
fective i'll regard to the whole OF the
state or some considerable parts
thereof, or else that the census
of 1880 was fraudulent" Those
therefore, who believe in the accuracy
and honesty of the tenth census-anu
that was thoroughly established-must
accept the other alternative offered 10y
Gen. Walker, namely. that the ninth
census was 'grUssly defective" What
was true of South Carolina was also
true, i'll greater or less degree, of all the
Southern states. There is, of course,
no means of ascertaining accurately
the extent of these omissions, but in all
probability they amounted to not less
than $1,5U0,0U0. There is but little
question that the population of the
United States in 1880 was at least 40
0O0,000, instead of 3S,55S,371, as stated
Ii this estimate of the extent OF the
omissions i'll 1870 be correct, the abso-
lutte increase between 1870 and 1880
was
Only About Ten Millions
and the rate Of increase was not far
from 25 per cent. These figures COM
pare much more reasonably with similar
deductions from the population in 1880
and 1890. Omitting from consideration
those states in which the census of 1870
is known or is presumed to nave been
faulty, the rate of increase between
1870 and 1880 in the remaining states
has been very nearly maintained in the
decade between 1850 and 1890. Refer
ring to the principal table of the bull
letin, the census of 1870 is known or is
presumed to have been deficient in
nearly all the states OF the South At
lantic and Southern Central divisions,
while IN the North Atlantic. Northern
Central and Western divisions no evil
dence of incompleteneSS has been de-
tected. The population of these three
last named divisions in 1870. 1850 and
1890. the absolute increase for the two
decades and the rate of increase is set
forth in the following table: