New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-09
THE CENSUS CONTROVERSY.
SUPERINTENDENT PORTERS STRONG DE-
FENCE OF THE FEDERAL COUNT
WHY IT IS MORE TRUSTWORTHY THAN THE
POLICE CENSUS ENUMEHAToKS >TANDlN"
ny THEIR woRK-ME. BOWERS
MEADS FOR TIE MAYOR
ley TELEGRArH TO TIE TRlDuNE'I

Washington Dec S-Thc hearing OF the Ne" i''"
City census controversy before The House >c'' 'o'
mttce was concluded today, ald a soon ~ '''o "r
mcntS and statements pro and con are nj p''.' ~
committee will cOI.i dcr them. ~ course u" ''' va"
arrive, member, of the committee Will reserve maj
Judgment but it is evident - persons WHO nave N'ehc
with care to both that the United states census
Bureau has the best Of II OF the case a. snp"te"'
Mr. Bowers has been earnest and TO-DAY cSpeciaIy nc
has conducted his side OF the controversy a. wen as
lawyer unfamiliar with census requirements ana
difficulties as well as with statistics could be expected
To do Through it all one fact was noticeable 1c not
only refrancd from joining in the Tammany newspaper
claniOr a-ainSt the census as "a partisan census
but he repeatedly and emphatlcally dNcalmed tho DC
lief that any which might have been or might DO
discovered were the result Of COLLISION. a desire to
oefl,ud New York Of anything whch justly belongs to
her, or of any false intention whatsoever Mr.
Bowers went even further. He admitted that the
United States enumeration in many districts was
better correct. than the police enumeration tlat
the police enumeration abounds in errors that dupiica
tons been found in the second Ward ITSELF
not including probable dupcatCl b. the enumeration
of business both at their places OF business in
that ward and at the residences in uptown wards
Mr. Bowers also failed utterly 10 notice, much les
TO controvert, the Overwhelming testimony a. 10
changes Of population in the second Ward between
June | and October H. or the depletion Of the city
population in the months of June. July and August
respect. however, because he did give a reason
why the city authorities took 40 action or made no
complaint until september - that nearly everybody
was out of town" during the months mentioned.
When superintendent Porter resumed his statement
this morning he read part of q letter from {. r.
Buell. which related To the question Of the number OF
persons house, from which appeared that allow
ing seventeen persons each the total population
of the city would be about 1,373,coo. superintendent
Porter remarked it according 10 the census returns
of 1850 the average number % persons 10 a ho;sc
was about sixteen. lie then continued the reading
OF the memorandum from which he read on saturday.
and that part of il which relates q estimates OF pop
ulation based the returns Of deaths deserves 10 be
reproduced here because estimates appear 70 have
been the chief basis Of the complaint made BY the
Board of Aldermen on SepIem6cr = upon which r.
count of population was demanded. superintendent
Porter said
The only argument worthy Of serious coasido"ton' then
question death Tie oCl>u o. $3.50 shows
slight increase after alovin- FOR the additional increase
in death due t, grip January 1872 Those VINO IN
dcftake the popumtO1 ~ death rate returns
may into sad cI.of>. THIS fact has f"r'tN p'h
report made % thc Ln2!'h House q Com
by q committee appointed t. inqur into 'ti qCes
tcns connected VIII to- tasir? c>us o. rng.and
this lcporS shows that man! elite, proven ~ nave
population Of sixteen eighteen and even t"en,Yh|e pc
above what The RtgIstlarG"Dcras tstinate "ouo
Give and that I'VE counties twenty great towns, Tour
nctrspo,itan a tary areas and registration districts
have turned have population much Smaller tah
would b, indicated IN hing twenty-five peg
the so-csled cstr at Of the Registrar "cn
fact, discrepancies were shown in each Of
these classes
Considering the apparently abnormal ncres~e In the
death rate Ncw-Y"r Guy. i e not f~ir % assume
reasonable the increase. that the B&id Of
Health OF New CITY. keeping >tro with IA" poge'-
Of the acc has "a The last ten years more e. ION"
in It's metno1s Of ,ertaniug 70 nicely aud recoieng
with greater accuracy fact, pertaining TO mortality In
other words, and i'll short j. not more efficient IA these
respects years taking in consideration
the enlag Of it, powers and scope since thit tne
As the mortality figures obtained from the Board OF
Health is IL not reasonable TO presume that they have
been given with degree Of accuracy IN 1880 TIM
they in 1sS03 Duo allowance for natural increased
efficiency under enlarged powers would answer. to
extent at least, The queries respecting The alleged
abnormal increase the death rate Of the population Of the
city Of Ncw-York. The 81 NcwYOra taken on
June in accordance with the law and Gnder IA" r'str
tons Of the law IS undoubtedly lair enumeration Of the
people that date.
superintendent Porter continuing stated that whil3
lie did not place much reliance upon such statistic
in comparison with actual enumeration OF population
by officers in accordance with the law Of Con
gress, he thought worthy of remark that the school
census of Newiork City, which the city authoriti.'
had not mentioned, although they had referred 10
taxable values, new buildings and the personal Oh
SerVa;ions' Of cJzens matter of weight, Writ
ally sustained the Federal enumeration. According
TO the report of the truan officers the population Of
New York CITY between the ages Of FIVE aud twenty
one wears in 1-sO was 3-6.O16, or about to
1910 Of the total; in 1880 the reports Of The
truant officers showed school population Of atOut
900o which, multiplied by the ratio Of 1880, would
give totsl population of abOIt 1.496,OO0 some
1900 less than the Federal enumeration
Superintendent Porter after some further comments
read the report Of Agent OcOtt, who sent 10 New
YORK 10 observe the method, and results Of the police
enumeration. That enumcrat on Wa, MADE by "+7
police officers detailed for the purpose. whose districts
did not correspond with the Federal enumeration dis
trics, which, Of course, made comparison OF results
hy districts extremely difficult After the police
enumeration had been in progress several days, the
daily foongs OF the books turned in made b.;
Gcrent persons generally by the reporters Of certain
city papers who desired 10 obtain the result u
each days count. These footing, then supposed
10 be- transferred to a sheet, the fOOtings a.
which would show the enumeration Of each day, bu,
this sheet was found TO be extremely incorrect. one
tr.fng error OF 10000 having been discovered
by MIR. Olcott. who called attention to Il and sue
CeeGcd in having II corrected. Agent OlcOtt report
ed that the police Officers instructed t.
grt many possible; that when tho
returns of an officer fell below the estimate" for his
district he likely receive cprinand and that
many were sent back TO do the work again; that
officers who made biz returns were cOmplmcntcd l.;
name IN certain newspapers. that there was no ~
vision Of names and that attention called TO du
plicatlon OF names, Of which were corrected
that the total of l.7lO.71j announced OCTOBER
IA, without any comparison OF the footingS and that
it did not with the first total Of October J l.
which l6o3.2l7, or 27.4GS les. Tie total az
coTdnC 10 Assembly districts on the vote wa
.665.3s. The original returns appear to have beef
open 10 the inspection and manipulation of ANYBODY
and every body who chose - handle them, and The
fOotings to have been made BY "TOm.' " DICK ard
Harry or anybody else who chose 10 take IN,
trouble. and not by persons II do their duty
faithfully, who could be held rcspGslblc for th'
error either Intentional or unintcnuonal The cOmpc
tition 10 figure big total 10 have been kcei
and earnest a. to make "A big enumerated
superintendent Porter submitted many facts tending
10 show the depletion of city population In the summer
months. In the three months succeeding the June
enumeration about 10000 servants were sent TO tie
country through the intelligence Offices; between Jure
! and October about 10000 foreign immigrant,
landed In Newly ork at least one-Lfth Of whom re-
NAMED Of an immigration OF TO- 900 Russian Jews at
n q