Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-15
THE BOSS LIAR AN OFFICIAL ONE.


are patient and long suffering is shown
by the good humor with which they have
treated the work of Census Bungler Mr..
Robert B. Porter. These enumerations
can only be of value if they are made
correctly. Otherwise they are travesty
on the wealth and population of the
country. On the Pacific coast this
enumeration was particularly faulty, and
why such cities as San Francisco and
Los Angeles failed to enter an emphatic
protest passes our comprehension. The
Golden Gate showed scarcely the natural
ratio of growth in population, while it is
a notorious fact that during the last dec
ade comparatively new city has grown
up there towards the south and west. In
this city Mr.. Porter's mis-enumeration
showed large ratio of increase. Our
IL 300 souls of 1880 were run up to fifty
odd thousand in 1890. That was inevita-
BILE. But, none the less, we we're cheated
out OF fully ten Thousand people. We
have no doubt the local head OF the
bureau here tried to do his duty, and we
are not attempting to arraign him. The
system, however, was faulty, the re-
muneration was deficient, and the
supply of blanks was in many
cases inadequate. This was particu-
larly the case in the line Of the distinct
i've products of Los Angeles, for instance.
The blanks were not forthcoming, and
it is absurd to suppose that the first
great blunder was rectified. In the case
OF persons in the remote and desert por-
tions of the county the census was a
farce. There was an insufficient allow
ance for teams, and if the persons sought
were not at home ON the first call that
settled it. Even in the city appointment
restaurant that employed large force
of walters, cooks and attendants, would
have been missed altogether if it had
not been for the HERALD, which called
attention to the omission. To avoid
wearisomeness, we can apply to this
phase of the matter the old Latin aphor-
| ism nb uno disco omIaes.
The incredible gall of the census bu-
reau in the matter of reporting the agri-
cultural products of California was COM
mented upon in the HERALD the other
day. The three states of California,
Oregon and Washington have the clear
right to sue this uncomfortable
liar. Porter, for libel. Take,
for instance, the single proposition of
potatoes. Here comes an official who is
supposed to tell the truth er cathedra,
and announces to the world that, in the
whole scope of territory of these three
states, there were only 500 acres in
spuds. Just keep an eye on that, will
you! We were amused at the comments
OF local contemporary on this cham
pion liars comparative table of the
amount of money made in California
and in the east respectively on truck
gardening. Why, bless its soul, Porter's
figures were just as reliable concerning
the profits of truck gardening as they
were when he said that, in the three
states above named, there were only ITO
acres in asparagus. One would be
tempted to laugh at these official Mum
chausenisms if they were not calculated
to injure the country.
Unfortunately for the cause of truth,
and for the rightful standing of Los An
geles county, we have suffered the time
for effective protest to pass. But there
is no reason why we should not de-
nounce the arch falsifer Of the day. If
the census has been as negligently taken
in the rest of the country as on the
Pacific coast it would pay congress to
order new one and place it in proper
hands.