Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-06-05

President Francis A. Walker. super.
intsndont Of tho tcnth oonaua, writes for
The Forum q paper on United States
Official statistics lie calls attention 10
tho fact that tho Unitci States was tho
first nation In tho world to institute a
periodical census Of tho people. This
was not however. owing 10 our ad.
vanccd ideas Of social science. hut II was
because such census was absolutely
necessary TO our representative form Of
government How could we know how
many congressman TO pu. into the house
Of representatives without such an onu.
mcrationi
At fmt President Walker tells US ths
census was confined strictly 10 aaecr-
tanning tho number Of people for tho
purposes Of representation or Of direct
taxation. Then now subjects Of invca,i.
CATION opened for tho onuinorator. Sta.
tiaticu Of agriculture, mining. mahufact.
urcs aud fahcrics were needed Further,
IN order TO ascertain the natural militia
Of a country. II Is necessary 10 know no,
only tho number Of men between eight.
cen and foriy-hyc. but also whether
they are physically and mentally sound.
This Consideration led 10 tho inquiry In
rcgnrd 10 discano and permanent disa.
bilitlea. such as blindness, deafness, etc.
Tho family history Of tho individual Ia
for tho same reasons u matter Of neces
aty. This will explain 10 many tho
reasons for what seem impcrtiuen, IN.
quirios into private matters. ON thia
point President Walker quotes from his
own words elsewheroi
II has bseons simply absurd 10 hold any
lonsur that government which haa q fisht 70
tar any and all the products of agriculture aud
Manufactures, 70 sufrfylaa the sailing ard
mailing ~ 'buiterlno," to regulate tho as,vn.
cisa Of transportation, 20 grant public moneys
10 chooh aud colleges. 10 oanduct agricultural
experiments aud distribute seeds aud plant
cuttings all over the United States 10 Institute
scientific surveys By lAnd aud deep sonndingi
~ sea, has not full authority "a pursue any
branch u statistical Information which may
cunduce Ia visa Liquidation, Intelligent admin
isirailon, o. equal taxation, o. Ia any other
way promote the general welfare
So many things are necessary now to
tho census that Il becomes an appalling
tax on tho head Of tho bureau Tho tax
killed outright Mr.. Walkers successor
In the tsnih census, Colonel seaton.
Three successive chief clerks Of that
census died In Office. Al tho height Of
the work Of the eleventh census Super
intendent Porter was ordered away TO
Europe by his physician 10 save hla life.
Why Is such q mass Of inquiry loaded
upon tho censui President Walker an.
swori
The reason Coz loading upon tho deeennial
census nf the United States such mass Of Sta
uaiics, relating 10 10 many suhieota, many oi
tholu not necessarily connected With the rnum.
I crat|a q population or even Theoretically 70
lated 10 u, has been tWuf0ldi flrst, the sparse,
I ness % settlement over large portions u tho
United states, making Il exceedingly rrpsn.
Hiyc 10 traverse tho ground several times ~ oh.
tain diiurent claassa nf statistics, when, hy
cruudinf tho enumrraior's pnfliollo aud iht
eualncraiqr's brain, these might 30 collected
IN dngle tour, though perhaps az some aacri-
nee ~ quality IN The rosulisi fncuud, The real
or Affected doubts ~ certain politicians "a "a
tho 'culsiituillnality" uf establishing agnn'
clos, aalde frum The census, for conducting ln'
qlirlga nller federal" authority, purely Ia
The Interest NJ Statistics theuisolyst that "a, 10
Tho Interest " pablo intelligence, social scl,
cucu Aill t-lliilaa! aIucatlau-