The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-23

here we see Mr.. Porter's law of the
diminishing ratio and how closely its sue
cessive falls approach each other. In the
de- ade from 1860 to 1870 we see the abnor-
NAL depression from "a. % per cent. to 10. 80
per cent. 1t ended before the next decade
began, and the rate Of increase took its nor
NAL place in line at 227S From 1880 to
1890 it should have been close to 90 Der cent.
but the census report tells us it was Is. So
lower than during the war decade. An
increase OF 30 per cent. would have brought
us in the neighborhood of the estimates OF
the experts of the treasury department.
Prof. Elliot, actuary of the treasury depart
ment, estimated the population for 1888 at
62, TBS, 900 and that for 1889 at Ga. 554 600
He did not carry forward his es mates to
1880, but adopting the ratio of increase
which he used for former years our popula-
ton in 1890 would be over &C, 200,O 600.
The actual numbers returned for the
years 1870, 1880 and 1890 show that IS. 55S.-
81 people made larger natural increase
from lo7O to 1889, than so, 155, 1888 people
did from 1880 to 1890. Deducting the i'm
migrants from both periods the increase
from 1870 is found to be 675, 121, and that
from 1850 is found to be 7,219,S54 Can it
be seriously contended that IS, 900, 600 of the
same peQp increased ], 000, 900 more in ten
years than $4,000. 900 did? The census re-
port declares that startling fact, but the
superintendent asks the people to believe
only one-half Of it, and reject the other
halt. He sees the palpable absurdity of
sucn statement, and to escape it
plunges into a worse one. He assails the
census OF 1870, and says that it should have
shown S9,SlS,449 people instead Of IS, 55S, 371,
and that the increas in the previous decade
should have been $3.50 per cent. instead of
S56o. 10 make his logic fit the situation,
ne adds 1,260,01S to the returns of 1870
This addition makes the percentage of in
crease from 1870 to $780, 25.9 instead Of
2OOo per cent. Is it possible that Mr..
Porter can be serious when he says that
our population increased during the war
decade faster than in toe peace decade fol-
Iowingi Does he ignore the fact that i'm
migration during that decade was more
than 800, 1000 below that of the preceding
decade, and more than 5000 below that of
the succeeding decade?
Does he ignore the fact that more than
100000 people persisted from causes arising
out of the ware Does be ignore the fact
that from 100000 to 2,500,00G men were
IN the field-taat a vast number of these
we're husbands who were separated from
their families for great part of that time 2
y
Thus the superintendent has been
placed by his enumerators in an unhappy
situation. To escape the conclusion that
their figures have forced up2n him--that
$4,000 900 people have incaeased faster than
$4,000, 000-he flies for refuge to the still
more absurd position that population will
increase faster when the sexes are separated
than when they were united. Taking the
corrected figures OF 1870, as made by the
superintendent. and leaving out inn
migration, the rate of increase from 1860 TO
1870 is 10 IS per cent Here is another spas.
modic fall from 2445 to 49, 3S per cent, when
the diminution of the rate was less than 2
per cent. in the preceding decade. The rate
OF increase from 1870 to 1880 is 1889 per
cent, and is as much too small as the other
is too large. From IS. SO ia 1880 Mr.. Porter
plunges to 80 in 1890. =
1t may be true that the census in South
Carolina was defective in 1870, and per-
heps it may have been SO to small extent
In some of the other southern states. A
half million in all Of them will more than
cover all the Don~enumerated. Now, IL we
take the census OF 1870 and add 100000 for
those omitted and 100000 for the loss of
life and retardation OF increase by the war,
we viii have the following rates Of increase,
Immigrants being omitted.