New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-25
THE End OF THE CENSUS FONT,

The majority report Of the House Committee
adverse to Mr.. Flowers resolution for a recount
Of the population of this city practically ends
tho disincenuous endeavor to diScrcdit the Ma
| tional census. The fact that only one Demo-
| Graf thought il worth while to vote in committee
against the majority report will probably tend
n sion the clalnor which some persons have
| cnioycd raising. and in the natural course of
events we may expect that this particular line
Of hostility to the Administration Will be aban-
doncd before long. Much effort has bscn e1-
pondcd. though not with much ingenuity or
success. to make I. appear that an outrage on
this city and state was laboriously concoctod
| and carried through, and that the CcnSnS Office
caught at last in the net, was afraid to acknowl-
| edge It's offence and do Justice. The truth Is
that the population in Juno was aeccrtainod with
reasonable accuracy. and the p~ropric'y Of sub
| s~titnting therefor the population in October or
later has never been established.
TIE TRInryE has criticised some 81 the de-
| clarcd results of the census and questions their
! completeness. but 50 far as the enumeration IN
This city is concerned there Is much evidence 70
confirm and practically none to invalidate y.
We are quito wiling 10 acknowledge that The
Navor conducted his case with singular lndiS-
erection and stupidity, and thai a moro skilful
usn of his figures and arguments might pos
sibly have deceived more persons into the be-
lief that Npw-York had been maltreatcd. But
Tho local authorities were engaged in a game
Of bluff and probably could not afford TO show
their hand. a sure proof of the fact that they
wore ulpyinp for political stakes is found in tho
course which they pursued here and at Wash
~ -. 49, Y,n tiOp ~ 1aihQr1to
fraud on the part Of Mr.. Porter. the thrrsts and
buster OF their newspaper organs. their solici'
tlde lost the returns on which their contention
mrportod 70 rest should be subjected TO Official
| scrutiny. their distrust o. everybody except
themselves. their unwi!lingncSS, in a word, 70
submit their case in tho natural and proper man
ner and await the result. all indicate clearly
that party purposes and not civic pride or a
simple desire for Justice inspired thom.
Assuming the substantial correctness Of the
nolico census. though there is no special reason
for putting confidence in it, and none whatcVer
for surprising it 10 be more thorough and con
scicntious than the Federal enumeration, It's
result is in no way surprising, and creates no
presumption that the juno count was erroneous.
It is absolutely Uncomfortable. except To a mar
row and distorted intelligence, that the Census
Bureau could have united an army oi employees
in a huge conspiracy to swindlo tho city. That
idea must be dismissed rs ridiculous by every
body not essentially n lunatic. The other by
pothcsis, that through carcleSSness and inc0m-
petence a multitude Of inhabitants were over
lookcd in the June count, has nothing 20 sus-
tain +; except the supposed fact that the police
found about 200. 600 more individuals here in
October than had been recorded four months
previous. II may possibly bo that natural in
crease, immigration, the return OF the annual
swarm Of travellers and the closing of coln-
try bones. visitors in the city and the influx
of the Industrial and the shiftless classes who
spend the hot months in work or idlcncss ont
OF town, are not in the aggregate sufficient 20
account for this difference. But evidence to
prove or even forcibly 10 suggest the necessity
for another enumeration was not submitted
either TO the Census Bureau or to Congress.
Tho committee of the House has made q thor
ough investigation and a proper disposition Of
the case presented by the municipal authorities.
Tammany politicians are bitterly disappointed,
no doubt, but the country does not share their
grief.