The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-12
THE CENSUS OF THIS TOWN.
Its Accuracy Proven by the Statistics OF tn
ballot

|
To THE EprroR OF THE SuN-Si-: The
enumeration OF the inhabitants OF the State
now nearly complete shows. 30 far as the city
| OF New York is concerned. two things In a
clear and comprehensive light:
First. that the State census was honestly
taken. and that tho work was faithfully per.
formed by the cnumcrators employed.
Secondly. that there is very considerable
population much larger than popularity sun.
posed-on the east sido Of the town. alien in
all essential respects to the other Inhabitants.
Commissioner Porter. whose Federal census
In 1890 was VIGOROUSLY and indeicnsibly In.
exact. has gone to tho trouble Of endeavorinc
to justify tho accuracy OF his computation,
For that purpose he has appealed to the ilg.
ures OF the First Assembly district. which no
alleges has been padded" Ho says that in
1850 this district contained 10000 persons; :
that 1t has been steadily decreasing since: that
Its population diminished to 81. $50 according
to the State census OF 1875. to 5000 by the
Porter census OF 1900 10000 by tho police
count. and that 1t is now returned ut 3.,..ls.,
Hence. and on account of this. no accuses ths
State enumerators Of counting hundreds and
evon thousands of persons along tho water
front who reside elsewhere. and had no right
to DO counted as residents Of tho district"
1t Is not necessary. believe. to go back to
1850 to contravenc the statements Of the Do
populator Some weeks before tho beginning
OF tho recent enumeration. the Boall of
Health. which is the official depository OF vital
statistics In New York. put the population OF
the city at l.711.472. Tho Board OF Health in
its monthly bulletins figures tho population
according to tho death rate and tho birth rate,
and In this way reaches. with singular exact.
ness. tho real population. 1t follows the same
CvGfn Nvhi 1h 10 cal ~,
racy OF is shown by the fact that in those
countries where the census Of tho inhabitants
is taker not as here during week. but stimuli.
tnneously in all parts Of town during Il few
hours casually ut ni.htfaln. there is shown
to be no pcrceptiblc difference between tho
figures reached by the health authorities and
those Of the official cnumerators. In New
York city there is of course. IL large transient
population which the cnumerators tako into
account. There arc many persons arriving
daily. and departing daily. and this item of
difference fully explains the shortage Of the
figures OF tho Board Of Health. though 1t is not
material one when compared with tho whole-
sale omissions Of Porter.
But the accuracy of tho recent State census,
SO far rs New York city is concerned. is not
wholly dependent upon the corrotorating
figures of tho Health Bourd. 1t is we'll
established fact that there is no better test OF
tho accuracy OF census than comparison
with the number Of voters Under the opera
ton Of the registry laws every New York citi-
zen. in order to DO enrolled. must personally
swear to his qualifications: and the list. when
made up. must undergo the scrutiny OF his
ncighbors and Of his political opponents,
while the work of enumeration is chiefly de-
pendent upon tho diligence. good faith. and
intelligence Of tho enumeratorS. There were.
at tho late election in this city. 2:oS'S votes
cast, which. in tho established and acknowl-
edged proportion of ono voter to =. of
the population. represents tho actual number
Of inhabitants. BY multiplying the vote in
each district by the figure named. a result is
obtained which shows that tho recent census
truly represents the population and nowhere
Is this moro accurately shown that in the
First Assembly district. tho very one which
Mr.. Porter has selected ms II subject for criti-
cism. append tho result Of tho computation.
and from it may be seen how little divergence
there is between the population shown by tho
vote and tho figures recently filed with the
n 70 4 lnrl-