The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-20
THE POPULATION oE TIE CITY.

So much effort has been made in one way
or another TO check the growth Of the popu-
latlon Of this city that the census returns
Of 1890. showing q population of 29S 9g7,
while it surprised people did not lead TO
active protest The prevailing opinion,
based o. the mortality tables, on the tables
OF the water company and Oh the r. turns of
occupied dweling-hOuses, was that the city
contained 10000 or at least $50, coo people.
But San Francisco acQuicsctd in Mi. POr-
ters results with their usual submission TO
the DEGREES of fate. Not SO New York.
That city, like San Francisco claimed TO
have been misG0unted and new census
was taken by the State and municipal
authorities, which went To show that the
United States census was far out in lis
ngures. That is neither here nor there, so
far as We are concerned. But che of the
methods Of estimating employed in New
York is well worthy of consideration here.
1t is claimed by New Workers that long
observation proves that in that State the
number Of voters is to the total population
as l to p. The I, suits reached by this plan
of reckoning are said to correspond with
remarkable eXactDess with the results of the
estimates Of the Board of Health, which are
based On the mortality tables and should
be almost absolutely correct. Applying this
test it was found that the total vote If New
York City at the last election was 239. sos.
which would give total population OF
1,S00,035, as against 1.S00. sol reported in the
State census, and 1,5i5, SCI reported in the
United States census. If we apply the same
test TO San Francisco we find that the total
vote at tie late eubeTnstorial election was
55, 81, which, at the above ratio. would pre-
sumo total population of z14. 877, as against
298. 997 reported by Mr.. Porter. Going
further. and applying the same rule to the
country at large, we ind that the popular
vote at the Presidential election of 1888 was
II, 1884, 937, which. at the ratio of one voter
to every seven and half persons. would i'm
ply total population of IS, 385 027, whereas
Mr.. Porter could only find 61,90S, 600.
Few people are prepared to assert belief
that the United States contains at the pres
ent day eighty five millions OF people 1t
seems more reasonable to suppose that the
New York ratio of voters to population is
erroneous. 1t has been usual TO figure the
proportion at 512 to /. which is about the
proportion which the Presidential vote of
1888 bears 10 the total popu alton. as shown
in the official census Of 1899. L is difficult
to Predicate formula Oh tie subject. as the
elements Of population vary in different
localities. Nun-voters are likely to be more
mum erous at points on the Atlantic sea-
board. where European immigrants are
pouring in at the rate of half a million a
year, than they are in inland towns, where
a strange face is rarely seen. They are
more abundant in old-settlpd localities,
where families are large, than in new States
or Territories, which are chiefly pcopled by
adult males. They are always in larger
numbers in cities, where political Indifferent
ism prevails, than in rural communities
where everybody makes a duty Of voting
They increase when politics grow dull, and
fall off when an exciting issue prompts
every citizen to go to the polls. Taking all
these factors into consideration, and COM
pairing the Presidential votes of the past
with the returns of the eleven censuses
which have been taken, it seems that the
ratio of l to 81 is more likely to approx
innate to the truth than the New York ratio
Of to ~.
SO far as this city is concerned il depends
on the enterprise and energy Of the PEOPLE
who are hero already whether our future
progress shall or shall not correspond with
our natural advantages. San Francisco
ought to be increasing at least as rapidly
as Denver, Kansas City, Chicago or st.
Paul. AS matter OF fact it is not.
Why 1t is not is well worth the while of its
citizens TO inquire. Ii, instead OF attracting
business, traffic and industry, our policy is
calculated to repel them, we need look no
further for the reason why the city did not
cross the 100000 line in 1890, as every one
eynpcipd that il yynuld