New-York tribune., 1892-08-23

The absorbing interest Of the 1890 census
returns ha, been enhanced rather than dmn-
ished by Mr.. Poltcrs rigid subOrdinatlon OF the
literary {, the statistical element. The latest
bulletin issued from the census office analyzeS
and caS>eS in narrow compass the hctero-
geneOus masses of our population with regard
to sex color and native or foreign birth ; and
certainly few bare collections of dry figures
could be made 10 WELD n more fruitful and
impressive story 10 the student Of sociology.
-chllc1 once wrote StlrzI in di>praiSe OF the
matter Of fact records Of science. In the pres
ent case the record is pregnant with vital illus
tration of the most far-rcaching of our modern
tendencies, and exhibits with peculiar vivid
ness momcntJu, phases Of current American
history.
If conntry'S progress is 10 be gagged by
the distribution of the feminine part of its pop
nlation then we in the United states have
every reason 10 feel satisfied Here men out
number women by about 800 GOO. the exact
figures being - 0G7.eN0 and 3O,55i.3'O. In
1890 the proportion of women 10 every 100
600 men was $3.50 in 1850, 9G,5ii. and III
1870. g7.sOl. Women have therefore lost
relatively since 1870 in the United States as a
whole The relative increase Is. however,
marked aud important in those divisions where
the influx Of the gCntlei sex denotes positive
advance in the refining conditions of civiliza-
ton and Il corresponding subugation of in
hucnces ininlical Ia moral and intellectual we'll
being The State containing the largest number
Of women is. Of course New York with 3.020-
oCO Nevada ends the list. with only G,5I7. The
greatest prepondcrance of females is in the
st.i. of f,lu hpr ,fI bp m
condition has existed for twenty years.
Females exceeded males in 1890 IN eleven
States and Territories Us against seventeen in
1880: and while in 1880 the females num-
bcrcd less than 30 per cent of the males in
Idaho Nevada. Wyoming. Arizona and Mon
tana, no state in 1890 had not al least % per
cent Of females and eleven states and Terri
tories, mostly Western. contained from 30 10
80 per cent, against five in 1850. In Utah,
under Mormonsm. the proportion Of females
10 every 100. 900 males in 1870 was 90, 700
in 1890 il had been reduced t. SS,2l2. In
other Western Territories where twenty years
ago life was nard and prccariOuS women now
apparently thrive and multiply. Thus. ldahos
29O males have 33.O9j females to keep
them company, and even in Arizona 23,Oi9
women minister 10 the aesthetic needs of 36,''l
men, In most Of the southern states the close
equality in number Of the two sexes is remark
able
Statistics record that - per cent Of the
Tombs prisoners are of foreign birth, and about
80 per cent of the native inmates of our local
vol khouscs claim foreign pareptagc Foreign
born and colorcd criminals each furnish a larger
proportion of American pcnitcntiary convcts
a. al Nat
dent Charles ;. Smith of the Newly oIl; Cham
Der Of Commerce, recently pointed out, the
fact that Alexander Hamilton, the first Agassz,
Astor, Girard and many other eminent men
were all alien immigrants should not be lost
sight of in considering American nativiies.
In 1890 not quite one seventh OF the total
population was of foreign birth. In the c0un-
try as Il whole the proportion has relatively
increased by ,965 to each l0O,0 natives.
In North Dakota fourfifth Of the inhabitants
are aliens by birth and in Minnesota the ratio
is considerably over one half. NewYork har-
bors | ,5I ,0j0 foreigners. and even Oklahoma,
the lowest on the list, numbers 2,740 foreigners
in a population of only 59,09i In all the
New England States the relative increase of
foreigners has been heavy.
Concerning the negro race the 1890 census
has effe6tualy cOnfutcd statements as to their
numerical supremacy. As this bulletin shows,
they ouinumber the whites in three States only
South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana,
and in only five other States do they represent
more than 80 per cent of the whites. For the
country as a whole relative decrease is shown
of $40 colored persons to every 10000
white, against small relative increase from
1870 to 1850. The relative decrease in the
South Atlantic and South Central States is
nearly 5000 to the 100000. Senator lloars
prediction in the Senate that living men would
one day see 5O,OOO,O 600 negroes in the South