Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1893-01-26

An EHsrT to Have the census Bureau I n
dsrtake Periodically An tnquiry
Conrernlnw Them


Three years ago the Western Econo-
mic Association Of ~. Louis appealed to
the voters Of the United States to petit
ton Congress 20 have the Eleventh
Census show the mortgage indebsness
and tenure Of farms and homes. the
argument being that such an inquiry
would tend to give the ratio Of the dis
tribGtior Of wealth. The investigation
Is nearly finished. and IL will have the
percentage of owned and rented homes
and farms in every city and county in
the United States Enough data have
already been Published TO predict \ most
startling showing. Briefly stated three
fourths OF the city populations live In
rented houses. and in some cities and
States is runs as high AZ ninety Per
cent OF the remaining fourth. one
half own their homes. bHt under mort
gage 70 their full credit valae. that IS
they are virtually tenants. This means
that under che industrial feudalisn ncw
developing. seven-eighths OF our city
population are liable to be turned out
OF work A. the end Of the week. and
with their families into the streets a.
the end OF the month
The condition Of the agricalturist IS
but little better. One third Of the
farmers OF the entire country are ten
ants; one-third own their farms. but
under mortgage to their full credit
value. thus rendering them virtually
tenants; and only one-ihird own their
acres free from debt. BY comparison
with the Census OF iss0. there has been
an alarming increase in tenant farmers
In Illinois. for example. the growth sas
from - per cent in lss0 10 IS per cent
in ls9o; and in Montana it was ten-fold-
In every State in the Union the per
centsge has increased in the last de-
cade; and more startling still, in nearly
every state the absolute as well Is the
relative number Of farms has decreased.
though the acreage has increased. show
ing the concentration OF farms into
fewer hands. and the reuo-seIess re-
duction Of the real tilIers 70 the con
ditiou Of serfs- The investigation de-
mOustrates the truth of the assertions
that the rich are growing richer
and the poor poorer" and that the
American worxingnan is becoming the
American slave. and the American
farmer the American peasant
Passiag By the causes Of this rcvo-
lutiOuary tendency. it is of the utmost
Importance shat this inquiry should be
repeated every ten years, 80 that By
comparison we may discover in which
direction we are moving. The inter
rupted duration of the Census Burczu
has hitherto made permanent legisla-
ton on this subject impossible. as the
Bureau has existed for only about six
years Of each decade. every census re-
quiring new legislation and reo-gani-
yatiOn with new men But there is noz
before Congress 4 proposition 70 make
the Bureau permanent by containing
ak or seven heads OF departments and
the necessary staff Of clerks in place
during the four intervening years and
employing them on collateral statisti-
cal work. forming an experienced
nucleus around which 20 re0rxanize the
bureau ~ the beginning OF each decade
Il l. not the rrAarioa az A.. aavw p,,-..-.
bu. the n..rn.1.sns r..ns-,-,-., - -
old and ronstita.io,.I a,s r., =
NO doubt ,has a. VII -usuts 1, $780,
statistical xcr.x a. Les 80. 81 L. 49,.
present wzSteful AID unskiliei method.
Bat the general Law effecsin- this re-
form contains no proxi-ior sSr \ r.r.a.f-
ton Of The asbor,s ~ g., f-.,,i-- =
n i1~ornarztf1.r Sr,,-S, !. r,-,,,;xf.s,, -
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and IL an srsrienr nuhIs,. sa,,s-.5 -,
mad. Sush !. $50. ,xg,,,tJ =, -
in the hill
With a view IN avor-i,.- .,,~h a.
.,d -. y,-...-
tioD Of :, r0r,s 5ss,..s - -
peal "a the reoDIs ~ ~. T-,g,s., So
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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES -. sne per'.ia-
and ~. -, gs.t -. :. -
pars Of it, D..rrra7ert 49,. :, -