The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-01
POPULATION OF BUTTE
Careful Estimates Bring the Number
of People to 4O,114.
CENSUS OF 1890 is NO GOOD
1t Is Suggested That Another
Should Be Taken to Ascertain
Just How Many People here
Are I'm This Locality.

Since the committee appointed by
the chamber of commerce to figure on
Butte's population has been at work.
several people have suggested that a
census should be taken to ascertain
just what Butte's population is. 1t Is
argued that Butte never had census
that was any good. The one taken by
the government in 1890 did not begin
to do the city justice. and the popula-
ton has increased so wonderfully since
then that an injustice is done every
time the census figures of 1890 are
quoted respecting Butte. There Will
will not be another United States CEN
sus taken until the year 1900 and 1t
is suggested that the city ought to
take a census of it's own so that 1t can
be stated with some show of authority
what Butte's population is at the pres
ant time. Mayor Thompson was talk
ed with on this subject by a Stand
ard reporter yesterday, but he was not
favorable to the idea to taking GEN.
sus at this time. He said that GEN.
sus confined strictly to the city limits
could not begin to do Butte justice.
Half of Butte's people are outside the
city limits. Yet they get their mail
from Butte, buy their supplies in
Butte and live so close to the city that
ii is impossible to tell where the city
property ends and the surburbs begin.
To take a census of the city proper
would be nearly as unsatisfactory as
the census taken in 1890.
A good many people in Butte are
of the opinion that the committee is too
conservative in estimating Butte's
present population at $4,000. They are
confident that 1t is quite a little more
than that. One Butte man, with quite
a head for figures, thinks he has the
correct way of getting at the closest
estimate of Butte's present population.
He says the way to determine this
IN 1890 with the census taken in that
same year Then the vote of 1894
should give approximately the popula-
ton of 1894.
The vote of Silver Bow county for
congressman in the election of the fall
of 1890 was 6,4S2. The population of
Silver Bow county in the census taken
by the United States in 1890 was 49,
744. This county certainly did not get
any the best of IL I'm that census. Ac-
cording to the census and the vote
there were just 3 2-3 persons to every
voter in Silver Bow county. The vote
of Butte and it's immediate vicinity in
1890 was $3.50, and the population 21,-
$50, the same proportion. This includes
Walkerville, Meaderville, South Butte,
Parrot, Centennial. etc. The vote of
Silver Bow county in the fall of 1894
was 1888, on the capital question. BY
estimating 2-3 persons to a voter, the
same ratio which existed in 1890, the
population of the county in 1894 must
have been 1855. The vote of the city
of Butte and its immediate vicinity at
that same election in 1894 was ,598 and
by the same method of computation
the population Of Butte and its su-
burbs at that time was 1914.
1t will be seen that the result arrived
at by the arithmetician is about the
same as the estimate of the committee
But that only brings the city down II
the fall OF 1894, and he argues thai
there has been a very substantial in.
crease in the population of Butte in tn,
year and quarter that have elapsed
since the fall of 1894. From 1890 to 1S9l
the population of Butte increased 1874
according to the above computation
That was an average increase of 393l
per year. Supposing that the increas,
from November, 1894, to the presen
time has been in the same ratio as tn,
increase was between 1890 and 1894, tn,
increase in the Is months from Novem
Der, 1894, to February, 1896, would b,
1920 That would make the population
of Butte at the present time 40,114.
is argued that the chances are tha
Butte's population has increased NOR,
between 1894 and 1896 than it did be
tween 1890 and 1894. Between 1890 and
1894, came the fall In silver and tn,
population suffered much from the con
sequent depression. There has been M
| obstacle in the way of rapid progress
between 1894 and the present time.
Mayor Thompson expressed the opin
ion yesterday that the population o
Butte is increasing at the rate of 300 o.
400 every month. He says that Their
is scarcely a vacant house to rent any
where in Butte or vicinity, and IL Il
| even difficult to obtain rooms in lodging
houses and hotels, most of them beinl
crowded all the time. In his opinion
the population of Butte has made grea
strides the past two years, although h
is not ready to put his estimate int
| figures.