The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-01
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THE INTELLIGENcER.
WHEELING, MARcT1, 1900.
ccnsuses of this Country.

StllSuSCo va NilS
In connection with the coming cen
sus Of 1900. the bill providing for it hav-
Ing been the subject of much discus
sion In the present Congress and mat
ter of general comment by the press. 1t.
IS interesting to note how the ccnsuses
of all the decades, from the first enum-
Grafton, in 1890. down to the last. in 1880,
illustrate the growth of the country in
that century, and how rapidly the field
OF information has grown and broad
ened. and the census returns have be-
come, from a mere numbering of inhab-
itants of the country, regardless OF any
classification. to q vast amount OF in
formation. the details of which fill
many volumes. They now cover the
minute details of statistics of every
thing that lis manufactured, grown or
produced In any manner, the agencies
OF transportation. the progress OF in
vention, our foreign and domestic COM
merce. valuations, territory. developed
and undeveloped. educational and relig
ious advancement, mineral and agrl-
cultural resources, mortality and vital
statistics. social conditions and num-
bers OF other classitications. which. in
1880, filled twenty-five great volumes,
prepared at an expense of sl1.0OO.oo0
So complete are these collections at
the end OF each ten years that there Is
nothing left uncovered. The art OF
condensation has been so well developed
also. that all the vast Information con-
taired in the twenty-five volumes OF re-
suits in 1890 was recapitulated into
compendums. numbering three large
volumes. The coming census will cover
greater field than any previous one,
for In the period since 1890 the United
States has wonderfully increased in
every important line. in point of popu
lation. expansion OF industrial and COM
mercial interests, foreign trade and ad-
vanced In all respects In development.
AS matter OF interest In this connec-
ton, brief summary Of the eleven
censuses since 1890 indicates the growth
OF the country and the development OF
the field of statistics.
The Nation was young in 1870. and
the returns OF the census were all In a
volume OF 81 pages, and merely gave
the number of persons within the sew
eral Districts" that OF 1900 contained
IS pages, with the same information
only. the population having increased
from 100000 persons to 100000. in
round numbers. In 1910 the first effort
was made to gather statistics OF manu-
features from the reports OF the mar
shals and secretaries OF the several ter
ritorlcs,'' the population having in
creased to 1000, 900; the report made two
volumes. the total number of pages be-
ing $50.
From this on the scope OF the censuses
broadened. and the development OF the
country began to appear in the reports.
and, after 1880, the public was given rea-
sonably complete Information. This
came with the growth OF population
and the development OF industrial and
commercial enterprises. but there We're
no modern appliances then-the rail-
road. the telegraph. modern machinery
were undcveloped, and the population
was but 100000. In 1850. the census
told an eloquent story OF progress, and
the expense of the work was more than
100000. Four heavy volumes con-.
tained the results. The population was
100000. q
From that date on the censuscs have
been us complete as the progress OF
the country and the demands warrant
ed. the climax being reached In 1850 and
1890, when the scope of the work was
as indicated ut the outset In the CEN
sus Of 1900 greater things may be ex-
pecied., Where hundred years ago
and sixty years ago the figures were
expressed in millions in all lines of In
formation. the statistics will now rep
resent hundreds OF millions.
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