The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-24
TAKING THE CUBAN CENSUS
THRILLING AND AMUSING ADvEN-
TURES OF THE ENUMERATORS.

Deaths of RecOnceutrados Much
Overestimated--WOm Enumera-
tors Chosen and How They Work.
ed-Fishts with AniGators-Band
of AbOrigines Found in Santiago
Mountains-Disputes Over Color
and citizenship.
Washington. Dec. 22-Ask any Cuban
to-day what enterprise of the American
government in Cuba has the most signif-
canoe and Importance and he viii answer
without a moments hesitation:
The census"
In the United States a census is only an
incident of the national life, the results of
which are to be looked for with mild GU
riosity. In Cuba the present census. the
enurnerations for which were completed
on Nov. 90, is regarded as the foundation
step in the future government of the ISL
and Upon its population totals must rest
the first popular election, TO which the
Cubans are looking forward as the chill
dren of Israel looked to the promised land
II is a foregone conclusion that there must
be certain franchise qualifcatlons-as to
illiteracy, residence, nationality. The cen
sus viii definitely settle the proportions of
population, Spaniards, Cubans, negroes,
Americans and other foreigners, it will es-
tabllsh the very important percentage of
iliiteracy, hitherto only dimly estimate
and in case a constitutional convention CT
a representative assembly is chosen it Will
decide the ratio of representation from
each province and city. Unpleasant as it
may be to the pride of the American it
must be confessed that the Cubans have
looked upon the improvements in paving,
sewerage and police in the courts and the
customs service with absolute lack of
interest. if not with actual hostility. They
were all right enough in their way, but
they were not what the Cubans had been
fighting for, and who cared for a little dirt
or a little customs tipping. anyway? 1t
is the government that the Cuban is anx-
sus is the first indication that there
is going to be an opportunity for him to
try it. AS consequence, the work of
the enumerators, of whom there are 600
| in Cuba, was looked upon with extraordi-
nary interest and solicitude. In the first
| place, every Cuban wanted his name in
| in the rolls and if the enumerator did not
call promptly he complained to the super
visor and demanded prompt attention.
And then, when the enumerator finally did
call upon him, he gloated over the ques-
lions and yet looked upon them with char
dcleIlSltC GupdA SuSklClOl anu tIkcQ TO see
which of them had been set by los Amer
icanos'' as a trap Also the customary
census notices, pasted on the wall of
his house and provided fines or imprison-
ment for fraudulent answers to the ques-
tons, worried him, and sometimes he
came up through the mud and rain, a
| score of miles on his burro to explain that
| he was innocent.
Population Greater Than Supposed.
MI. L.
| teresting facts when the blanks are finally
| tabulated at Washington. Immediately
before the Spanish-American war the
newspapers were filled with narrowing
stories as to the death by starvation dis
ease and ill-treatment, of hundreds of
| thousands Of reconcentrdoes, as well as of
| the poor of the cities. From what could
gather in an extended trip through Cuba
| during which l saw and talked with many
of the enumerators who were then busy
| with their work, the population of Cuba
will be found much larger then estima ted
at the close of the war. There can be no
doubt that the number of deaths among
| the reconcentradoes was large-very much
| larger than among the Cubans actually in
the field, but it is equally true that the
| figures must have been largely exagger-
| ated in the United States a result, no
| doubt Of the intense anti-Spanish feeling
of the days of the Maine disaster. The
| the population of the island as 1881, 6S7
Ten years later in 1897, while there was
no regular census owing to the existence
| of the war, the population was estimated
| at something over 1,7S0,O00, exclusive of
| Spanish soldiers. AT the close of the war
| some American authorities placed the
| number of deaths at upwards of 100000
| which would mean a present population
| of approximately 100000 Other pessimis-
tic phophets believe the census will show
barely 100000, but SO good a judge as
Mai. Gen. Wilson, Governor of Matanzas
and Santa Clara. who has been keeping
a close watch on the census, thinks 1t,
will show total of more than 100000.
The Old Spanish Census.
Never before was there such a census in
Cuba The old Spaniards had their regu-
lar census years, but their methods of
making the enumeration was quite char
acteristic. A grand supervisor with an
army of Spanish clerks sat in Havana and
drew large salaries. There were also
travelling enumerat tors who left blanks at
certain stores in each block of the towns
and cities or with certain magistrates or
storekeepers in the country. Here the
questions were filled in for the whole
neighborhood, hit or miss or not at all,
and the blanks were then forwarded 10
Havana and the statistics were completed
as soon as the census appropriation gave
out. AS a result the Spanish census was
absolutely unreliable, some districts, par
ticRlarly in the country, being wholly I'M
enumerated.
How the Americans Took the Cen
sus.
But the American census has been con-
Quoted on strictly business principles, I'M
der the supervision of the war depart
ment BY direction of the President, Gen.
j. p. Sanger was appointed director of the
census. with his headquarters in Washing
ton. and Victor H. Olmstead, an expert
enced census expert and statistician, was
appointed assistant director. with head
quarters at Santa Clara, Cuba. Upon Mr..
Olmstead devolved the task of local or
ganization, the appointment of enumera-
tors and the decision of the thousand and
one delicate questions connected with the
work These appointments were made
in August of the present year. and the
census was to begin on Oct. 16 and 90
be completed, so far as the enumeration
went. by Nov. 30-in six weeks. The