The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-08-11


Tribune from Washington says: Tho
| president has directed that the census
of Cuba be taken as soon as possible
The matter has been energetically
taken up by the war department with
the exception of completing the work
to congress at the opening of the next
| session.
To Settle the Details.
On Secretary Roots return to Wash
| ington, next Tuesday, he will hold a
final conference in his office to settle
the details of the undertaking with
Assistant Secretary Meiklejohn, who
has immediate charge of colonial af-
fairs, and with the officials of the
census bureau. The latter have al
ready drafted the blanks which prob
ably will be used by the enumerators,
and these schedules are now in process
of transmission into Spanish. Gen.
Brooke, commanding the department
of Cuba, has appointed five superin-
tending enumerators, who are now on
their way to Washington to receive
instructions as to the manner of tax
ing the census and to familiarize them
selves with American methods of in.
surfing accuracy in the data to be OBJ
tanned.
An Independent Census.
The Cuban census is to be wholly
independent of the United States cen.
sus of next year, although the large
organization under Director Merriam,
which will not begin its actual field
work until the first of the year, may
be utilized to some extent in the tabu-
lation and arrangement of Cuba data
secured in the next three months. 1t
is determined that the Cuban census
shall be finished before the census of
the United States, including Porto
Rico, begins. The object of haste in
determining the condition of affairs
statistically in Cuba, is to furnish to
congress such exhaustive statements
of facts that legislation for the future
of the island may be promptly and in
diligently accomplished.
Information for Congress.
1t is expected that the president will
be able to include a summary of the
results in his next message, and at the
same time furnish d preliminary re-
port of the census, with the prospect
of giving the senate and heuse the
final and complete detailed result by
the middle of January. 1t is not in
tended to secure simply an enUmera-
ton of the inhabitants of the island,
but to determine as precisely as pos
II i'll
conditions. The last Spanish census
of Cuba was taken in 1887. While its
accuracy was in many respects doubt
full, as a whole, it was conceded to
give a fair idea of the conditions then
existing. The population was said to
be f.631 .687, of whom nearly IS per
cent. were white.
Army Officers Estimates.
Army officers who have been con-
nected with the Cuban administration
since the American occupation began
estimate that the total has fallen to
about 100000. The census of 1887
gave nearly 100000 horses and mules,
2,5OO,CCO cattle and 100000 pigs in the
island. These, according to army Of
ficers, have practically disappeared as
the result of the long war. The in
come of plantations, the sugar MAX
ing capacity, and acreage under cult
walton for tobacco have been almost
obliterated, but these and other vast
sources of wealth are being rapidly re-
stored, and it will be one of the OBJ
jects of the census to show what op-
Portunity may he found for the revival
and development of Cuban resources.
The collection of information will be
in Gen. Broolle's charge, the expense
being met from the Cuban revenues.