The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-26
RESULT OF THE CENSUS
What Is Shown by EnumeratOrS
Returns Already Counted.
Reasonably Certain That the Total
Population of the United States
ty-threc Per Cent Of the People
Living in Cities md Large Towns.

OF the $3.50 enumeration districts in the
United States the Census Office has
counted in round numbers. 170G0, and
finds their population to be 25,GO0,CVO.
This would mean, on the law OF averages,
a total OF about - 100000. But this will
not be reached. 1t seems to be a Census
Office RUE that the general average. of
these enumeration districts tends TO flll as
the count proceeds, slightly to be sure, but
enough TO modify results in the grand
total.
When 1900 enumeration districts had
been counted they gave a population
which, If multiplied by four, would put
the countrys total at 100000, which
was the figure that enthusiastic estimators
had long set upon for the census of 1890.
The count has row proceeded far enough
TO make reasonably certain that the total
will be not more that "a, coo 600, although
il will not fall very far below that figure.
The reason ii may fail below at all IS
that the Census Office, in cutting out the
districts, intends to give those enumera-
.ors who have to walk over a good deal OF
territory little less work To do. On the
frontiers and in the very remote places
this influence operates most strongly, and,
as rule, the returns from such places
are among the last to be tabulated.
Therefore. it may be put down as a
settled fact that the population of the
United States will not be more than
1900 GOO. This is the inside opinion Of
the Census Office managers, but, being
conjectural, has, of course, found no place
in any official bulletin.
Figures have been carried far enough
also to show that about SO per cent of
the population of the United States will
be found living in cities or towns of 5000
persons or above. This is a very signif-
cant fact. In 1880 it was % per cent. In
1890 ii was 3 per cent. How far this move
n,ent is destined to 90 in the future is an
interesting speculative question; at pres
ent what We know is that the long-ob
served tendency. here and abroad of pec-
pie 10 crowd into the cities has by 10
means spent its force
The ratio in this particular will vary
greatly with the different States. In the
thickly- populated East, from Massachu-
sets to Pennsylvania the percentage viii
be far higher than SO, while in the ex-
IRENE South and in the frontier States of
the West it will fall much much below
that figure.
The decade lust closed has not been a
great one for immigration. Census experts
tion in regard to totals Of population must
be small. since it is a well-known prin-
ciple of statistics as well as of biology that
the more dense population gets the slower
becomes its increase. immigration simply
hastens the operation of this slowing-up
process. This. at least, is the theoretical
view. and much data can be found to sup
port it
The population of the United States in
creased in the fifty years before immi-
grafton set in-from 1890 TO 1s40-at a
faster rate than in the succeeding half
century. when immigration was very large
In the South. where there has been prac-
tically no immigration at all (since the
slave trade) the growth has not been
vastly different in the decades from 1910
to 1880 than that in the North, where i'm
migration is heavy.
A special agent of the census has been
sent to Seattle TO investigate the charges
of padding which have been made against
her by the neighboring cities. The Census
Office, from cursory examination of the
tables. is convinced that there is consid-
cradle justification for these charges and
ii will act accordingly. AS the agent is
now Oh his way. it will be some time be-
fore anything is heard of the results of his
investigation.
The cities already counted show the fol-
lowing results. the returns for this year
being placed beside those of 1890 with
the percentage of increase:
Do