The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-05-02

required seven years to gatncr ana
publish all the data Of popular, vital
statistics, agriculture and manufac-
lures. We shall finish those four
branches Of the work, which are the
most important ones, in two years,
and at the end Of that comparatively
short period the eight volumes cover
ing such matters will be issued stimuli
tancously. Indeed, this is what is re-
quircd of it by the law establishing
the twelfth census.
''It is quite wonderful to consider
how enormously the work of taking a
census has grown since the first one
was made in this country. In 1890
there were in the United States only
three million and odd people to be
counted, and the only object in emu
merating them was to fix the appor-
tionment for representation in Con-
gress. The first five censuscs were
under the supervision Of the depart
ment of State, and the bulk Of the
labor they involved was performed by
United States marshals, who collected
all the facts and sent in the returns.
But in 1850 the whole affair was
handed over to the Secretary Of the
Interior, under whose control it has
since remained, and from that time
until now it has steadily developed,
taking OH one new feature after an
other, such as manufactures, agricul-
ture, mines, etc.
"When tho eight volumes are out,
covering population, vital statistics,
agriculture and man nufactures, wo shall
take up special subjects of investiga-
ton. Just what these subjects will
be [ do not know as yet; we shall not
cross that bridge until we come to it.
Doubtless they will include transpor-
tation, fisheries, telephones and tele-
graphs, electric light and power, crime
and pauperism, and careful study of
the defective classes, comprising the
insane and feeble-minded, the deaf
and dumb, the blind, etc. The facts
assembled under these various topics
will be published as special reports,
having the character Of appendices to
thu census proper.
lhe greatest difficulty with which
We have to contend ie that nf securing
capable men for an employment so
essentially temporary in its nature.
Good men are apt to have permanent
employment, and they will not give it
Up for temporary work. Rathcr more
than 10000 people will be required to
perform the Labor Of this enumeration
of the population of the United States,
and it is obvious that much of tbs
value of the results obtained must de.
pend upon their efficiency But Con-
gress is jealous Of any approach to-
ward the creation of permanent GEN.
sus bureau, and the present Act an
tagonizes such a project in express
terms, providing that nothing herein
shall be construed to establish q cen.
sus bureau permanent beyond the
twelfth census. Nevertheless, I am
convinced that it would be most cx-
celleat plan to have a permanent
bureau, with an organized staff to
serve as nucleus for the great force
required every ten years to make a
fresh count Of the people. It would
not be necessary then to create the
entire enterprise anew every decade. I
in many ways the twelfth census
will be great improvement upon the
eleventh. We shall spend about half !
q million dollars more on the work of
snumefating the populations Of cities
especially cities Of 10000 or more
nhabitants-and, as q result, the
Of these populations will be
much more accurate than heretofore.
We shall apply this idea particularly |
to New York. At this moment 1 am
sending out postal cards which are
to reach every household in
New York. asking whether the in
mates expect to be out Of town after
June /. In cases where they reply
that they will be out of town we shall
trace them up and include them in
our list. Those people who expect to
be absent when the count is made are
asked to tell where they will be at
that time. The Importance Of this
idea is made clear when I tell you
that out Of $1,000 replies received
from the metropolis up to date, 4 400
give notice Of Intention to DO away.
This proposition, however, will not
hold for the whole city.
ssThen we have the new street-book
plan, by which enumerators will re-