Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-26
IHE CENSUS on RACE SUICIDE.


The twenty-second bulletin issued
by the census department presents
some very interesting information on
the subject Of a decreasing birth rate
to which President Roosevelt has att
tracted attention by his public protest
against race suicide. The bulletin was
prepared by Prof. Wilcox, OF Cornell.
University, and shows conclusively by
tables of census figures and by maps
that the birth rate in this country has
been steadily declining with each Sue
ceeding decade since the census of
1870 Periods of greatest foreign I'M
migration show the largest rate of de-
crease while each succeeding period
shows the smallest decrease indicating
that the influx of adult immigrants
serves at first to decrease tn, birth
rate per 1000 population but that the
foreigners soon marry and make up
time. The. period Immediately follow
ing the. civil war also greatly reduced
the proportion of children. At the be-
ginning of the nineteenth century chill
dren under. ten years of age constitute
ed one-thlrd of the total population
while at the end Of this century they
were less than one-fourth and when
compared to the number of potential
mothers they were only three-fourths
as many in 1900 as they were in 1860.
A map indicating by states the num-
Der of children under i've years of age
to every 1000 women between the ages
Of Is and 40 years Of age, shows the
greatest number turnout the southern
states where the density is from 500
% 700 children to every 1000 poten-
tial mothers. The only northern states
In this class are Utah and Idaho un-
der Mormon influence and the two Da-
kotas where the population is largely
engaged in making new homes. The
next group showing from 500 to 600
children per 1000 potential mothers
includes the remaining southern states
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mon
tana, and Wyoming. States like Iowa,
Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas,
Colorado, Pennsylvania and New Jer-
sey show only from 400 to 500 chill
dren while the New England states
with New York, Ohio, and California,
where the wealthy classes reside, show
the smallest number Of children; about
one to every three potential mothers.
One Of the peculiar facts developed
by a study of the figures IL that the
birth rate among the native popula-
ton has decreased the greatest in re-
gions Of the largest foreign immigra-
ton which causes Gen. F. A. Walker to
conclude that immigration tends to
supplant native population with for
eigners and that the fecundity of the
foreigners tends to put large families
out of fashion among the natives.
But the explanation Of this almost
uninterrupted decrease in the American
birth rate. which Prof. Wilcox thinks
is best supported by the census fig
ures, is that presented by DR.. John
Shaw Billings, who denies the theory
that the virility of American parents
has decreased because Of the use of in
toxicants and a more artificial mode of
living. He contends that, 1T IL prob
ably due to the deliberate and volun-
tary prevention of child bearing on the
part of steadily increasing number
Of married people, who not only pre-
fer te, have but few children. but VITO