The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-06

musOry EnumeratiOnS OF the People OF an
Ambitious Town.

To TEE Enron OF The SUN-Sir: The
| Cbicooo Tribune refers TO the United States
census of 1900. which gave Chicago a round
100. 900, as proof that my statement Una
Chicago and Philadelphia are about equal IL
wrong, as II that census" was OF any Vaiue'
Listenl In 1890 the same United States census
gave Chicago COO, 900. 1t had in truth ABOUT
800, 900. Admitting the official figures. In
ten years a gain Of zoo. 900 would be shown,
or 1000 per snnum. or 400. 900 In 1905!
The Illinois Legislature In the meanwhile
passed a most drastic compulsory chlld TABOR
education law compelling trnant ofhcers 10
keep track practically of every child. Every
two years a school census is taken. deter
mining the share OF State funds This puts
q premium on exaggerated counts; no CON
troll was formerly made or possible. lhus
the SCHOOL census" In 1900 found" about
1000, 900; In 1908 about 100000. Now came
the school law. The census OF 1908 showed
$40. 900 children In Chicago, about the right
ratio for o 2,2oo, 900 population. but only
200, 900 were In all schools. public and denomi-
national. There must be 100000 truantsl
The truant officers became busy ana FOUND
about sc 1000 truants. The school committee
OFFICIALLY, by a vote. had to declare that
$50. 900 children on It's census" list we're
fictitious and had to be stricken of the rolls
This was ~oficiall 1t proved that instead OF
$4,000 900 only about 100000 people were In
Chicago In 1908, For every fictitious child
there were three other census individuals In
the same class.
IN 1905, warned by the 1908 experience. a
very fair census was taken. every child act
ually tabled, &c. Some 200, 900 children were
found. but the population was given foolishly
as 1, 70i 900. State funds were still distributed
per population, not per child. so, while In
1908 there was 1 child In population. Chicago
had diminished TO such an extent that two
years later only / child in @ population was
counted, but since In reality no such diminu-
ton took place In two years II is evident that
the population in 1905 was about ! ,250.0OO TO
300, 900. and 400 900 were duplicates. tripli-
Gates, transients. dreams, ghosts and mem
bers of the Two Million Club. II the 1900
Government census, which found 100, 900,
had been correct. In 1905 Chicago would have
had 100000 plus 8 times 10000. OF 1850. 600.
and 500. 900 children: but the school census.
extra well taken. with actual accurate contro oil
of results, found only /. 700, 900. or no apparent
increase in five years. This alone stamps
the 1900 census" In Chicago as worthless.
Nobody except an abstract statlstician Is
Interested In true census figures. but thou
sands profit by Inflated ones; thus, only &C.
ossionally will a census" be criticised. Not
one in 500. 900 seems to understand the inter-
locking Of all statistical data. age at death.
voter, children. DC. The more people are
counted" the greater share OF State funds,
men, flremen, State Senators. caucus mem
beers, the more newcomers. the more gratih-
more advertising. DO. Compare these temp
tations with poor. wretohed, naked truth
Ali through the East the worst of these ele-
ments. the megalomania or Dowieis disease.
Is absent or mild, therefore the census is
honest.
The true population Of Chicago, which
makes all Its superior health claims chimerical
and illuSOry, was and is ABOUT: