The daily sentinel., 1910-04-12
IspecIal 10 The sentlnel.l ]

Washington, April 12.-With the
break of day next Friday 10000
interrogators, men and women.
white and colored, will be turned
loose in pursuit of the people of the
United States.
On that day Uncle Sam will begin
the numbering of his children in pre-
paration for the thirteenth census.
He estimates he has a family of about
9O,OO0,OO0 men, women and children,
and he has employed and will put to
work a body of enumerators consid err
ably greater than the standing army.
The law provides that the emu
meration shall begin on April 5, but
1t is not so peTemRSpry about the be-
ginning as about the closing time,
and already intimations have been
received that in some instances the
work may be postponed until Satur-
day. This is due to the fact that tho
18th falls on Friday, and among the
10000 name takers there are some
who are superstitious.
The enumeration will cover all of
the forty-five states and two terri
tories of the Union proper and Ha-
wall and Porto Rico Alaska, the
Philippine islands and Guam will not
be included, as special arrangements
are made for numbering the people
of those dependencies.
Under the statutes governing the
work the entire enumeration must be
completed within month. In the
cities the work is limited to fifteen
days. 1t is expected that some of the
returns from the cities will be re-
ceived as early as the first week in
Innn hnt tho INnnmlqt Inn n fhn
entire country will not be determin-
ed before September
The census officials, however, will
know within n few thousand of the
number long before the close of the
summer. They will be able to reach
a substantially accurate conclusion by
their pay rolls, but this will be more
or less speculative, and the figures
win not be given out.
Director Z. Dana Durand is count
ing upon a roll of not fewer than
100000 900 names. This estimate is
based upon calculations of his eX-
perts, and makes allowance for an
increase according to the tendencies
shown in the last three censuses.
Between 1870 and 1880 the in
crease in the population was 80 per
cent; between 1880 and 1890, % per
cent; between 1890 and 1900, 21 per
cent. If the decrease would continue
at the same ratio there would be a
falling off this year Of the rate of
gain 10 II per cent.
The immigration figures for the
last decade have been greater. now
ever, than for any of the previous
ten year periods. Making allowance
for this augmentation from outside
Z is calculated the increase for the
'Gst ten years will be about is per
cent. and as, in round numbers, the
cure fer 1900 was 7G,000000, IL is
now calculated that there will prove
to have been an addition of about
100000 souls.
Much interest is felt as to the
showing regarding the purely native
increase The enumerations between
1870 and 1900 show a startling ten
lency toward race suicide" and it
Is Durand's fond hope that the re-
ports of his 20, 900 subordinates may
be able to check this apparent decline.
Man of figures that he is, he does not
Termit his optimism to shade his
facts, and until the actual returns
chow something better he will hold
to his 90,00O.000 estimate.
There will be some innovations in
the next census, and they are expect