The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-05
RADCES IS WROTH
Says the Census Did Not Do
Topeka Justice.
Satisfied There Are Over Fifty
Thousand Here.
HE BLAMES THE CLUB.
Commercial Body Should Have
Taken More Interest.
Asserts People Who Took the
Census Not Competent.
HE BLAMES THE CLUB

! In the opinion of Sam Radges.
president of the Polk-Radges Direc-
tory company, Topeka did not receive
| all it was entitled to in the thirteenth
decennia1 enumeration. Radges at
taches the blame to the Commercial
club for the unexpectedly light show
| ing.
| According to the government re-
port, the population of Topeka city
I is 43.6S4. an increase of 1906, or
80 per cent over 33,60S, reported by
the government in 1900. Radges says
Topeka's population is 15 to 20 per
| cent larger than that shown by the
1910 report.
Mr.. Radges has been looking after
! the census enumerations and publish
ing the city directories the past forty
three years. He knows the minute
details in the job of compiling a CEN
sus report; and he says the recent
work was compiled by lot of poll
ticians who knew little if anything
about the work and cared much less.
BIames Commercial Club.
Now that the report is compiled and
given to the public, there is nothing
1 for Topeka to do but take the con-
sequences. Mr.. Radges lays the
blame for Topeka's weak showing to
the Commercial club.
Until the commercial organiza-
tions take hold of this thing" said
Radges ''the city will always suffer.
! Cheap politicians and the men who
get the offices are not competent to
handle a job such as taking the cen
sus of a big city. 1t requires corps
! of men who have been thoroughly
| trained for the work and understand
| the situation, who get the facts and
( stay on the job until they get them
| No matter how honest any set OF men
| may be. they will never show the
/ low II
really is 1t is always sure to be too
small.
/ In many cities the Commercial club
employs expert men, who Will protect
this city's interests, to look after the
work 1t is the only solution to the
problem. Never in the years that I
/ have been in this Office has the gov
| ernrl1ef4te issued a report that did not
ldiseFedit Topeka 1t will always be the
same SO long. as this class of men do
the work.
Again these men are sent out to
| collect a batch of statistics which when
published will be of no earthly value
to any man or woman. When you re-
| aIize that these complete reports can
not be published for distribution be-
fore 1916 or 1917, you can readily see
thow cheap the matter will be.
Fifteen or Twenty Per Cent More.
| .You can say for me and l will en-
! dorse every word of it, that the popu-
| Iation of the city of Topeka, is in my
oDinion from Is to 20 per cent larger
I than the figures the government gives.
! During a year we find that there are
| 40 per cent of changes in the city
Then approximate this with report
| based on March /, when the census IN
reality is taken the following July or
August. 1t is frequently difficult to OBJ
| tain from boarding houses and hotels
a list of the people making their homes
at these places. Invariably this infor-
nation is not obtained by the men sent
out by the government.
| Basing the census on the opinion
given by Radges, the 1910 government
reports should give Topeka an enum-
Grafton close to $1,000.
Radges is of the opinion that many
cities will force the government to
make a new report; and this, he says,
| should be done in Topeka. Ten years
ago there was clamor all over the
country said Mr.. Radges, land when
! the government made a second count In
| some of the cities, it showed an in
crease of from Is to 40 per cent. That
gives you some idea of just how loose
| ly the work is conducted.
Those in Additions.
! The last edition of the city directory
| contains about $1,000 names. This
| Mr.. Radges says includes some fam
! lilies not in the city, but living close in.
who are among the city's rightful in
| habitants.
The assessors returns for Topeka
| township show population of 1882; for
! Oakland 1880. These alone would
| bring the population up to $4,000. Then
| Shorey and the territory Immediately
north of the city would probably add
| 9 900 more making the population