The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-01
TODAY in HISTORY
The First Census.
TUESDAY. MARCH I.

|
we derive the present name Of the
month OF March from the Romans,
| among whom II was at an early period.
the nrst month of the year, as il con-
| tlnued TO be In several countries 10 a
| comparatively late period, the legal year
beginning even in England on the 26th
| OF March, till the change OF the style In
1852. The Romans dedicated their first
| month 10 Mars. and called It Martius.
Among our Saxon forefathers the month
bore the name Of "Lenet- t-monat thar
the origin also OF the word Lent"
1t was on March /, in 1870. that CON
gress passed the first act for the taking
| OF a United States census. which is par
| tlcularly interesting this census year,
| Washington superintendent the taking OF
the first census. The census department
was in direct charge OF the secretary oil
state. and remained until 1880, when
| the department OF the interior took
charge OF the work.
The act OF 1890 made IL the duty OF
the marshals Of the United States courts
in the several judicial districts to take
the enumeration, appointing as many as
sistants as they deemed necessary sey-
| enteen marshals and n comparatively
| small number of assistants, perhaps 600,
were enough TO canvass the country III
| that time
| The results OF the first enumeration
were transmitted TO congress By Wash
lDgton on October 81. 1871, and showed q
population Of 3.929.2li The expense 10
inc government was S11,"I mere MtIt
but twelve states in the Union at the
time. but the census of Rhode Island ana
Vermont, which came in later, was also
taken.
In the taking of the first census. very
little more than the number OF people
We're enumerated. Later, the scope was
widened and in 1850 the subjects OF IN
uuIry included mines, manufactures and
agriculture. The scope has wdened each
census. and so extensive was the eleventh
census taken in 1890 that 1t was not
published until seven years after ii was
begun
Criticism Of this delay led congress to
stipulate that the four principal reports
OF the twelfth census. taken In 1900,
the same time. the bureau was given a
building OF Its own. thus simplifying the
work OF administration.
For enumeration purposes. the country
Is divided into districts, each OF wnlCn
has a supervisor. There were about 3Vo
of these districts in 1900 Under the di-
rectlon of the district supervisors We're
90, 900 enumerators. who went from house
to house seeking information, which they
recorded In their portfolios
At present, the census office is organ
tied as n permanent bureau OF the gov
ernment Great Britain and France
were the first European countries to iol-
low the example of the United States.
Each took its first census In 1901.
In the church. March l is St David's
day, II Is the day on which The hrst
copy of the famous Spectator" was pub
lished Q71D; Texas was annexed IN iS4S |,
the Marmaluke massacre occurred In
1911: 1t Is the birthday of Gen. William
j. Worth Q79D; Queen Caroline of Eng
land G6S3); DIR, John Pell, mathemati-
clan G61O; Chief Justice William Cush-
ing Q732); William Dean Howells. author
and poet GS37), and the day on which
Nebraska was admitted into the Union
QSs7): and on which the Roman empire
was divided into four parts by Diocletian
and MaXimilian In 292.