Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1912-04-25
SOME STATISTICS.

##a SOME ! AIlSl lSos
The bureau OF statistics of the de-
partment of commerce and laoor
should not be expected to turn Out
public documents Of nature to tnrill
the newspaper reading public, Tor tnls
bureau deals with statistics and sta.
tlstics as a rule are not exc1tlng. buI
q bulletin just issued by this Depart
ment announcing the publication ol
the annual statistical abstract MAKES
very interesting reading: Ths oulle'
tin shows, for example. that tne aver
are per capita wealth of the country mas
grown from 1907 in 1850 to over $l'aoo
in 1904 the latest official record on
this subject; the money IN circuiatlon,
capita in 1911; the bank clearings,
from $4,000, 900, 900 in 1887, the first
wear Tor which an official record was
available to $159,OOO 100000 in 1911;
the individual deposits in banks, from
$4,000, 900 900 in 1875, the earliest year
Tor (which figures are available, to prac-
tically $16,OOO,00O,000 in 1911; the
number Of depositors in savings banks,
from 100000 in 1866, to 9,5OO,00O
in 1911: the exports OF domestic pro-
In 1910 to over $2,000,O00,000 in 1911;
ducts. from little over $100,0O0,0OO
and the value of manufactures produc-
ed in the country, from $1,000, 100000
in 1850 to $40, SOC, 100000 in 1910; and
many other equally interesting evil
dences of national growth.
Another thing dealt with in the bull
letfn is the official record of presi-
Dental elections In the last quarter
century. Concerning this the bulletin
says:
That more than 100000 persons
IN the United States will record their
votes for president in the campaign
OF the present year Is evident from the
cftcfal statistics of presidential vote
published In the statistical abstract
prior to 1888 no governmental official
record Of the votes cast for president
existed. but an act passed by congress
on February 8, 1887, made it the duty
Of the executive OF each state to re-
mort to the secretary Of state the
7 names of electors and the number OF
votes given or cast for each person
voted for, and these reports, made to
the secretary Of state in 1883 and In
each subsequent presidential election,
form the basis Of the official record
state by state, during the same period
Al IN evidence Of its thoroughness
OF this compendium Of information 1t
IL announced that this years statis-
Of presidential elections in the United
States. This record, which has been
published for several years in the sta
tistical abstract of the United States,
suggests that the total number OF
votes cast in the presidential election
Of this year will for the first time ex-
caad Ii. .00O, ,0OO The total number in
1908 was 1887 600; in 1900, 1885,
900: In 1892, 13,044,000, and In 1883,
1881 900. Dividing the vote thus or
ficially recorded into the population
named by official counts or estimates
for the years in question, this shows
the average population for each vote
cast, 10 follows: in 1908, 5.98 persons
for each vote cast; in 1904, 6.1O; In
1900. 5.4l: in 1895, $40; in 1892, $40,
and in 1888, 5.27. The statements
published in the abstract. show the
vote cast in each state for the various
candidates in each presidential cleo
ton from 1888 to 1908, and the cleo
toral vote by principal political parties
tical abstract covers 800 pages ana
treats the following subjects: The
area, natural resources and popula-
ton Of the United States; agriculture,
forestry, and fishers; manufacturing
and mining industries and patents; oc-
cupations labor, and wages; internal
communication and transportation;
merchant marine and shipping; for
eign commerce.; internal commerce;
commerce Of non-contiguous territory;
prices; consumption estimates;
money, banking, and insurance.; COM
mercial failures; wealth and public
finance; civil service; statistical rec
ord Of the progress of the United
states; and the commercial, financial.
and monetary statistics of the princi-
nal countries Of the world.
FAULTY LOGIC.
The Des Moines Register and Leader
this morning publishes an inspired