Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-02-21
IMPORTANCE OF
THE 1920 CENSUS
Indifference On The Part of Our Peo
pie Will Result in Poor Showing
For City And County

he CnanDef OF commerce IS IN re-
ceipt of a letter from Supervisor EN-
NETT Harty, of the Third Census Dis
trict, Greenville, Miss, calling attent-
ION to the serious manner in which
Greenwood and Leflore County is fail
ing to do its duty as regards the 1920
Census. After calling attention to an
article on this subject in the CONNER
cial Appeal, few days since, and cop
led IN yesterdays Daily Common
wealth, Mr.. Harty calls attention to
the fact that Beat No. 2, in Leflore
County is still short two enumerators,
and Beat 3, the Greenwood Beat, is
tern portion of the Beat.
The Chamber of Commerce has ex-
hausted every means at its command
to interest the people of the county
and the city in this matter. Had it
been permitted to take the Census,
or to even assist, financially or other
wise, it would have done so. 1t has
communicated either directly of indi-
rectly with practically every compe-
tent Individual in the eastern portion
of Beat three, in an effort to secure
an enumerator, but not only without
success, but absolute indfference-of
the rankest sort. Two hundred to
two hundred and fifty dollars can be
made in one month, doing the work.
1t is not a lack of remuneration. There
is little hard work in it, and maybe
extreme limit allowed for taking the
census, anywhere, has been allowed in
the Delta. One or two cities and coun-
ties of the Delta have thrown their
whole soul and energy into this mat
ter. They have created a sentiment
in it's favor that has aroused enthusi-
asm, and practically every individual
of any consequence in such towns and
counties has aided and boosted the
work in every way possible. And such
communities are going to show re-
markable gain in population, wealth
and resources, and will be sought aft
er by investors and spectators for
ten years to come-while, Judging
from the present indications, some of
the wealthiest and most thickly popu-
lated sections of this county will not
be enumerated at all-sections con-
tanning many of the largest and fin
est plantations, the most extensive i'm
provements, the greatest increase in
values, and the greatest number of
millionaires. And for the next ten
years we will pay the penalty for this
lack of interest and neglect. We will
howl with rage, perhaps, when we see
how we suffer by comparison with
some of our neighbors, who have, in
this as in everything else, gone tc
the mountain instead of waiting fol
the mountain to come to them. II
would have been far better for us tC
have made no effort whatever to take
this census than to have belied oul
wealth and resources and population
as we are now about to do by adver.
tising to the world in the official cen
sus of the United States that we have
retrograded during the past ten years
1t looks as though we have gotter
hold of little wood alcohol or Botu
linous germs, somewhere. We are
dazzled, blinded, paralyzed by the un
exampled prosperity the world has ev
er known, whereas we should have
been thoroughly stimulated and invig
Grated by it. We are dreaming vail
dreams here in Greenwood and LIE
flore, that we have Utopia entirel!
surrounded, with the remainder of tn,
world barred, and that the present viii
be eternal-always with cotton a lit
tie higher and our duties limited t.
counting cash. In matters of public
spirit and concern we are passing th'
buck" trusting to luck, God Almighty
or possibly to the more impecunious
who are supposed to have NOR
slime" to attend to our affairs for u
than we ourselves-forgetting as W.
well known that exactly where W.
leave off the devil takes hold. Com
= placency! Why, its our double frs
cousin, and it looks as though we ar
headed for intermarriage.
A dollar an hour to take census
to be exact and quote the record, doe
not appeal to as many as ninetee
people in Leflore County-the mum
ber required, and which three months
effort has failed to secure.
Paupers now become princes on
single weeks wages, and revel wit
pride in the High Cost and the Lux
ury of Loafing, throughout this cour
try. Labor shortage is met wit
shorter hours, and demand for incre
ased production, with more strikes
And for the logic Of it, untutored {?
minds are cited-with fatal but VI
intentional appropriateness-in Sot
iAlist Primers-to the nut-eating Ape
of the jungles, who toll not, neithe
do they spin" or monopolize guile
lessly dropping the deadly parallel !
~ struneest point that none ba
A. lond such lives.
- living 81 fools paradis
Es ~ y always y -