Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-04
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL ]. COLLINS.

The Census Bureau within the last
two days has released certain popula-
ton estimates of the growth OF cities
since the 1920 census was compiled
These figures are not always compre-
hended as only estimates, based upon
the rate OF growth of the same cities,
per year, throughout the previous dec
ade-1910 to 1920-applied to the eight
succeeding years They do not actually
indicate that the cities have grown at
that rate since 1920. Many influences
make population growth irregular But
If they have kept up the same ratio
as in the decade prior to 1920, this
would be the present population.
For example, the city of Washington
in 1920 had a population of 437,57l,
and If the same increase has continued
since 1920 as it did for the ten years
before, now we have an estimated popu-
lation of $4,000. In confirmation of
the accuracy of that estimate, 1t is
noted that the 1928 City Directory in
dicates the present population. based
upon actual names therein recorded, to
be SAL .000
In the same period OF eight years
Chicago is estimated to have gained
nearly half million, growing from O.
TOT, 703 up to 3,157 .400-an increase Of
l1.6 per cent in eight years. New York
City increased in the same period only
"a per cent. Go West, young city, and
grow up with the country" Yet Horace
Greeley. who gave that sage advice
to young men, chose New York City
for himself.
The total increase of the Nations
population is from los, 7l0,620 in 1920
to 12OO13.000 in 1928-an increase of
more than 100000. Whence did
that increase come? Gov. Al Smith
answers that question by viewing with
alarm" the decrease of rural popula-
ton in that eight years, by 1000, 600
round numbers for an official 3,9l5.000
loss. His inference is that the falling
off Of 100000 farmers in eight years
proves that agriculture Is in a hard
row of stumps--requiring Government
aid-which brings to mind the gag"
sometimes played on a banquet speak
er. when his tormentors all around the
table, in the course of his flow of elo
Quence, whisper" In a Seml-audlble
voice:
1T may be so,
I do not know
But it sounds to me like lie"
Lawyers tell us that truth is often
libel, through its insinuations.
i
There is nothing In the census more
commonly misunderstood than what is
really rural population, for that in
cludes all people living in villages of
less than 2,500 it is not exclusively
farm population. Even In farm
paper, with almost the largest circula-
ton in America, it was misstated with
in the last month, in an article alleg-
| ing that we today have more than
! AZ, 900 900 farmers, whereas the COR
rect number January /, 1928, was 81
500 900. The actual number in 1920
was only 3l6l4, 269-which was 28.9
per cent of the total population. Then
there we're 20,47l ,377 living in villages
100 per cent of the total. And
rural population includes them both.
| Urban population in 1920 was 54,043,-
974-5l per cent of the whole The
cities are growing, while the rural"
numbers decrease. What does that
prove?
The absurdity of mixing farm and
village population together and calling
| IL all rural is Strikingly illustrated by
DR.. Charles Josiah Galpin of the De-
partment OF Agriculture in his book,
Rural Life" He says
ITO make the situation plain in the
| feweSt words-take a glance at the
agricultural schedule of the 1910 CEN
sus Note, for example the elaborate
classified ton of animals Horses, mules.
goats and bees are listed separately and
later tabulated geographically in sepa-
rate totals The agricultural economist.
in fact. is provided with all the data
necessary to scientific computation.