The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-12-29
Uncle Sam Prepares TO Count His
ChiIdren-and How His Family Has
Grown Since First Census in 1870!
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON

OuClG Dahl. T VI A0TO 10
"census year" and it means
that once more he is faced
with the task of counting all
his children.
And how his family has
grown sincefhe took the first
census of it's members $50
years ago! Then there were
only 3,929,214 of them. This
year it is estimated that there
will be more than 132, 1000, 600.
The first census, taken in 1870,
covered only population. The
count was made within a year
from the date of the Inauguration
of President Washington, and the
assembling of the first congress
of the United States. The emu
merators took the name of the
head of each family, together
with the total number Of persons
in the family, classified as free
or slave. The count began on
the first Monday in August, 1870,
and the law gave nine months
for the completion of the work.
Double this time elapsed, how
ever, before all the returns were
in. Communication then was
slow and uncertain. The Amer
leans of that day, particularly in
the rural districts, regarded the
census enumerators with some
suspicion, and there were those
who thought these agents of the
federal government really aimed
at getting information on which
to base an increase of taxes.
The report of the first census Is
contained in an octave volume OF
Sc pages. Discolored and crum-
bling with age, this little book is
very rare. The census bureau
has two of the few copies in ex-
istence, and the Library of Con-
gress one.
Adams Prophecy.
Four years before the first CEN
sus was taken, John Adams, des-
tined to become the second Pres
ident of the United States, had
a vision Of the potentialities Of
America which led him to pre-
dict that the population Of the
United States would some time
exceed 10000, 900. At that time
such a prophecy seemed little
more than a wild fight Of the
imagination and was branded as
utterly ridiculous.
Writing from London, where he
was minister to the Court Of st.
James, he said, ssIt has ever been
my hobby horse to see rising in
America an empire of liberty,
and a prospect Of 200, 000, 900 or
800, 00O, 900 of freemen without one
noble or king among them"
It was John Tyler, tenth Presi-
dent Of the United States, blessed
with a similar vision, who made
similar prophecy, though not SO
extravagant as Adams but at the
same time doubtful Of fulfllment,
and missed his guess by only q
few years and a relatively small
number Of millions Of population.
In a letter addressed to Col. Sam
uel Gardiner of Shelter island,
whose son married Tyler's
daughter, and dated from the ex-
Presidents country seat, Sher-
wood Forest, Va, November 26,
1850, Tyler said, Sin a little
more than half a century, peo-
pie. who were regarded as little
better than a. host of murderers
or sojourners among savage
tribes have attained position
among the first civilized powers.
'sWith spirit Of adventure
heretofore unequaled by anything
which has occurred on the map
of the world, there is united a
deep Flooding sagacity which
crowns the most daring enter
prises with success. Such a peo-
pie, even had they attained that
which is ,denominated station
ary condition in regard to popu-
lation, would not fail to attract.
great and absorbing attention.
But, when the reverse is the fact,
when our population is known
to double in every period Of TWEEN
ty-five years, when having now
a population of $4,000, 900 that
number, before the child now in
the nurses arms attains matu-
rity, is destined to reach nearly
$1,000, 900, and before that same
child shall have passed the
boundaries Of middle age, to 100,-
600, 000." Z,
III How Right Were They?
Now that Uncle Sam is prepar-
ing again to count his children,
it is interesting to check up on,
the predictions Of these two Pres
idents and see just how nearly
right they were. Although Ty-
1er's prophecy was a bit too OPP
fimistic, he was not far wrong.
At the time his letter was writ