1. a census is an enumeration, or counting, of the inhabitants of any country. history informs us that this was done in very ancient times. one of the books in the old testament (numbers) was named from the circumstance that it contains an account of the numbering of the israelites, by the order of moses. that numbering was a census of the people composing the jewish nation. it not only gives us the total number of the people, but that of each tribe; much after our own mode of doing the same thing. we take ours by states, and we find the total of the whole nation. in ancient times a census seems to have been taken more for military than for any other purpose. this is one of the objects in the present day; but in modern times many uses are made of a census. it not only shows the military power of a nation, but when taken with the distinction of sex, and age, with an account of the births, marriages, and deaths during each year, it throws much light upon a variety of interesting topics; such as the longevity, the rate of mortality, the ratio of increase, and the average duration of human life. these, and many other important facts are obtained by a census.
2. in the united states the census is the only means by which congress determines the number of representatives each state is entitled to have in that body. hence the constitution itself makes provision for the enumeration of the people once in ten years—called a decade. the first was made in 1790, the next in 1800, and so on every tenth year. if the number of any year ends with a cipher, we know that the united states census was taken, or will be taken, in that year, whether we look backward or forward.
3. up to the present time, according to the provisions made[356] in the constitution, a census has been taken nine times, and under the head of recapitulation (see index) we find what it was each time. we also find that from the first (1790), to the last (1870), the population had increased from 3,929,827, to 38,838,180. therefore it approximates very nearly to 40,000,000; indicating a growth unparalleled by any nation in ancient or modern times.
we will next state how this great national work is performed. the constitution simply declares that it shall be done, but the laws specify how it shall be done, and who shall do it.
the united states marshals are the officers designated by the law as the persons who shall make the enumeration of the people in each state and territory; in addition to which they are also required to procure other statistical matter, as directed by congress.
4. in order to accomplish this work, it is necessary to employ a number of assistant marshals, one of whom must visit every house in his district, and ascertain the number of persons belonging to it, together with such statistical information as is required. this is all returned to the marshal, and by him sent to the department of the interior at washington, where, under the direction of the secretary of the interior, it is made into a report, and then laid before congress, to be used by it in apportioning to the states their quota of representatives. this apportionment is actually made in the department of the interior, and then laid before congress for its examination and approval. the marshal appoints and commissions his deputies, who must be sworn to perform the duties assigned to them, to the best of their ability.
5. in the department of the interior there is a board whose duty it is to superintend the work of taking the census. it prepares, prints, and sends to every marshal the blanks to be used by him and his assistants; and when they have made returns of their work, the board arranges them preparatory to laying them before congress. after this they are published, and make a valuable work of reference; for they contain a[357] vast amount of statistical information—such as the number of acres of land under cultivation, the number of bushels of grain of every kind produced in the year; the number of horses, cattle, sheep, swine, &c., raised; the number of manufacturing establishments, and the amount of their productions; the number of churches, schools, colleges, &c.; the number of deaf, blind, idiotic, and insane persons; together with much other matter, quite too voluminous for insertion here.
6. all this is done by order of congress, and of course paid for from the united states treasury.
elsewhere in this book (see index) we give a tabular statement of the population of each state and territory, at each time the census has been taken by the united states. it shows the increase at each decade from 1790, the first time it was taken, to 1870—the last at this date. this table also shows the increase in the number of states, from the original 13 to the present 37, besides the territories, which alone are larger than the original 13 states, and nearly as numerous.
