LESSONS FROM THE CENSUS. 725 



made to provide other machinery for the ninth census, that of 

 1870. This effort was embodied in a bill which passed the House 

 of Representatives, but which was defeated in the Senate ; so the 

 census of 1870 was taken in accordance with the law of 1850. The 

 act for the tenth census, approved March 3, 1879, provided that 

 enumerators, specially appointed for the purpose, should make 

 the canvass, the body of enumerators working under supervisors 

 appointed by the President. Under this law there were one hun- 

 dred and fifty supervisors, under whom were employed about thirty 

 thousand enumerators, and under the last-named law the scope of 

 the census was greatly expanded, nothing like it ever having been 

 carried out under any government. The enumerators were to 

 make the canvass from house to house, from manufactory to manu- 

 factory, from farm to farm, sending their certified returns to their 

 respective supervisors, who, after careful examination, transmitted 

 the originals to the superintendent at Washington. By this 

 method the central office was put in possession of the original 

 data, avoiding thereby all the errors incident to transcription 

 under previous methods. General Francis A. Walker was the 

 superintendent, and he was also the superintendent of the ninth 

 census, that of 1870. He carried through the census of 1880 on 

 the broad basis laid down by him, and the results, in twenty-two 

 folio volumes, secured for him the admiration of statisticians in 

 every part of the world. 



Now comes the eleventh census, the centennial of that of 1790. 

 It is being conducted under a law which is practically the re-en- 

 actment of that providing for the tenth census. The law was ap- 

 proved March 1, 1889, and under it Robert P. Porter was appointed 

 superintendent. The schedules are practically those of the tenth 

 census, enlarged, amended, and improved as experience under the 

 tenth census indicated the necessity. 



The growth of the Federal census, while clearly illustrated by 

 reference to the various laws, is perhaps more strikingly shown 

 by a statement of the various publications which have resulted 

 from the several censuses. General Garfield, chairman of the 

 Committee on the Ninth Census, made in January, 1870, a very 

 elaborate report covering census-taking in different countries in 

 the world, and especially a history of the United States censuses ; 

 and from this report the exhibit relative to publications and 

 expenses up to and including 1860 is taken. For 1870 and 1880 

 recourse has been had to original sources : 



1790. Return of the Whole Number of Persons within the 

 Several Districts of the United States, etc. This first census pub- 

 lication was an octavo pamphlet of 52 pages, published in 1792. 

 The entire cost of this census was $44,377.18. 



1800. Return of the Whole Number of Persons within the 



