No. 4.] LESSONS FROM THE CENSUS. 65 



the purging of the Senate of unworthy members, — a public 

 duty which in this day is not delegated to formal officers, but 

 for whose absence from our political system there may be 

 reason for regret. 



With the dissolution of the Roman empire the census as a 

 statistical agenc}^ disappeared from history, and accurate 

 enumeration of population, property and productions were 

 only undertaken among modern nations within comparatively 

 recent times. 



B}^ the constitution of 1787, a census, to be taken every 

 ten years, became a part of the political system of the United 

 States. It was a necessity of the federal representative 

 character of our government, in which both representation 

 and direct taxation were apportioned according to population. 



The first census, which was taken in 1790, referred only 

 to population. As time went on, however, the scope of the 

 census has been extended so as to include all those statistics 

 which refer to population, births and deaths, manufacturing, 

 transportation, agriculture and mining. Practically all of 

 the people of the United States may be said to be engaged 

 either in agriculture, in manufacturing, in mining, in trans- 

 portation, in trade, or in rendering personal service. For 

 those comprised in the last two classes there will be no 

 inquiries during the census year which will disclose the 

 extent of their business, the amount of capital which they 

 have invested or the returns which they receive, but for all 

 the other classes mentioned these data will be furnished in 

 addition to those which concern vital statistics. How com- 

 plete the inquiry is which is now being conducted, and how 

 wide a field of information the data which the census will 

 collect will cover, can only be realized by an inspection of 

 the act of Congress of March 3, 1899, which provided for 

 taking the twelfth and subsequent censuses. The extent of 

 the inquiries, however, may be judged by noting that section 

 which refers to agriculture, and which is as follows : — 



The schedule relating to agiicultiu'e shall comprehend the follow- 

 ing topics : name of occupant of each farm, tenure, acreage, value 

 of farm and improvements, acreage of different products, quantity 

 and value of products, and number and value of live stock. 



