1 1 8 Eugene Rollin Corson 



" Now as to the increase of the colored element. Professor 

 Gilliam at the outset, deducts from its rate of increase 5 per 

 cent., representing about a quarter of a million persons, on ac- 

 count of the imperfections of the census of 1870. Concerning 

 the omis.sions of this census little is known, except that they 

 were generally distributed through the cotton States, were 

 largely, if not mainly, of the colored element, and of that 

 element, approximated nearer three-fourths of a million than 

 one-fourth, and certainly exceeded half a million. Professor 

 Gilliam's subsequent addition of 5 percent, 'as an obvious con- 

 sideration points to the conclusion that the blacks will for the 

 future develop in the South under conditions more and more 

 favorable,' certainly is not warranted by the facts or the proba- 

 bilities, and, as we are reasoning from what has been and is, 

 and not from what may be, it looks very much like begging 

 the whole question. 



" Correcting Professor Gilliam's statements, it appears that 

 the ratios of gain during the past decade were, as nearly as 

 can be known, as follows: For native whites, 31 percent. ; 

 for blacks, not above 25 per cent. 



" But all such comparisons, based upon the results of the 

 ninth census, are utterly worthless. No reliable conclusions 

 regarding the increase of negroes can be drawn from a com- 

 parison in which these statistics enter. The extent of the 

 omissions can be a matter, within certain wide limits, of con- 

 jecture only. The only comparisons which yield results of 

 any value are those made between the statistics of the eighth 

 and tenth censuses. That the former was, to a certain slight 

 extent, incomplete, is doubtless true, especiallj' in regard to 

 the colored element, but the omissions were trifling as com- 

 pared with those of the ninth census. A comparison between 

 the results of the eighth and tenth censuses shows the ad- 

 vantage to be clearly in favor of the native whites, who in- 

 creased 61 per cent, in the twenty j'ears, while the colored 

 element increased but 48 per cent. This great increase of the 

 native whites was effected in spite of the fact that the ranks of 

 the adult males were depleted to the extent of over a million 

 by the casualties of war, which the negroes scarcely felt." 



