Vic Scope Craws Enumera I ions.—The de• cennial census authorized by the Constitution has from the beginning been utilized to seenre in formation beyond the mere number of inhabi tants. which would have satisfied the constitu tional requirement. This tendency showed itself first in the elaboration of the population sched ules already noted• but as. early as 1810 addi tional inquiries were added. As time progressed these became very munerons, and reached their culmination in 1890, when, among twenty-five volumes wide]] contained the results of the e011 twit only relate to the count of the pi 11/11. The inn 11 phea tiOn of inquiries was thought to retard the progress of the main in and by the law governing the census. of 1900, the enumeration was limited to popula tion, mortality. agriculture. and manufactures. The law stipulated, moreover, that the work should be eomplete in two years and the publica tion in January, 1902, of the first volume of the population report promises the fulfillment of the requirement. We may turn now to a brief consideration of the lines of inquiry represented in the census of 1900. The obvious value of mor tality statistics has led, in the United States, to the attempt to gather them through the evil sus. The question as to the deaths which had occurred during the census tear first appeared in 1850, and has not since been omitted. The returns are notoriously defective. and it is usually recognized among statisticians that ac curate figures can only be obtained by systematic• and continuous The widespread interest in vital statistics is probably responsi ble for the maintena nee of this inquiry among the census schedules. The only valuable part of these volumes is that which assembles the re sults of the registration records from those part of the eountry where they exist. Irat the at tempt to gather general mortality statistics in this manner flouts the distinction between cen sus and registration noted in the beginning of this article.
Agriculture first appeared as a subject of in quiry in 18-10, when a few general questions as to the value of farm crops were asked. In 1850 we
find a special schedule for farmers. but the range of the inquiry was not materially increased though the form of question was much improved. In 1880 the scope of the inquiry was greatly widened and special inquiries concerning and forestry were undertaken. The develop ment of the census has been more in the detail of publication than in change of method.
The history of manufacturing, statisties dates back to the census of 1810. Without instructions or definite schedules, the marshals were directed to report upon the manufactures in their dis The of heterogeneous material which resulted could not be gathered together into though formed the for it general statement by Sir. Tench Coxe, in which estimate and eonjeeture were freely used to supplement defects of the data. The fidlow iag census of 18'20 had a better s•lo•dule. but results were hardly more so general was the discontent with the that in KW the inquiry was abandoned. While an attempt was again made in 18 tO to col lect such statistic-. it was not until 1850, with a reorganized census service, that valuable re sults were secured. The separate schedule for manufacturing and mechanical industries adopt ed in 1850 was in form substantially the same as that now in use. It has been gradually ex panded and improved. In ISSO the industrial schedules were confided to special agents in cities and manufactnring districts. With the census of 1880 were incorporated a large number of special inquiries, and fur the more important industries a mass of specifically appropriate mat ter collected.
Among the subjects of census inquiry in 1880 and 1890 we find, in addition to those above described, defective classes, crime, pauperism, and benevolence. mines and mining, fish and fish eries, siteial statistics, education, insurance, mortgages, farm and home proprietorship and indebtedness, (-hurdles, transportation, wealth, debt and taxation, social statistics of cities and Indians.