12. Nevada and Nebraska have been admitted as States since this apportionment, with one member each, so that the House at present consists of 243 members; and if other new States should come in before 1870, they also will each bring in one member. But after 1870, according to the present law, the number will be brought back again to 241. But it must be borne in mind that Congress has the power to alter all this, and to enact that Congress shall consist of any other nunber of members, although it is not probable that this will be done soon.

13. We have taken the pains to make all the foregoing statements not so much to show how the House of Representatives is now organized, as to show the general plan upon which it is constituted, and to show how the several States are constantly changing the number of their representatives, and consequently their relative power and influence in Congress. This can be readily understood by remembering the fact that new States come into the Union every few years, and that

the population increases much more rapidly in the Western States than in the Eastern, and that, consequently, the West is rapidly gaining power in Congress, while the Atlantic States are losing it.

14. One other remark in regard to the number of members of which the House is composed may properly be made here; and that is, that in the apportionment no regard is had to the Territories or to their population. In this adjustment, the States and their population only are regarded, and the number of members is all given to the States. Every representative from a Territory is an addition to that number, but it must be remembered that a Territorial member has no right to vote on any question, but has only the right to debate; and for this reason he is not, in the fullest sense, a member, and is not counted in adjusting the number of which the House is made to consist

CHAPTER XXIX.

Census.

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 distinctions 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 mean

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, (1867), according to the provisions made in the Constitution, a Census has been taken eight times, and under the head of recapitulation on page 123 we find what it was each time. We also find that from the first [1790], to the last [1860], the popula tion had increased, from 3,929,827, to 31,747,514. At the present time it approximates 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 em. ploy a number of assistant marshals, each 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 a. 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 de puties, 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 very valuable work of reference; for they contain a 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.

We annex 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

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