Show r POPULATION GUESSES Many Americans feel that the census department is going outside of the work for which It was created when it gives out on the future population of some leading l ing American cities clUes The guessing business is peculiarly the province of the weather bureau The census officials are supposed to deal with pure facts settled figures not prophecies that from their nature must be fanciful Some days ago the estimate referred to was wa given Kiven out The experts prophesied estimated was the word ord they us d that in 1110 1810 New York would have havo a million more Inhabitants than at present thus con continuing continuing in Its Itz place as u a the gre test city from the standpoint of population In Inthe inthe Inthe the country The total It is predicted will be In the neighborhood of Chicago is not to fare so well The Illi 1111 Illinois nois metropolis will wUl gain in people only staying in second place in the list of tf big towns Good old Philadelphia is to go for forward forward forward ward rapidly An increase of 38 per percent percent percent cent to a total of is predicted As to St Louis the tha department speaks ks with confidence even going so far as to the e t figure This Is Isa Isa Isa a modest Increase of 70 per cent from which we are Bore led to the not unreason unreasonable unreasonable able abla inference that the man who com corn compiled piled the tha St Louis Loula figures fI must have havea a strong interest in that fine old south southern southern ern em city Boston Is to stand in fifth place with population Now come predictions tat are likely to get the guessers Into trouble They say eay that Pittsburg will step up above Baltimore that Clr ln nati nat will drop out of tenth pl plaCe ce into thirteenth that New Now Orleans will fH Il from twelfth tw to fifteenth and that Omaha Oma a will wUI be passed by several vernl s cities that had haA according to 10 the 1800 1 census cenus less lass 1 population h Row How will ople of the cities es t feel Will they thay not have just cause cau e for complaint about this guesswork Will they not have reason for asserting that the census department has no business boosting other cities at their expense And they will be entirely entire y right In their complaints If the census bureau in order to justify jus Its existence nce as a permanent branch of the government has to let the spirit of prophecy run runaway runaway runaway away with It i It ought to be abolished |