Speech #490032090

The vote of this portion of Idaho at the Territorial election of 1884 was 2.83.1. Estimated at the ratio of voters to the population in 1880. the population of North Idaho at the date of the last Territorial election was 15.995. which would give to the Territory included within the boundaries of the proposed new State on the 4th of Novenber. 1884. a population of 182.017. At the rate of the increase of population of Washington Territory for the last three years. the population of the Territory must have increased materially by immigratioi since the November election in 1884. and must now amount to at least 185. 000. as above estimated. Of course absolute certainty can not be claimed for these estimates. They are made. however. upon the basis of ascertained facts. and certainly upon the most satisfactory basis which can be adopted for such an estimate. and they may be accepted without question as approximating very nearly. certainly within from one to five thousand of the actual population of the Territory. The ratio of population to the number of voters in the Territory has not decreased since the census of 1880 was taken. The probability is that it has increased. Within the last four years the facilities for reaching that Territory have been greatly increased. and the immigration has been mainly composed of families. I haverno doubt that the ratio of population to male voters at this time is at least 5 to 1. which would give the Territory a still greater population than shown by the above estimates. And then. in estimating the population upon the basis of the vote at the last election. it ought not to be forgotten that a very large portion of the recent immigration into the Territory was within the six months immediately preceding the November election. among which were no qualified voters. I am aware that the returns of the census taken by the Territory in 1883 show the total population at that time to have been 92.508. and the returns of the census taken by the county assessors in the spring of 1885 show the population to have then been 129.438. an increase during the two years of 36.930. But there is no doubt that the taking of the census being incidental to the other duties of the county assessors. and the law under which it was taken being insufficient to secure thoroughness and accuracy. the work was done in a negligent manner and that the returns are very imperfect.