“The government of New Jersey reports seven hundred and one in that state; the census discovers only four hundred and forty-two.
“The Medical Society of Connecticut discovered twice as many lunatics as the census within that state. A similar discrepancy was found in Eastern Pennsylvania, and also in some counties in Virginia.
“Your memorialists deem it needless to go further into detail in this matter. Suffice it to say, that these are but specimens of the errors that are to be found in the ‘sixth census’ in regard to nosology and education, and they suspect also in regard to other matters therein reported.
“In view of these facts, the undersigned, in behalf of said Association, conceive that such documents ought not to have the sanction of Congress, nor ought they to be regarded as containing true statements relative to the condition of the people and the resources of the United States. They believe it would have been far better to have had no census at all than such an one as has been published; and they respectfully request your honorable body to take such order thereon, and to adopt such measures for the correction of the same,—or, if the same cannot be corrected, for discarding and disowning the same,—as the good of the country shall require, and as justice and humanity shall demand.
“We have room for the tables for only three of the states.” [We will caution the reader not to skip this statistical table, as he probably never saw one like it before.]
| MAINE. | ||
| Towns. | Total col’d Inhab’ts. | Col’d Insane. |
|---|---|---|
| Limerick, | 0 | 4 |
| Lymington, | 1 | 2 |
| Scarboro’, | 0 | 6 |
| Poland, | 0 | 2 |
| Dixfield, | 0 | 4 |
| Calais, | 0 | 1 |
| Industry, | 0 | 3 |
| Dresden, | 3 | 6 |
| Hope, | 1 | 2 |
| Hartland, | 0 | 2 |
| Newfield, | 0 | 5 |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE. | ||
| Coventry, | 0 | 1 |
| Haverhill, | 1 | 1 |
| Holderness, | 0 | 2 |
| Atkinson, | 0 | 1 |
| Bath, | 0 | 1 |
| Lisbon, | 0 | 1 |
| Compton, | 1 | 1 |
| Stratham, | 0 | 1 |
| Northampton, | 0 | 1 |
| New Hampton, | 0 | 1 |
| Lyman, | 0 | 1 |
| Littleton, | 0 | 1 |
| Henniker, | 0 | 1 |
| MASSACHUSETTS. | ||
| Freetown, | 0 | 2 |
| Plympton, | 2 | 4 |
| Leominster, | 0 | 2 |
| Wilmington, | 0 | 2 |
| Sterling, | 0 | 2 |
| Danvers, | 0 | 2 |
| Hingham, | 2 | 2 |
| Georgetown, | 1 | 2 |
| Carver, | 1 | 1 |
| Northbridge, | 1 | 1 |
| Ashby, | 1 | 1 |
| Randolph, | 1 | 1 |
| Worcester, | 151[[32]] | 133 |
Every fable, allegory and romance, must have its moral. The moral of this ought to be deeply considered by the American people.
In order to gain capital for the extension of slave territory, the most important statistical document of the United States has been boldly, grossly, and perseveringly falsified, and stands falsified to this day.
Query: If state documents are falsified in support of slavery, what confidence can be placed in any representations that are made upon the subject?