Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-02-03
SPEECH OF GEN. GARFIELD.

On a motion to print the report of
the Special Commissioner of the Reve-
nue., Gen. GARFIELD addressed the
House as follows:
1 confess my great surprise at the
opposition of the gentleman from
Pennsylvania Mr.. Kelley to the
printing of this report of the Special
Commissioner of the Revenue. I
think, ,,if the gentleman is really in
earnest about it, he has made most
damaging admission. We have an
officer appointed to examine and re-
port to US facts and recommendations
in regard to our financial condition.
His annual report is before US, and the
gentleman does not wish it printed
He admits, in the first place, that the
facts stated are generally correct; that
the statistics collected and arranged
in tables are true and correctly stated;
bat declares that the marshaling of
the facts is dangerous; that they are
put together in such way and such
an inference is drawn from them that
the report is dangerous to Congress
and to the enlightened people of the
country. The gentleman asks this
House to make humiliating confess
sion, in which /, for one, am not ready
to join. If any theories or opinions of
mine can be damaged by facts so much
the worse for my theories. 1t seems
to me that the gentleman gives away
his case, abandons his ground of at
tack, when he starts out by admitting
the general correctness of the figures.
What, then is the fault he finds with
the Commissioner If the things sta
ted are facts what is the matter p
Why, the gentleman's grievance is
contained in single paragraph of the
report on page 10. As the result of the
tables collected from a very wide range
of observation, the Commissioner con-
cludeS that the cost of living, the
food, clothing, shelter, light and fuel
of families in this country was about
seventy-eight per cent. higher in 1865
than it was in 1s60-61, the year be-
fore the war; while the average wages
of the unskilled labOrer is but fifty
per cent higher, and of the skilled
labOrer but sixty per cent. higher
than in 1S60-6l. Those are the two
deductions drawn by the Special Com
missioner from the great mass of facts
anu DlOuSll Ills OD@tl-
walton, and from these it appears to
the Commissioner that the laboring
man can lay up less of his earnings at
the end of the year than he could in
I 1860. The Commissioner had also
shown that the wealth in the hands
of the capitalists of the country is
I rapidly increasing. This did not pro-
I woke the attack from the gentleman.
He either does not deny it or is glad
/ to have it proved; but he is unwil-
! ling to have it shown that labor is not
reaping its full share of the iEcreas,
ing wealth. Has the gentleman inn
peached the correctness of the Com
missioner's facts? Not at all. HE
even admits them. 1t must be then
that he refuses to print this report be.
( cause its facts and deductions do not
square with his theories and notions
/ call the gentleman's attention to the
tables. Here are twenty-five pages oi
the apendiX to the report, just from
the press, wholly devoted to the very
I subject of the gentleman's complaint
Appendix ID is a series of tables exhi.
biting the comparative cost of provis.
ions, clothing, rent, and all that make
up the cost of living in the years 1861
and 1868. These prices were taken
from the cities and rural districts o
every State, beginning with Maine
and reaching to Ohio. / wish the ia
bles included the West also. Now il
becomes gentlemen who discredit the
report of the Commissioner TO answer
the facts set forth in these tables
Appendix Z shows the average wage:
of labor, and these tables are made III
from an equally wide range of Obser
vatiOn. The various classes of trade:
and labor are exhibited in the differ
ent States named, and if the state
ments are incorrect let them be me-
and exploded. / do not quarrel will
these facts. 1 only regret that Il
tables do not include statistics from
Ohio and the States further west.
Mr.. DAWES. Does the gentleman
mean TO say that the Commissioner il
at fault in emitting the western States
Mr.. GARFIELD. 1 do not, / only
say regret that these States were no
included. Now, sir, this result reach
ed by the Commissioner is no new
thing. In 1866 the Commissioner re
ported that from 1860 TO 1866 wage