The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-04-22

The debate on the bill. TO establish a Blu.
reau Of Labor Statistics brought out some
singular REASONS for opposing its paea.
age. OF course the points were made that
the project was not constitutional; that it
tax from the States something or other
waich 1t Is well for them to have and
which is rank "p;a,n" 10 tho United States
Government 10 gorge itself with that 1t
was In the line Of the efforts OF q certain
party to centralize things generally ind
wipe out the glorious sovereignty Of tho
S:ates that II could be OF no service to the
country that It would be used to "bolsscr
up the theories Of the protective syatem."
There may DO reasonable doubts rs to
whether a Bureau Of Labor Statistics will
resalt in practical bentti! 10 the men and
women who earn their living by manual
labor; but none Of the objections above
noted will hold against it. Tho States are
left as free as they ever were 10 collect what
facts they will. There IL no more power
to be exercised by the National Govern.
men! than 1t exerts now through the Agrl-
cultural Department, Or the Bureau OF S!a'
tistics-the mere gathering Of information.
Amy citizen or any organization may do
this without knocking down the safeguards
Of State sovereignty. The chief differ.
ence Is that a national bureau will gather
the statistics Of the whole country on one
general plan, which is essential for n CON-.
prshensive view, and particularly so for
purpoaea Of comparison.
Seeing that the Agricultural Department
has been Of great advantage to the country,
not merely as a distributor Of seeds, but sc
gathefer and publisher OF certain kinds
OF information; and bearing in mind the
great usefulness OF the work OF the Blu.
reau Of S;atiatics, the I~STELL!GEScgE is en-.
colraged to hope that the Labor Bureau
would be OF very great value. Thcss who
are most interested ssk for it, and
II there III any chance OF improving
the condition Of ten millions OF meu
aud women wage earners, it is Il
wise craftsmanship and n practical human
ity to make the effort. Labor asks thst
the government enquire into tho industrial
and socia! condition OF the toilers for days
wages, the ccst and mode OF living, the
hours OF work, the employment OF chill.
dre:, the relations between labor and CAPT.
tain sEort, labor wants TO get at ell the
facts, that Congress may know wbasit is
doing when it comes 10 touch the produ,
cers, and that the country may come to 8
better understanding on tho labor ques
ton.
OF courae no such measure could pass
the House without the Tree tradera making
a tariff point on it. They have been 80 I'm.
me'cifully pounded with the hard facts o.
statistics drawn from the old world and
the new that they would be glad to nun.
Der arithmetic among the lest arts. Only
nineteen members voted against the bill
they were all Democrats, a hopeless
minority-but enough to preserve intact
the party record for opposition to every.
thing that favors American labor. A
properly organized and well conducted
Bureau OF Lsbor Statistics will OF necessity
show what protection hss done and has
yet TO DO for American labor, and it must
strengthen thu cause and increase the
benefits Of protection. The cost is email
and the experiment ia we'll worth trying.