St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-15
MINNEAPOLIS COMMENT.

A correspondent from North Platte,
Neb.. sends a long communication in
regard to some branches of statistical
information for which blanks were dis
trbuted to the local assembly. AS the
same plan was pursued in Minnesota
last year few extracts from the answer
made by The assembly Of Nebraska will
be Of interest, they Say:
1--WE have received YOUR blank max
ing minute inquiry about our private
and family expenditures. We gently
but firmly protest against the useless
and miSclievOuS work upon which you
are engaged. We think you have
formed, innOcently. perhaps, an utterly
false conception OF the duties of your
office and OF the labor question. The
great problem for the general public to
solve is not the relative proportion of
wages expended by the toilers for beer
and bread, but whether. in the general
distribution of wealth, justice has been
done the tOiler. If the workingman of
Nebraska has received in wages or for
his farm products all TO which he is
justly entitled, and then fails to eXpend
the same judiciOuSly. he must suffer
is not the business of your bureau or of
the state to regulate his domestic eX-
penditures. Edward Atkinson, of Bos-
ton, is the especially persistent and self
appointed reformer who has un-
dcrtaken this work for the
people of the United States.
You seem to proceed on the theory that
wages are given men in charity. and
that in order to show whether this char
ity is more or less than it should be, it
becomes necessary to present to the
employers domestic balance sheet of
the toilers; home. You are directed by
law especially to examine into the re-
latiOns between labor and capital" and
herein is opened up tremendous field
for the exercise OF your talents as a
statistician. 1t would he proper for you
to gather statistics as to the burdens
borne by our people i'll the maintenance
of the great monopolies of the land.
How much per capita per annum do we
pay for telegraphing. for transportation,
insurance, the use of money, ETC.? How
much of our crops are taken by the rail
roads III consideration of hauling the
balance to market? How much are we
paying in the way of interest on mort
cages? In what way does land mOnop-
oily affect our people? Tell us the truth
about our state and municipal indebted
ness, and let US have the sworn facts as
to our mortgage Indebtedness. In
short, we conceive it to be your business
to gather statistics that will educate
us as to the production and distri-
button of wealtE in this state. Ina fair
statement Of these facts the truth will
Develop itself, and then, if it is demon
strated that labor grows fat and luxuri-
Gus at the expense of capital, you may
be congratulated on having done your
duty and concern yourself no further
as the justice loving trustees of national
wealth. and will see to it that wages
snail be promptly reduced and the
temptation of prodigality be far re-
moved from the irresponsible tOilerS of
the land. A reference to some funda-
mental truths set forth in state paper
known as the American Declaration of
independence might be of use to you as
showing some of the natural rights 10
man or generation of men can sur
render If our people are in full and
unlimited possession of all the rights
enumerated i'll this instrument. your Of
fee is useless expenditure of the peo-
pies money. If, however, our people
or a portion of them are deprived of
these rights wholly OF partially, by
any means whatsoever. then statistics
from you touching the manner and mag
nitude of our loss will be most valuable
to us. and we will be glad to contribute
our best efforts to assist in the prosecu-
ton of such a W0Sk."