The Press., 1890-03-13
CoSsRCrICUrs rARns AND FARMERS.

A reliable Connecticut correspondent of the American Economist in last weeks is- sue crilcises the Weekly World as follows
 T. B. Wilson in the Weekly World of February l9, ln an article headed "War on the Farmer" claims 10 show that home markets have resulted in loss to the state ot Connecticut. To do this he presents qu te an array of figures.
 The free and independent manner in which MT. Wilson uses figures Is simply astounding Figures never lie if put where they belong, but misplaced they are any thug out reliable, as will be seen by the following comparisons He gives us what purports to be the assessed or taxed value of property, and follows his little table with the statement that "the state treasurer of Connecticut furnishes the assessment, and the board of health the population for 1859
 As 1t Is well known to all conversant with Counechcut affairs that the assessment for 1859 Is not yet q matter of record in any state office, and as MT. w illson does does not give it for that year, the inference is that the treasurer of Connecticut is respon- bic for figures which differ from the record as follows:
 Assessed Oalue of property. ,sso sT,G 1T E. oHn MiloSn; oon s,ss eisis Tsa os4 1oDU, $1ZU,VUU,UUU %10O, 45O. .Uo4. 1860, 341, ,256 976 254, ,742, ,695. 1850, 327,177,3s5 332, ,170, ,S56.
 MT. Wilson makes the statement that the assessed value of taxable property in Connecticut decreased from 1860 to 1850. The official figures show an increase of more than $70, ,O0O, 900 and no figures show ing decrease were ever furnished by the treasurer of this state. He then glves cen- sus figures of ''estimated value of property assessed" in which he put the value for 1860 $444, ,274, IA and for 1880 at $424,- O0O, ,O00, again showing a decrease. The U. 5. census for 1880 gives (Vol. z, p. 8,) under the head of Estimated true valua- tlon," for 1860, the same figures that MT. Wilson does, and on page 13 under the same head, for 1880, $S52, ,O00O, 900, more than double MT. Wilson's figures. As in each table the same figures for 1870 are given for comparison, it is evident that MT. Wilson has again made a stupendous btu'ader CD Ill support of his absurd state- ment.
 Again, in figuring the wealth per capita in 1890, this statlstican takes an estimate of the population based on the vote of 1888 as compared with the vote at previous election and guesses at the grand list. It Is well known that the vote in 1888 was ex- 
 ton, suspiciously so ID certain large towns where our 'tariff reform" friends made >urprising gains. The enumeration of children for the purpose of dividing the income of the school fund is made annually m Connecticut, the names of children and f parent or guardian being given, and ap. proaches census in correctness. This enumeration and the increase ill popula- tion based thereon is published yearly, and It is needless to say that 1t varies many thousands from the figures used by Mir. Wilson.
 As hls greatest error is only matter of little more than $400, 100000, we may consider that he gives us average "tarif reform" figures. He says ''the man who talks of average prlces Is either all ass or dishonest" l trust he will not be un- ..haritable toward me for speaking of aver | age tariff reform figures, for to show his mlsstatements in detail would take more pace than the Economist would be will lug to grant me. It Is from such figures, with the omission of some facts and the distortion of others, that hr claims to make
 ut his case.