Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-09-30

has performed the duties Of his Office so
admirably as that each successive Dem
ocratic governor has successfully re-
appointed him. In 1885 he received his
second commission from David B. Hill:
in 1889 Governor Hill renewed the COM
mission, and last May Governor Flower
appointed him for the fourth time. Mr..
Peck's distinguished character as a stat
istician and the successful and impor-
tant work he has done were recognized
last May by his election to the Office of
president of the American Association
of Labor Commissioners at the asso-
Citations convention in Denver. Mr..
Peck succeeded in that office the we'll
known statistician, Carroll D. Wright.
It thus appears that the same high opin-
ion of Mr.. Peck's character. ability and
record was entertained by his fellow
commissioners of labor throughout the
Union as has been expressed by MIR.
Cleveland, Mr.. Hill and MI. Flower sue
cessively during the last ten years.
What Peck Really Did Tell.
Three weeks ago Mr.. Peck issued his
ninth annual report. Necessarily it
dealt with the conditions of labor in the
state of New York since the Mckinley
bill went into effect. It is Mr.. Peck's
duty to ascertain from year to year how
American workingmen have Jared in
wages and production. He correspondent
with 5000 manufacturers in the state of
New York and received from them
statements Of what had been going on
ID the various lines of trade and reported
to the governor the simple facts, as he
was in duty bound to do. These facts
were summed up in his own language
as follows:
ut appears that there was a net in
crease in wages of $6,377, 925. 90 in the
year 1891 as compared with the amount
paid in 1890, and a net increase Of pro-
.duction of $31 ,315, 100. SO in the year 1891
lover that of 1890. OF the sixty-seven in
.dustries covered by these statistics n
per cent. of them show an increase either
of the wages or production, or both.
/ There were no less than &c. III instances
OF individual increases of wages during
the same year."
MI. Peck reported elsewhere in his
summary statement these further facts:
of the sixty-eighti industries included,
rs per cent. of them show an increased
average yearly earning in the year 1891,
while the total average increase of year.
" earnings of the 2S5, 900 employees was
$23.11. The average increase of yearly
earnings of the employees Of the fifty
one trades showing an increase was
q $$43.96 in 1891 as compared with 1890.
The total number of strikes reported for
the year 1891 was 1919 as against 6,25s
occurring in the year 1890, a decrease of
1,740. OF the total number4,519-
1876, or SO per cent. of them, were in the
building trades.
1t Hurt Their Feelings.
Notwithstanding that Mr.. Peck is a
Democrat, a Democratic official, and
was an appointee of Mr.. Cleveland him
self, these facts have dreadfully hurt
the feelings of the Democratic party,
and more particularly of Mr.. Cleve-
lands managers. They frankly confess
that they do not want wages and pro-
duction to increase in the United States
under q Republican Administrations
they won't listen to Mr.. Peck's figures.
They say the figures are false-they ut
terly decline to believe them-they sim
ply won't have the facts as MI. Peck re-
ports them. One would suppose that
every American party ought to be pa
triotic enough to welcome the fact of
increasing prosperity among the people,
but the Democracy thrives and grows
fat on calamities. 1t is happiest when
the people are overburdened with debts
when the statistics Of labor are statis-
tics of mortgages and mercantile fail.
ures. This is a Democratic heyday. a
condition that calls forth its fullest re-
joicings. Nj. Cleveland's managers in
New York have challenged Mr.. Peck to
q war of proofs. They propose that he
shall submit his statistics to the exam
nation of a committee of expert free
traders, gentlemen who are always COM
petent to make figures mean anything
that suits their purpose. The announced
intention of this committee is to take
MI. Peck's statements of increased wages
and increased production and prove
therefrom that American labor is worse
off in New York than ever before, and
that the saddest calamity which can be-
fall an American workingman is to have
more goods to sell than he used to have
and to get more money for them.
It Is my deliberate Judgment that the
prosperity of America is mainly due to
Its system of protective laws. I urge
that Germany has now reached that point
where it is necessary to initiate the tariff
system Of the United states.-Bismarck.
One sentence of President Harrison's
letter Of acceptance contains enough Of
high national doctrine for a dozen Re-
publican campaigns. It is that in which
he describes the party's principles Assem-
& & bodyyingg "a policy Of safe progression
and deyelopment-of new factories, new
markets and new Ships
The business nan who recalls the days
t&Of wi16cat nkinu will not yota * Al