Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-09-15
AFRAID OF PICKS sooMERANo.
A Prominent Republican Journal Is Not
 Deceived by His Figures.

of Commissioner Peck has been adopted as campaign document by the Repub- hcan papers has one exception in the Philadelphia Telegraph. This Repub- ican journal scores Peck's performance in the following words:
 If Commissioner Peck's report came from a different source it would be en- titled to general public respect Unfor- tunately, however, it is a matter of his tory that this particular bureau of labor, so called, has more than once attracted attention by it's sensational perform ances, putting forth documents that would not bear the light of honest ex- animation. In this case Mir. Peck has given to the American people paper the reception of which fully illustrates it's character. As the matter stands, this report has already become powerful boomerang. At the first fire of criticism it goes to pieces like house of cards. An hours study of this paper by any citizen of ordinary mental ca pacity will result in it's being thrown aside as absolutely worthless.
 The report pretends to give the result of inquiries addressed to some 6,000 en- ployers in the state of New York, and shows in effect an apparent net increase of production in sixty-seven grouped in- dustries of $31 1000, ,000 for the year 1891, the year following the passage of the Mckinley law, over that of 1890, with net increase in the amount of wages paid of $6,300, ,000, the average being twenty-three dollars 8 year or about | fifty cents a week for each employee. Upon. examination it is discovered that | the grouping of these industries is a most remarkable performance. For in- stance, under the head of Clothing" there are found 136 different trades, this including the making of all sorts of weafing apparel, inside and outside, cot ton and silk, blankets, bags, shoddy, worsteds, woolens, ribbons, hats, sleigh robes, trimmings, bedquilts, buttons, table covers, feathers and even feather dusters, millinery ornaments, flower ma terials, Masonic and society goods, etc.
 Under the head of ''Metals' there are found nearly 200 different branches of industry, from the making of bells to that of wire fence. Then there is no separation whatever of protected from unprotected industries. The building trades occupy conspicuous place, also ! , electric appliances, and many other things which bear no relation whatever to the tariff. The whole thing is jum- bled up with the manifest purpose of simply making grand total in accord with preconceived object. It cannot
 be told whether there has been any actual increase in the rate of wages paid or not, but in view of the well know1
 fact that there was a general paralysis
 of trade in many branches during 1890
 the inference fairly is that the increased
 earnings and the increased product art
 the result simply of more hours of labor
 with the corresponding improvement il
 machinery and general methods of pro 7 duction constantly noted. Finally, thes,
 tables include as workers men, womel and children, and do not show the aver
 age amount earned by the entire nearly , 300, ,0OO persons.
 The fact is, no pretended investiga e tion upon the subject of tariff and wage has been presented from any source fo
 many years past of less merit in an,
 possible way than this paper of Labo
 Commissioner Peck. The political part
 against which it is manifestly directe, ] can riddle it until there is absolutel
 nothing left of it. Not only that, bu
 the document is sure to prove destruc tive boomerang ill the discussion of tn
 wisdom or unwisdom of the present tar if law, its advantages or disadvantage
 to the working people. For instance
 the average increase of earnings for al d classes in the 136 branches of trade S
 absurdly included under the head o
 "Clothing," is shown to be about thirt t. cents week, or per cent. over tha : earned in 1890; while, as is well known
 some of the schedules of the tariff rt
 lating to clothing show an increase c
 30 to 60 per cent. Again, what sense
 there in putting out document of thi
 sort to try to convince the working pee
 pie of New York that their wages hay
 been raised, their financial conditio
 bettered? That is matter which ever
 laborer certainly can tell for himsel
 when he gets his weekly envelope an
 pays his weekly bills.