The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-09-30
HIS FIGURES WORTHLESS.
THERE ARE NOT FACTS BACK or Mr..
PECK'S CONCLUSIONS.
Industries Not Affected by the Tariff In.
cluded In His Tables-Coa flictIng State
msnts Prove the Utter yyorthIessnsss Of
His Deductions.

I For reasons that will occur to any one
+ familiar with politics, the report OF Mr..
+ Peck OF the New YORK State Bureau OF
Statistics on the EFFECT OF the Tariff on
/ Labor and Wares" derives its chief in
teres: from facts quite independent OF
the skill or honesty with which it is pre-
pared. As an argument, it is seriously
affected by these facts, but it is still
worth while to examine the fl !ures given
by Mr.. Peck and TO determine the intelli-
gencs OF the man as shown by them, and
the degree in which they really relate to
to the subject he takes SO much pains to
announcs as the sole one on which they
are expected to throw any light. Mr..
Peck's chief table is not an ella borate one
remsrks the NV York Times. 1t gives
the titles of some 81 Industries" with
the "increases" and "decr eases" in each
of the tota amounts paid in wages, and
OF the total values of the products in tho
year from Sept. 1, 1899, to Aug. 81, 1891, as
compared with the prev ious year. The
first thing that strikes the glance in this
table is the considsrab i, number of the
industries included which cannot pos
sibly be regarded as aft .cted by the tariff
at all, or, Ii so affected, not in the direc-
ton OF prosperity, OF the 81 industries
20 show decrease OF prodncs and d an
increase. OF these there are u at leas.
that are not affected By the tariff; the
total increase in the production of these
industries is $40, 090, 00o in round numbers,
leaving the total increase in the products
that have increased only S17,0o0,0O0.
This single fact shows the utter worth
la ~ Ia a IA n no
feet of the tariff"
For instance, Mr.. Peck cites arms and
ammunition as having an increased pay
ment OF wages OF $4,000 and of product
of s33i, 900. There is no foreign competi-
tion mere, and the only influence the tar
if can Rave is in the Tux on soma of the
materials, such as Steel and copper. He
makes boots and shoes show an increase
of wages OF $4,000 and OF product of
1925, 900, but every intelligent man knows
that We import mona OF these goods and
export consiG era BILE amounts. Under the
head o. "clothing," which gives about
one-thir: the totai increase OF wages and
one fifth the increass OF product, every
thing in the way of Try goods is includ-
ed, so that the title il very misleading.
So far as it re ats 10 n ans ready made
tariff, :here being no apr &C liable compe-
tition IN this lima. ana tls tax on mate
rails bsrg ratse nindrguce than 9TH
erwise. (Tlis industry, however, is not
included in the twenty TO which we have
referre1.) Then, thera are cooking and
heating apparatus, which gre not import
ed, and tue materials OF waich ara taxed !
burial cases and coifi rs, winch we no
drugs and medicines. which nave little
foreign compet ton; electrical apparatus,
that has non.; ,oi nro AUCTIONS. with
wages increased si9l,ooo and on product
of over z, 09o. 0oG;) fnrniIure, with wages
increased S155 900 An product 81, 500 ,00o,)
which IS taxed III many materials and
utterly unprotected IN product; gas
lighting, which we cannot import;
leather and leather goods, which we
largely export; liquors, illuminating oils
and fluids, which We send to The ends OF
the earth; printing and publis him; rail-
road equ pm snt, which we could NO more
get abroad than we could get the road
beds, and finally, tobacco, cigar cigar
cites, &C., on which The internal tax, say
the manufacturers, exceeds any possible
benefit from the tariff. These instances
foundation on which Mr.. Peck rests his
protectionist argument as to the fayora-
BILE "effect OF the tariff on labor and
wages"
If now we turn to a few OF the details
of his main table, and to another in
which he gives the changes in the average
yearly earnings, we shall get more light
on the significance of his figures. Thus
q la$ tv,r 49,
is protected, his table shows decrease in
the total of wages paid OF S107, f21 50.
That looks bad for protection. But the
second table shows an increase in the av-
erage annual wages OF 1874. That would
look well for protection, taken by itsalf.
Put the two side by side and you cave
but one conclusion-that neither state
rnent is worth anything. Again. the
interesting industry o, Artificial lesth
shows an increase in the total wages of
1928, snd when we turn to the second
table we see the fsttering increase in ay-
erage annual earnings OF $50 ID, put we
are saddened again by discovering that
the laborer in this trade still earns on. y
S254. As year, hav ing previously had bue
1892. Then, again, here are the makers OF
brick and sewer pipe, ian absolutely un-
prOteCteO ihuustEysJ nHO PAU III 1881 Tess
wages by S101, 597, and that looks bad Tor
unprotected labor, but, behold, in tn
unprosperous ana defenceless trade,
where the total OF wages and that of pro-
duct has fallen away, MIR. Peck's emaz-
ing figures show an increase in average
wages OF SIS 50. 1t would be easy to cite
many more iastsncse CT the entire fulfil
lily OF these statistics. We have given
hon hair VI all
only add that Mr.. Peek has carefully
avoided CIV ug any facts by which it can
be determ ned whether the changes,
either IN the amounts paid for wages or
in the average wages, or in the total an
nual product, differ in rate with those OF
previou- years. We can only say OF tis
conclusions, in his own language, (or
that of MS principal,) without facts to
support them they become misleading,
and therefore worthless"