The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-10-12

LANDS AppOfntees, Tells Plain Truth
tn New York workingmen-Benefits of
Protection Made Clear-Greatest In
| dustrial Production Ever Known.
Mr.. Peck, the state labor commissioner
phO makes the folloacing report, Is a
Cleveland Democrat, hauing been APP
pointed TO the office he nOto holds bU
Groper Cleveland In 1888.
The following is the official abstract of
the report of New York State Labor Com
missioner Hon. Charles f. Peck. This re-
port has attracted so much attention that
the official abstract prepared by Commits
sioner Peck himself is presented herewith
in full. Especial interest attaches to this
| report because it's author, although q
Democrat, appointed to the office which he
now holds by Mr.. Cleveland while gov
ernor of New York. commends the Nc
Kinley tariff and shows in his official re-
port that under it there has been won
derful increase in manufactures, employ
ment and wages of employees The report
| and it's author have been most bitterly at
tackled by the Democrats, a committee APP
pointed by the national committee to ex-
Imine into it having brought Commits
sioner Peck before the courts because of
his refusal to disclose TO them the indi-
vidual business statements made to him
in confidence by manufacturers, upon
which he based his report;
In pursuance of law the undersigned has
completed the work attendant upon the is
! suing of the ninth annual report OF the bu-
reau of statistics Of labor, and herewith
| gives a brief summary of the contents of
the same It's completion has been neces-
sarily delayed by reason of the unusual
amount and important character of the
work undertaken. OF all the varied sub
| jects investigated and reported upon during
| the bureaus nine years existence none has
borne closer relationship to the welfare
| Of the wage earners OF the state or fur
| nished the public in general with statistical
| data so valuable TO comprehensive under
standing of the practical workings of the
one great economic question of the present
day than the tariff. Tariff, whether levied
"for revenue only" or for revenue and the
incidental protection of American manu-
facturers and American labor" is certain
q question of such vast import as to enlist
the most thorough and dispassionate in
vestigation at the hands Of the American
| people. And while ~ present report has
under the law been confined TO the state of
| New York, its rtod.,S can but be taken as
| indicative OF ia" conditions existing in
| every section OF Vur country where manu-
featuring and industrial pursuits are fol-
lowed. With the exception of limited
number of the sreat industries carried on
in our country, no state in the Union offers
| Il field so varied or extensive within which
| the statistlcian can carry on his work with
greater assurances of intelligent success
than is presented by the state of New York
| Within its borders are 10 he found by far
the greatest number of manufacturing es-
Establishments, the most varied industries
and the largest number of individual en-
| tnln nd Of of l,n
fQrty-four commOnwealths embraced in the
United States. So that whatever the Stats
teal data collected and t3bulated may
prove, relative to the effects of protection"
on labor and wages in New York, may just
ly be taken as fairly representative of the
| conditions throughout the whole country.
Not for many years had the subject of
the tariff assumed such great proportions
as attached to it in 1888. Always an i'm
portant and interesting question of political
economies for discussion by our statesmen,
yet by reason of the president of the United
States making it the sole subject Sf his an
nual message to congress in December, 1887,
interest in 1t became general among the
masses, and II memorable "camDaign of ed
:.>'-.10ii iVnv"S Ell udTlng the ten succeed
ing months of 1888. 1t is not the province
of the undersigned to here discuss the
merits of protective tariff or to pro-
nounce for or against the public policy of a
tariff for revenue only" A majority.of
the American people declared by their
votes in 1888 in favor of the latter policy
and yet their candidate was defeated by
reason of our electoral system, the
minority candidate and Il congress in
sympathy with the chief executive
being elected. The canvass was carried on
with relentless vigor by both sides, and
public interest Was unusually aroused in a
question of great public policy rather than
as To the personality of the candidates.
The selfish business interests of the manu-
facturers and their employees were APP
pealed to. Larger production, wider mar
kets and Increased profits were promised
the employ erS. More work, higher wages,
shorter hours of labor and unexampled
prosperity were among the inducements
Reid out 10 the wage earners 10y the advo-
Gates Of protection" On the other hand,
the advocates of the policy of a tariff for
revenue only" contended that only through
a reform of our tariff iaws-i c., IA re-
ductlon q! our revenues TO n basis of raising
just sufficient money To defray the expenses
of the government, honestly and economi-
cally administered-could all of these de-
sirable results be attained. Almost in
Vulnerable queries were made of this
bureau by the great writers upon economic
subjects, the leaders of thought and dis
cussion in our pulpits, on the rostrum and
through the public press, for reliable data
and statistics bearing upon this very inn
portant subject.
And it was by reason CT this situation, no
less than with view to establish the truth
or falsity OF TIE .lT~SniseS taken by the
two great political parties Of the country,
that the Undersigned finally decided To
make the subject of THE Effect of the
: Tariff OH Labor and Wages" one of special
investigation. 1t may be urged by some
( that the investigation made has not been
broad enough or of sufficient scope to fairly
warrant the deductions arrived at, by rea-
I son OF the fact that the cost of living, in
= Guiding the necessaries that go to make IL
up, have been given no place in the work.
IL should be borne in mind, however, that
1t has been my endeavor to investigate
: only that phase of the subject which re-
I lates simply to the increase or decrease OF
production and the rates of wages paid.
The period covered by investigation in
+, cludes the year Immediately prior to the
enactment of what is termed the 'McKin-
ley bill, )" and the year Immediately follow
, ing it's becoming law. That a., the data
/ upon which the report has been made was
for the year commencing Sept. l, 1889, up
to and including the 3lst of August, 1890,
and the year commencing Sept l, 1890 up
to and including the 3lst of August, 1891.
The methods employed to secure the neces-
, sary data were almost entirely those OF
the blank system, which has proved so sat
isfactorv I'm nearly all of the previous i'm.