Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-13

We find that during the last quarter of
the year 1899 the increased cost of living
over and above what it was during the
third quarter of that year-the quarter
which was taken as the basis of the inves-
tigation-was SCI, $50, 900. For the first
quarter of the year 1890 the cost of living
over and above what it was during the
first quarter covered by the investigation
was S45, 600, 600. For the second quarter Of
the year 1890 it was Sl5, $50 900, and desire
to call attention here to the fact that dur
ing the second quarter of the year $780, be-
fore the passage of the Mckinley act, the
cost of living fell considerably below what
1t was at the end of the first quarter. The
third quarter, which closed Oct. l, 1890
the very day on which the Mckinley act
was approved, the increase was SIP 000, OOO
but during the next quarter, Immediately
following the passage of the act, the in
crease was $45, 750, 900. The next quarter
the cost of living was still going up, and
the increase was $50, $50, 600; but the next,
the cost having begun to decline somewhat
from the point it had reached, it was S53,-
1000, making, in the aggregate, the in
creased cost of living to the people of the
United States during the period covered
by this investigation S2SS, $50 600.
Mr.. George-How long?
Mr.. Carlisle-For twenty-four months.
excluding September. 1889. and the three
creased cost of living to the people of the
United States during the twenty-four
months was S2SS, 80, 900; bat during the
last quarter covered by this investigation
taking the three months together there.
WIS slight decline OF 15-iU0tAs of y,,.r
cent. in the cost of living. amounting to
g, 80 0C0, which | have deducted from the
gross sum, showing net increase in rl,.
cost of living of IS. tG0.0G0, the largest
proportion of which, or SIS, COS, 600 OK
CURED after the passage Of the Mckinley
act, and Il large part Of the SiG1.C,l eco il;
crease which occurred before t!lat the
directly attributable TO the fact that -.
bill was pending in congress WITH al!ao.;
absolute knowledge on the y;i:-; Of the pc
pie that il would pass and btc,ulc II Law
Now. M. President, how does this cor,
pare with the statement made liy he 80
ator from Rhode Island, that there W..
such decline in the cost of living GUrin
that period as to represent 4 savin.c y
S.}25. 100000 per annum to the pcop,. f
United States? Here is $3.50, 900 500 ;t,.'...
to the cost of living during that period
which the people have raid; al, 10 mai
ter what decline may have come at Il.
close, not one cent of it will ever be REIN
burscd to those wEo were compelled to cN
pend it for the necessar;es of life Tat
money is gone from them-gone forever
and even though prices may continue to
piration of the investigation, it does not
follow that such decline or a greater one
would not have taken place if the McKin-
ley act had never been passed. On the
contrary, if the Mckinley act had never
been passed there would have been
greater decline undou btediy. and this
enormous additional expenditure of $685.
100000 would not have been eXtorted from
the people. Mr.. Grosvenor, a gentleman
w mi rct ind I.a
cause it had him employed for some time
to assist in collecting prices, made an in
vestlSatlon covering the eighteen months
just preceding the beginning of this in
vestigation, June 1, 1889, which showed
that the prices of commodities in this
country had declined IA per cent. during
that time.
Mr.. George-During what -ear?
Mr.. Carlisle - During 'R.e eighteen
months next preceding the beginning of
this investigation. Fortunately it so hap
pened that our investigation began the
very day that his investigation closed, and,
while his invesuig cation showed that dur
ing the eighteen months covered by it the
prices of commodities declined in this
country Il per cent, all the senator from
Rhode Island can now show is that after
twenty-four months of unnecessarily high
prices the cost of living on one day at the
very end of the period had declined A lOOths
OF per cent?
Is it not perfectly clear, then. that the
proposition with which / started out. that
the Mckinley act had interfered with and
arrested this natural tendency toward a
decline in the prices of commodities was
correct, and shat by its passage the people
OF the United States were deprived of
those benefits which the people of all other
civilized countries in the world We're re-
alizing on account of modern improve
ments and discoveries and the practical
application Of them in their industrial and
commercial pursuits.
But, Mr.. President. we also investigated
the wholesale prices of the same articles
during the same period in several different