Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-09-23
PECK HAS PROOFS.
He Will Give E. Ellery And erson
$4,000 of Them, He Says.
HIS RECORDS NOT DESTROYED.
THE STATEMENT THAT He HAD BURNED
THEM FoRCIBLY DENIED.

THE STATEMENT THAT He HAD BURNED
THEM FoRcIBLY DENIED.
Labor Commissioner Peck intends to
make things lively for those who have
questioned the correctness Of the figures
in his now famous report. He came TO
New York Yesterday AMI was seen at the
Victoria Hotel by PRESS reporter. He
talked freely and seemed to be perfectly
content with the outlook in the man
damus proceedings which will be settled
this week.
When asked as to the truth of the
statement that he had burned or caused
to be destroyed the individual reports
from which his report was compiled
he said:
"Tl Q papers have not been and will
not be destroyed, but Mr. Anderson and
the other Mugwumps or antl-snappers, as
they call themselves, will not get them.
I obtained most of those reports on my
personal pledge that nc names should be
disclosed.
AZ could not have obtained the data
otherwise, as the law doesn't give me
power to require facts concerning anv
mans private business. The same rule
holds good in all the States where there
are statistical bureaus and also IN
obtaining figures for the United States
census.
ain Massachusetts it is by statue made
a msdemeanof to reveal snch facts.
wrote personal letters to thousands of
manufacturers who had refused to send
4 L So otroul or anA
nv promise to keep their names secret
they entrusted me with the facts. l
will not break my plghted word, no
matter what will be the consequence. l
will 90 to Jail first.
"As to tine correctness Of my figures
themselves They were a surprise
disagreeable, if you will, but surprise
to me. l bad expected it to be all the
other way, and the first tabulatiOn on
the silk industry was our way, but nine
tenths OF the Others, both individually
and by trades, showed large increases in
both production and the wages paid.
at was the most searching Investigate n
ever made in this State, and the figures
published are correct. They are borne
ont by those obtained by Commissioner
Wadlin of Massachusetts, and by Com
missioner Peele, of Indiana, who is a
stanch Democrat He, like myself,
began the investigation in the expecta-
ton of obtaining different results.
Il worked on the line of the facts
obtained from manufacturers. while he
took those obtained from the workmen
themselves, yet our figures coincide
exactly. His is an elective Office, and he
is candidate for reelection in his state
on the Democratic ticket this year.
have heard from both departments, IN
fact from majority Of the twenty=eight
IN the United States, approving my
co7rse in refusing to give the names
asked for by that person, Anderson, and
his fellows. l have a strong letter on
the subject from Commissioner Hotchk'ss
of Connecticut.
"The most amusing thing to ne in all
this is that the word of a State officer,
who has held Office without complaint
for over nine years and who was good
enough to be appointed by that
superlatively pure patriot, Mr., Cleveland,
should be doubted.
"NOw these impudent persons say they
want abstracts, and they will get them.
Asa matter of fact they do not want
them, but intend that they shall have
them until they are sorry they ever
made their little bluff. BY Tuesday of
this week l will give them certified
transcripts of 90 600 individual cases Of
increased wages and production, and |
intend to give them over $4,000 before
am through and they Will all be sworn
to. If Andersen wanted the names and
facts be could get them almost as easily
as did.
81 took Wilson's Business Directory
and wrote to the manufacturers whose
names were in it. Let HIM take the
names of those in New York city and
seven tenths OF them will admit that
they have sent reports to me and that in
their cases the facts are as | have stated
But these howlers for purity do not want
facts.
The trouble is Mr. Cleveland has a !
lot Of fool friends, and he has thousands !
of them. who should be killed off befoIe |
his chances of election are totally gone. !
Mr. whitney has done what he could, |
but it is too large a contract for one !
man. Those foolish persons are 20 elated |
at having stiiled the voice of the true |
Democracy of New York State and Of |
having defeated the choice of the real |
party of the State that they seem to |
imagine that they own the universe
"They are sadly mistaken, and they |
should be called off. The National Com |
mittee could do it, but it does not. So
much the worse for the party. The organs
of these Mngwumps are not abusing
Senator Hill and his friends as they did,
but the individuals are as bad as sever, and
we all know the papers will break out IN
abuse of him just as soon as election is
over and their end hos been served.
"The U'orId is trying to read me out of
The Democratic party. | have been a
Democrat all my life, while it has bolted
line and again. 1t wants me ont because
have told the exact truth. 1t is safe to
ay it will never be driven out of any
,arty for that same reason. The Sun
,leases me In some things. like it, and
f it would only add to its platform of
No negro domination in tie South an
,ther clause. No Mugwump domination
t the North l will be with it heart and
Oul.
al am thinking o! getting out few
arallel columns OF what these Mugwump
nd boiling organs have said of me in the
,ast aud are saying now ; but first of all l
yant it settled whether or not informa-
ion given to a public official under tho
ledge of secrecy can be extOried from
i'm by a lot of meddlesOme people,
very bureau of statistics in the country
intere sted in the result.
"If the law says yes then there is an
nd to all economic statistics worthy the
anne. But as / said before, in my case
ley will not he divulged. will rot -
! iail first, for my word of honor IS
lodged. mean to fight this thing. and
lese fool friends Of Mr.. Cleveland will
e very sorry they have meldled with Z
re matter before am done with them"