Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-09-08
PRICES AND WAGES.
Al Last the Truth About them il
Known.


| ing that Wages Have Hisen and Prices
! mc<inIey Prices Liar 90 Hang n False
hood on Facts from the Unanimous
and Non-rnriisnn senate Report.
Until within a fov weeks, no comprchEn.
question for the period covered by the new
Iar,n had been completed, although one
which promised unimpeachabie results had
been inaugurAted, But judging by the signs Of
the times, and the isolated facts which came
under our notice. we made tho following
statement good while ago: 1.-THE simplc
fact OF the matter is that wages have boon
higher. work moro plentiful. trade brisker
foreign commerce larger, average duties low
or, manufactured commodities cheaper and
ov"ry class OF citizens more prosperous since
tho Mckinley Tariff passed than they were
before in many years. We do not attribute
all this to the Mckinley Tariff, but We know
II to DO a fact, and every ono OF ordinary
intelligence and Information knows that 1t is
a fact. Why attempt to deny it,"
4 Since these words wero written the Senate
Investigating Committee has reported. and
ver1es our statements in every particular. No
doubt the Free Trader would like 10 shift the
argument from the solid foundation OF this
elaborate, non partisan, absolutely conclusive
report, to the meagrs data cited before 1t was
made. But we do not propose to allow him to
do so. Here are the facts, which VIC will COM
pei him to face:
Extracts from he Senate Report on Prics and
HageS.l
I "In order to give the statistics collected the
weight Of undoubted authority, the committee
decided at the outset, with entire unanimity,
that the inquiry should be extended only TO
such subjects and be carried on through such
agencies and by such methods as were ap-
'Iproved by the unanimous voice OF the commit
tee, and this plan was scrupulously followed
in all decisions as to the character, general
scope and details OF the investigation. All
concurred in the view that IL the facts could
be secured in such manner as to create gen.
Ieral confidence in their accuracy, great step
forward would be taken in the solution Of i'm
pOrtant economic problems. There was no
expectation that the members Of the commit
lee would agree about the political or even the
economic bearings of the facts Hscerlained
but all were DESTROYS that hereafter there
should be no reason 10 question the integrity
of the facts.
"The committee consulted from time to time
several eminent statistlcians as to the scope
of the inquiry and the methods by which II
should be conducted. Among the gentlemen
consulted were Gen. F. A. Walker, Prof. Henry
,IC. Adams, Prot Edmund j. James, Mr.. Ed
ward Atkinson and Mr.. W. NJ. Grosvenor
The committee are under obligations to these
gentlemen, especially to General Walker, for
their kindness in giving valuable time and ad
vice to the consideration Of the details Of the
Icommittee's work.
"In the summer of 1891, DR.. Roland P. FaIk,
ner, professor OF statistics in the University OF
Pennsylvania, was selected as the statistician oil
the committee, and to him was given entire
charge Of the work Of analysing the stats tics
COLLECTED and the ascertainment Of results. DR.
Falkner's report, which Is annexed hereto
I(Appendix Az, embodies the results Of the in.
Yestigatiop, and explains in detail the reasons
for adopting the methods by which these results
are reached. The committee cannot express
too strongly their appreciation of the grea
value Of DR.. Falkner's services in this eonnec.
Ition.
"In stating the results OF the investigation
comparisons are made, unless otherwise
stated, with the price or wages for the months
of June. July and August, 1889, the average
for these months being taken as a standard
This average is expressed by the number 100
and the changes are shown in the tables sub
mitted by percentages OF 100. the results o
the inquiry are as follows:
= PRICES.
1.-THE summary for September l, 1891, shows
a decline in retail prices OF tho 214 selected ar
ticles Of 0.64 OF per cent. by one methot
OF computation, 1 $40 per cent by another.
i WAGES.
"Itappears from thereport OF the statisticiar
THAT in the fifteen general occupations selected
10y the committee, wages were thres-tourths o
/ per cent, higher in September, 1891, than II
THE three months selected as a basis in 1889
and that the wages in the special industrls!
selected was O.S1 Of per cent. higher than q
) the beginning Of the period"
So much FOR the Senate Report. Then, OF
August 18th, came the report OF the Democrat
lie Commissioner OF Labor Of New York State
Charles F. Peck, who, by the way, was appoint
ed to his present office by Grover Cleveland
when he was Governor OF New York.
Mr.. Peck has been conducting an investiga
ton through his bureau into the effects OF tn
new Taih upon wages. Here are the fact
he discovered.
B Extracts From the Nel0 York State Bureau 0
Labor Report on Wages.l
1.-THE period covered BY investigation include
the year Immediately prior to the enaetmen
Of what is termed the Mckinley bill, [" and tn
year Immediately following Its becoming Law
That Is. the data upon which the report ha
: been made was for the year commencing Sep
tembsr l, 1889, up to and including August 81