The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-09-26
HIS FIGURES WORTHLESS.
THERE ARE NOT FACTS BACK or Mr..
PEcHs CONCLUSIONS.



His DsducfionA
For reasons that viii 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 Wages" derives its chief in
terest from facts quite independent Of
the skill OF honesty with which It = pre-
pared, A. an argument, IL Il seriously
affected BY these facts, but Il 10 still
worth while to examine the figures given
by Mr.. Peck and TO dstermins the intelii-
gence Of the man q shown BY them, and
the degree In which they really relate TO
TO the subject be takes 50 much pains to
announce q the sole one on which they
are expected to throw any light. Mr..
Peck's chief table il not IN elaborate one,
remsrks the Nsw York Times. It gives
the titles Of some 81 "industries.p with
tho aincreases,' and ssdecreasesn III each
Of tho tota, amounts paid n wages, and
Of the total values on the products n ths
year from Sept. 1, 1890. to Aug. 81, 1891, -
compared with the prev ious year. The
first thing that strikes the glance In this
table II the considerably number Of the
industries included which cannot pos
sibly be regarded 20 affected BY the tariff
at ali, or, II so affected, not In the direc-
tion OF prosperity. Ofthe 81 industries
20 show . decrease of product and IS an
increase. OF these there are n ct least
that are not affected by the tariff; the
total increase in the production Of these
industries Il go Oo0, 900 in round numbers,
leaving the total increase In the products
that have increased only e17, 0O0,0 600.
This single fact shows the utter worth
lessness OF the table as revealing the "ef-
feet OF the tariff"
For instance, Mr.. Peck cites arms and
ammunition ~ having an increased pay
ment OF wages Of e63, 900 and Of product
Of S331 ,OO0 There i no foreign competi-
tion here, and the only influence the tar
ia can have ID In the tax on some Of the
materials, such a. steel and copper. He
makes boots and shoes show an increase
Of wages Of s,53,0o0 and Of product Of
e426, 900, but every Intelligent man knows
that We import mono of these goods and
export considers BILE amounts. Under the
head Of ''clothing,n which gives about
one-third the total increase OF wages and
one nth the increase Of product, every
thing In the way Of dry goods ID includ-
"a, 20 that the title II very misleading.
30 far as itreletea to mems readyr made
clothing ~ has nothing 70 do with the
tariff, there being no appreciable compe-
tition In this line, and the tax ON mRta-
eiAla being rather hindrance than oth-
srwiss. (This Industry, however, i mot
included In the twenty 70 which We hays
tefsrred.) Then, there ars cooking and
heating apparatus, which are not import
"a, and the msterials Of which are taxed ;
= - a.
more import than No do our graves;
| drugs and medicines, which have little
foreign competition; electrical apparatus,
that has none; food productions, with
wages increased e19i. 900 and on product
| increased SIS, 900 and product 81 800, 00O,)
| which d taxed in many materials and
| utterly unprotected in product; gas
iirhting. 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 publishing; rail-
road equipment, which we could NO more
| got abroad than We could get the road
| beds, and finally, tobacco, cigars, cigar
| cites, &C., on which the Internal tar, say
| the manufactures, exceeds any possible
| benefit from the tariff. These instances
are enough to show the shakiness Of the
| foundation on which Mr.. Peck rests his
protectionist argument - to the favora-
| BILE "effect Of the tariff ON labor and
'wages.p k8f8
II now we turn to 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
We ind that in the lumber trade, which
| IL protected, his table shows decrease In
the total OF wages paid of 800, Al 80.
| That looks bad for protection. But the
second table shows an increase in the av-
erage annual wages OF S17.04. That would
| look well for protection, taken BY itself.
| Put the two side by side and you have
but one conclusion-that neither state
ment Is worth anything. Again, the
| interesting industry Of artificial teeth
shows an increase In the total wages of
e1263, and when we turn to the second
table we see the hattering increase In av-
erage annual earnings Of seas, put we
are saddened again by discovering that
| the laborer In this trade still earns only
| 1854. 45 q year, hav ing previously had but
$192. Then, again, here are the makers of
brick and sewer pipe, Gan absolutely un-
protected Industry who paid in 1891 less
wages by SOL ,697, and that looks bad for
unprotected labor, but, behold, in this
unprosperous and defenceless trade,
where the total Of wages and that OF pro-
duct has fallen away, Mr.. Peck's amaz-
ing figures show an increase In average
wages OF S15 SO. 1t would Be easy to cite
many more instances of the entire fulfill
lily OF these statistics. We have given
enough to show their quality. We shall
only add that Mr.. Peck has carefully
avoided giving any facts by which 1t can
be determined whether the changes,
either in the amounts paid for wages or
| in the average wages, or in the total am,
nual product. differ IN rate with those Of
previous years. We can only say Of his
conclusions, In his own language, Cor
that OF his principal,) without facts to
| an r,r,nrk than khaw hAnnuaa nialaa "A inu