Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-01
SAYS HE is RIGHT
Commissioner Peck Strikes
Back Hard.
HIS REPORT STRICTLY TRUE
Senator Hm Hae Nothing 70 % VITA
the Report-Hs OlAos Dem0cFaEio
FI0m Top ID Bottom.

ALBANY, \. Y, Aug. Sl.--stats Labor
siausuolsn Charles T.. Peck sad todAyi
"The ins.nuation that ! pat out the
statistics summary now 10 influence
the presidential canvass Is as coBtemp-
tb.e as Il = false. ] have pursued tie
usual course with nay reports. II the
Investigation ! have made had favored
the free trade side instead Of the pro-
lection SIDE, would n0t have hurried
or delayed the publication. TIE facts
were gathered without reference %
Their bearing on politics. J began the
investigation IA December, 1881. j. q
pretended that ] had the present pres
idenual Canvass in view Nonsense.
When ! saw what was coming shOulo
have stopped or suppressed the facts
The report have published made Itself.
Ny part was simply 10 put the figures
together honesty when i got them.
NO one Knew Its Contents.
81 can tell you that no one knew
what the summary would show until it
was published N the newspapers, DO
one but the clerks IN thie Office and
they knew Il only by scraps as they
worked on parts Of il. I SAID not one
word TO Mr. Hill about Il, nor did any
one else. J saw Mr.. Hll only few
minutes while he was here and IA the
presence Of others. The comments
that went out with the summary 1
wrote myself. and here ls the manu-
SCRIPT IN my handwriting. The ample
fact - the Mckinley act has proved =
benefit 10 the manufacturing and IN
efrr - . q j
fact hurts any candidate for Office.
don't see how ] can be held responsible.
/ have merely gone about my duties
in the usual way. One Of the chief
duties of this bureau Is 70 give the pub-
lie the information ] gather )ufi "a
soon a. ! can after u Is got into pre-
sentable shape.
Requests for Copies
Mr.. peck's mail is loaded with re-
quests for copies Of his ninth annual
report. which shows &n increase OF
| Sc 600, 600 IN wages IN thls state for The
first year under the Mckinley set
These requests can not, M. Peck says,
be fully compiled with owing 10 the
limitation Of the means al the disposal
| of the bureau. Ia fact the full Teport
ls not yet completed by the pubic
printer. What has been published -
the usual preliminary summary, con-
sisilng 81 twenty-elght pamphlet pages.
Charles +. Peek. the labor stausti-
cian, is democrat Of democrats. HIS
| bureau is democratic from top 70 bot
tom, including the typewT ter girls.
! The chief WAS appointed 10y Grover
| Cleveland when he was governor. The
| bureau was established bv democratic
| legislation II response q 1emsud of
/ the labor element lu politics. Tie Ia
| bCr sgitstoTs were incensed over the
| appointment of Peck. the present an
| cumbent, because he was democratic
| politician, they claimed. rather thsn
| labor representative. The state long
since understood that every document
that came from this bureau was ss
favorable TO the democratic SIDE Of
politics IS the facts would warrant
False Democratic Chsrg-s.
The charge now bv Cleveland papers
! that tins ninth annual summary has
| been cooked up 20 serve the ppg-
poses of Mr. Cleve'snd's dem
ocrauc enemies that II is pub
| lished out OF season - not war
rsnied by the fscts. The q sum
mary not of next years report autici-
| pated, as Il has been charged, but OK
| last winters report. A skeleton sum
mary or text was sent "a the legisfs-
ture ss ususl. but the summary now
! published and the full report 20
come hereafter are subject 20 the con-
vcnience of the public printer. Thus
= true OF all the state reports except
those which the departments aud bu-
resus themselves are authorized 20
| publish. Mr.. Peck has always ISSUED q
summary ike the present one a. soon
as he could get the printer 10 furnish
IT TO him. The forestry report, the
fdsiry report. the NisgarS Fails report,
and others which come from the puhl
printer are hanging stll, and no ore
can tell when they vii be ready for
distribution.