Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-06-09
SPECIAL PLEADERS.
THE COMPLIES or THE so CALLED
"RklhLEY CENSUS"

ne Reports VIII IndIssts Nothiag. In
Asnush - only The Establishment ol
Ns~ Industries Aad Increase Of Old
oass Are Ashsd For.
Ths American Protective Tariff
league, Of which Mr.. Cornelius N. Bliss,
Of New York, Il president, Is preparing
for the coming political campaign By
sashering facts bearing upon the pro
tsctiye tariff. Il styles It's work The
pRsparatiou Of the Mckinley census, AnA
tn ths circular letter sent out IL says:
I'VE desire 10 gather and publish
complete information regarding the ef-
fects Of the Mckinley tariff upon an the
Industries Of the country. This infor-
nation may be naturally divided int
two classes, viz, first, newly estsb-
hshed industries due 10 the Mckinley
tariff, and second, Developments and in
GREASE In established industries due 10
The Mckinley tariff, no matter how
Eman or how large the industry. Please
give ne complete information regarding
those In your locality, and furnish ths
same exclusively on the inclosed carda
II you need additional cards we win
furnish the same free upon your request
Please sign each report 30 that there
may be no question Is to Its reliability"
The data thus collected Is TO be fur
nished by the American Protective Tarin
league TO the various press associations
each week. and the census Is to be pub
hshed In full In The American Econo-
mist as fast as the information Is re-
ceived.
The difficulty In the way Of implicitly
trusting Q census Of this kind Is the OBJ
viously interested character of the re-
turns those collecting 1t are to receive,
and the probability Of their receiving
much the larger part Of their returns
from those who are personally interest
ed In demonstrating the advantages of
the protective system. The census Is
not an official census.
The census takers In this instance are
special pleaders. They ask to be in
formed Of the newly established indus
tries and the development and increase
in established industries since October,
1890. They do not ask for illustrations
Of decline in industrial activity or 0
complete cessation Of business which
may have occurred within period COW
cred by their iniquity.
More than this, 1t may be fairly as
sumed that the question Of how far the
Mckinley tariff Is responsible for the
building up Of new industries or for the
development Of established industries
will be answered by those who are de-
sirous Of making out good case for the
statute. The claim has been
advanced over and over again that II 1t
were not for the protective tariff the
rates Of wages in this country, in unpro-
tected as well as protected industries,
would sink to the level Of the wages Of
the 80 called pauper labor Of the Old
World. That is, scoop net is thrown
out, and everything in the light Of an
industrial improvements credited to the
protective tariff.
We have not the least doubt that this
will be the case in the Mckinley cen
sus. Our country has gained in the last
two years some millions Of population.
To supply their needs would require q
enlargement In our indus
tries, but we shall be told by these CEN
sus takers that even this increase is
wholly attributable to the benefcent ef-
fects Of the Mckinley tariff. AS we
have pointed out, no mterrogatory Is
made as to declines Of business activity.
There are industries that have been seri-
ously and injuriously affected by the
Mckinley tariff law, and we dare say
that these would show a decline in the
number Of hands employed, m the prod
net and in the wages paid, but the
American Protective Tariff league is not
8olicitous Of obtaining information Of
this character.
We make these comments simply to
show that an array Of industrial data
collected by the interested advocates Of
. particular line of policy must Of neces-
sity be partial and untrustworthy re-
port, so far as concerns the drawing of
general conclusions. The United States
census bureau and the United States
labor bureau have collected large num-
Der Of facts bearing upon our manufac-
turing industries, which can, we believe,
be depended upon, but the census pro-
posed in the circulars we have referred
TO Is simply campaign census made by
the high protectionists to bolster up their
case, and while a considerable amount
Of desirable and useful information will
be collected, it will be of a kind which
will have no bearing whatsoever on the
general questions of tariff legislation.-
po,%o,, Haro1I