Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-02
UNLESS FIGURES LIE
We Are Not Half as Miserable as we
Thought.
Tramps are Scarce and Army Of Unemployed
Is a Small One.


White House and those at tho south end
were making thousands of hearts glad and
several heads dizzy by the rapidity with
which TREY passed private AND local bills,
many representative men of the dominant
party Were on their way here, and TING de-
Rartme1ts We're turning out Rme splerA
did work in the shape Of final reports and,
Summaries of the condition of the people
The census department especially is put
ting things through very lively, and in
connection with the labor bureau Hon.
Carroll D. Wright, being now practically
the head of both, is giving us fresh figures
every day to prove that we are not one
tenth part as miserable as we thought we
were.
Owing to a sort of accident, as is sup
posed, though some members of the house
take another view of it, certain figures
heretofore among the first to come out
are in this census to be among the very
last Tho bulletin which gives tho total
number of laborers in tho United States
and the number engaged in each special
occupation is eagerly sought for and is
now being made up. The delay, accord
ing to the experts of the census office, Is
due to the fact that the department. has
more facts than ever before; that every
thing had to be gone over two or three
times and every doubtful point cleared up
before final tabulation. The net result Is
that congressional agitators will not DO
able TO get figures for use this session and
may not even get them in time to use dur
ing the campaign.
The Unemployed. ir
The facts already tabulated, however,
present very different conclusions from
those given in popular rhetoric. Instead
of there being millions Of laborers with
out employment" it appears doubtful If
there are half million-that is, of people
who habitually labor in good times-and
instead of tho country being ''overrun by
tramps" they arc comparatively rarc crca-
lures. In fact, unless q great many peo-
pie arc lying, there arc largo sections of
this country in which tramp is curiosi
ty, and in thrce-fourths of the south there
are no idlers except those who never work
anyhow.
AS to farm labor, it would be very hard
for a man to take the figures now going
through the press, and which congressman
will be able to frank to their constituents
before they leave here, and provo that tho
country is any less prosperous than it was
in 1870 or 1880. The main truth is that
there is a great lowering of prices all
around, and that makes the figures smaller
and presumably makes it hard on debtors.
The abstract of tho census just out is a
document congressman will study with
some care during vacation, for 1T is dol
lars to doughnuts that there will be the
biggest kind of a row about this census
next winter. Some of the figures are OBJ
giously wrong and arc admitted to be so
.hough the officials here tabulatcd them
rom the local reports, and no one can
tell why the latter fell so far short of the
ruth. The points of manifest error, I'M
less human nature changed very suddenly
about a dozen years ago, are in the emu
neration in New York city and two or
5hree southern states, especially in the
olored population. Takingit by decades,
he colorcd people are represented as hav-
ing increased about 81 per cent in $4,000,
per cent in 1SGO-70, over 35 per cent in
lS7080 and but 1914 per cent in 1SSO0O
which is self evident nonsense.
Ten Thousand More Pensioners.
OF the great mass of bills rushed through
by the house, and which the senate is now
cushing through almost as rapidly, Ger
ainly not more than l in 20 is of national
interest but tho committees have sum
married. the results with an approach of
accuracy. 1t is estimated that all the
bills libcralizing the pension laws will
make it possible to add some 10, 900 pen
,ionerS to the rolls, but it may exceed
that. The net result of a score or moro of
bills and resolutions on the labor question
is that one first class commission, with
Commissioner Wright at the head of it, Is
now at work, and a few fellows arc TAX
ing testimony in a feeble way from some
IF the standing committees of congress.
| The subcommittee of the house commit
tee on Immigration has reported strongly
in favor of Mr.. Lockwood's BILL and as
The full committee will probably support
it it stands chance mt the next session
1t Forbes laborers from Canada and Mex
leo to cross the line and work on tempo
rary contracts, whether for day or q year,
and forbids shipowners from employing
them III any capacity whatever 1t also
provides that alien laborcrs coming to this
country arc to be examined at the port Of
sntry and not allowed to land unless they
possess $75 each or $50 for minors and
makes stringent rules about immigrant
women. Some Of the committee say that
it is too strong a measure for them to in
lorse if the trouble can be got at in any
other way, but admit that the sentiment
is pretty strong in its favor and something
must be done.
Liberal Public Building Policy.
Another movement for liberalizing
things in general is the McKaig BILL which
the committee on public buildings has APP
proved, and which provides that public
buildings are to be designed on the basis
of free competition among architects and
built on a more liberal system than here
tofore. All sorts of plans have been sug-
gested for making government contracts
in other lines more democratic. Inciden-
tally the very latest report from the bureau
of navigation in the treasury department.
shows that during the last fiscal year. there
were built in the United States 53S wood
en- sailing vessels of 81, 719 tons, 30S wood
en- steam vessels of "A, 1853 tons, three iron
and steel sailing vessels of 1850 tons and
40 iron and steel steam vessels of 47,716
tons, an aggregate of AZ, AGO in tonnage of
sailers and 81, 934 in tonnage of steamers
Other reports just issued show in a gen.
eral way considerable decrease in the pro-
duction of metals and great decrease in
the consumption of many kinds of manu-
featured goods.