The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-17

that - true. Oar article states that ages
hare advanced bstseen 1878 aud ISIS, and
quoted tie report on wholesale urIees.
wages and transportation made By the
senate COMMITTEES on finance March 8.
Isga- The figures OF this report show that
the urchaslng power Of wages has risen
between 1873 and 1888. and that the de-
cline in prices since 1878, and especially
since 1852. has been q source Of prosperity
and not Of depression % the community
~ large
This report was made By COMMITTEES
that included the ablest minds on the
Republican side In the senate. and was
conceded TO be an authentic and trust
worthy report by Senator Carlisle. Of the
Democratic party. John sherman. eenstor
Aldrica and Senator Morrill,, all pa
tIent students Of facts and figures.
have accepted this report and used
Is as . text for their speeches. They prob
ably are as careful students of political
and economic and financial facts as our
correspondent The conclusions OF this
Republican senate committee were con-
frned by the Investigations Of David A.
Wells and Edward Atkinson.
Our correspondent thinks 10 singular We
should quote Atkinson and Wells as sup-
porting authority. Why not7 They are
life students Of facts and figures: men Of
the highest personal character. Ex-
Speaker Thomas b. Reed has especially
quoted both Wells aud Atkinson and the
New York EreAing Post as authority for
bis statement that nearly every
thing the farmer buys has fallen
under thirty-two years OF pro-
lection ezeept labor. Mr.. Atkinson has for
many years beeh one of the foremost and
most indsfatigable investigators of eco
monte subjects in the United States; he Is
valued contributor TO the Forum
and the North american. and on q question
OF economic facts and figures Is regarded
as Of the highest authority. The same Is
true of Mr.. Wells. Francis A. Walker is
Democrat like Mr.. Wells, and like Mr..
Wells he was for many years Republican.
Both OF these men have been offieeholders
in the Republican party before they be-
came Democrats. Mr.. Walker stands de-
servedly high, bat he Is not regarded as
the peer in economic learning or ability to
either Wells or Atkinson, and is not more
than their peer rs an upright and honest
investigator.
This our correspondent may answer Is
s'only our opinion" Very we'll; our ipse
Dirt is as good as his and we observe that
that the sblest minds among the Republi-
Wells and do not quote Mr.. Walker. At
kinson and Wells are safe guides and are
quoted by the first minds of our party.
Our correspondent takes q man Of straw;
he states something that We did not say
and proceeds TO demolish il As for the
presSnt rate OF wages, no fair man would
quote the present rate of wages at time
when the Democrats raid on protection
has smashed trade and frightened capital,
compelling two cats Of wages from the
rate maintained up TO Democratic Access
sion 10 power.
The Fosr-lSrKILIoENcKR has not f'usu-
ally claimed that chcapness under protec-
tion caused low wages" Protection null
tiplies internal competition and reduces
prices. but cheapness in our home market
has increased the demand. and with an in
creased demand wages under protection
have increased in twenty years and been
fairly maintained until the panic and
tariff agitation Of the last year.
AS for Mr.. Walkers peculiar views they
are well known 10 a good many people
besids our correspondent, but ais alarm is
not shared by the leaders OF bi-metallism
in the Republican party. II our CORE
spondent would follow the debates of con-
sress he would not need TO be told that
Mr.. Atkinson aud Mr.. Wells are oftsner
quoted than his Pet political economist,
Mr.. Walker. In June last we discussed
this same point as follows: "Ths leading
economists of Europe say that the refusal
OF certain nations TO coin silver has moth
ing 10 do with the fall Of prices. Wheat
Is cheap today because the fields OF Ar
gentina. India. Victoria and Russia COM
pete with the Dakotas: improved harvest
ing machinery has gone into foreign
lands, Bessemer steel rails have been laid !:
the Alps have been penetrated; Africa has
been intcrsected by the Suez canal; India
and Russia are penetrated by railways;
/ triple-expansloa engines have been pat
into mammoth steamers: and tramp
steamers, which were crack passenger
vessels a quarter Of century ago. are
poking their noses into every por. where
there Ia a cargo of food supply obtainable.
Nothing is more baseless than this shall
low plea that silver in falling has dragged
down everything else. The facts OF 1893,
when silver had its most violent decline.
show thai the prices Of the cereals have
had 40 such fail, for although silver has
fallen since lSs7 about 80 per cent, the
price, Of twenty-two leading commodities
on January /, 1854. were little above
what they were in lSST. and that, despite
the heavy drop Of silver in ISaS, the fall Of
the prices OF commodities was less than 2
per cent. In the frss three months Of
this year, when silver has declined over
10 per cent. from its January priee. the
combined prices Of the twenty-five leading
commodities forming the London EeeRons-
istslndex number. have declined less than
5 Per cent. and are nov about on the level
| Of the year ISS6"
II our correspondent honestly wishes 90
get this ''ees out of his hoaRet" We would
recommend him 20 read an article IN cur
issue Of Nay g, 1894. which coadensss the
result % the New YORK SsE's independent
investigation Of this qnessioa. TIE Saa is
| ssrong advocate az ht-metAllssm. Mr.
/ r.n. &. . -, ~ v.xt learninr ard sA{.