The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-07-06
SIGNIFICANT ADMISSIONS.

Not the least of the interesting devel-
opments of the silver discussion is the
use which the free-trade statesman and
the free-tra6e professor have made of
the statistics of the census showing the
marvellous, progress of this country in
the past thirty years Heretofore these
excellent people have been silent when
these statistics have been quoted. When
used by Republicans to show the value
of the protective system they have not
been convinced. Still, they have never
denied them. Take, for instance, the
speeches of Secretary Carlisle, which
have attracted so wide attention and
have exerted such marked influence
upon Democratic opinion in the South.
Those parts which are most convincing
are based upon the statistics of the
census showing the growth Of the Re-
public. In fact, all of the statistics used
to refute the assumptions of the cham
pions and attorneys of the silver mine
owners come from the census and other
official reports. showing the unprece-
denied prosperity of the country under
the protective system, despite 1.-THE crime
of 1873"
Perhaps. however, the free-trader who
has made use of the statistics of the
country attesting its growth and pros
perity under the Republican regime of
protection is Professor Laughlin. of the
Chicago University. He is an ultra
f~ree-trader, learning it abroad and
teaching it in Harvard, in Chicago, and
in his publications He would never
have had occasion to use the most sug-
gestive and instructive facts brought
out by the investigation of Labor Com
missioner Wright, under the direction
Of the Senate finance committee, rela-
tive to prices and wages at different
periods. When, however. he wishes to
crush the tricky Conn., he turns to
these luminous and incontestable facts.
and they become weapons for that ro-
mancer's destruction. To Coins claim
that the prices of the products of he
farm have fallen with silver, and be-
to coin 1t for the owners, Professor
Laughlin quotes the report of the SEN
ate committee to the effect that it took,
in 1891. $103.- TO buy the same amount of
food products that 800 would have
bought in 1860. But, to make his argu-
ment more forcible, Professor Laughlin
quotes the remainder of the table, name
~. that in 1891 ss1.1o purchased as much
clothing, $74.90 as many metals and i'm
plements made of them. SOTO as much
house furnishing goods, and $3.50 as
many miscellaneous articles as did 500
in 1860. In doing this. Professor Laugh
lin has confessed that he believes that
all of the manufactured merchandise
which comes under the head of the
product of the protected industries has
fallen in price radically during the era
of the full protection of these industries,
while food products, which are not so
generally affected by protective duties,
have advanced in price. Nor is this all.
When Professor Laughlin desires to ex-
pose 1.-THE ridiculous rant" of Coin. about
the misery and destitution of the labor
ing classes brought on by the "crime of
1S73." he turns to the same report n
shows that, taking 100 as the basis of
1860, wages have advanced to 1907 in
1891 as. a simple average. and to 1856 on
an average based upon the Importance
of the labor. The Professor follows this
table with the following comment IA his
article in the July Forum:
Not only does a laborer get more gold for
his work In 1881, as compared with 1873,
I'm the ratio of $3.50. 20 to $14S.30. but, as we
have seen, the articles of his use have
fallen in price. Food has fallen least since
1873. or nearly 10 per cent; clothing. 80 per
cent; fuel. 81 per cent; metals, 35 per
cent. house furnishing, q per cent, and
miscellaneous. articles. 10 per cent.
To protectionists, these confessions of
it's marked and beneficial results by the
foes of the protective policy are crafty
ing, and will be available as fresh argu-
ments when the unlimited coinage of SO
cents worth of silver bullion into dol
lars shall have ceased to have any con
siderable support outside of those d.
rectly interested in silver properties.