The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-04-23
THE POWERS INVESTIGATION.

The result of the investigation
against Labor Commissioner Power
did not pan out just as the PopOcrat
hoped it would. The report of tn
committee was made week ago, bu
up to the fore part Of the week moth
ing had been done with it by tn,
legislature. The Minneapolis JOoTna
is summing up the report of the com
mittee says:
sit shows that the first charge Of
non-enfOrcement of factory laws is
only true in part and the fact was de-
yelOped that while some failures tC
comply with the orders of the com.
mission are to be found, the general
situation is better in this state than
in most other states in this regard.
The labor bureau has undoubtedly &C
complished great deal of good in
this connection and should have
credit for having secured better OBJ
servdnce of the laws than in MAORI
ty of the states. The second charge,
with regard. to publishing an un-
authorized work entitled The Pur-
chasing Power of Gold" at the state
expense, is sustained to the extent
that in the judgment of the COM
mittee this book does not come within
the proper scope Of the department.
This is matter, however, upon which
there is plenty of room for difference
of opinion.
The investigation also shows that
this is line of inquiry pursued by
the best labor bureaus in the country;
that, in fact, the work, although pub
lished under the title of "The Pur-
chasing Power of Gold" was really an
examination into the question of
prices, of practical interest to all
classes of people and just such work
as is done by the national bureau, the
Massachusetts, bureau and all other
state labor bureaus which are recog-
niZed as most effective and useful.
The charge of gathering statistics at
state expense and not publishing
them was not sustained. The charge
Of using the Office force during office
hours upon private literary work was
not sustained. The charge of garb-
ling mortgage statistics was declared
wholly untrue and unwarranted.
The charge of personal delinquency
was not sustained. In fact the only
thing of serious and considerable con-
sequence is the charge that the
bureau compiled and published the
statistical work entitled 1.-THE Pur-
chasing Power of Gold" If it were
not for this charge the whole series
of accusations, according to the re-
port of the committee, would fall to
the ground, The question, therefore,
is as to whether Mr.. Powers is to be |
censured or removed for having
pushed work, the purpose of which |
has been declared to be political. The
Journal does not undertake to say
that the publication was not political.
But so is the attack upon Mr.. Powers.
There is just as much politics on one
side as the other. 1t is because
his Investigations and conclusions
reached in that work, work which
has received the highest commenda-
ton of statisticians all over the world,
we're of immense value to his party
during the late campaign that this
attack upon him was made and the
issue now is fairly made up as to
the Populists shall succeed
in inducing the Republicans to re-
Duke and dismiss an efficient and
capable officer for having produced a
work of great to the Republi-
;ans politically, and to the cause of
economics in general. 1t would GER &
'alnly be very singular outcome if
she Populistic assailants of Mr..
Powers are assisted by Republican
Totes to wreak their vengeance upon !
him for having in his able and com &
3rehensive way set forth some of the {
oopulistic platform" IL
The trouble with the Popocrats is
hat Mr.. Powers findings in his in i
designations the result of which are T
mbraced in the book in question.
we're fatal to their theories. |
'ut Mr.. Powers ought not to be held t
for that, they were not C
lis making. Had they resulted favor t
BILE to Populism the investigation t
7ould never have been instigated, but I
n the other hand he would have been v
uoted as standard authority. The v
ournal in continuing it's comments, f
avs: t
"But there is another side to it. s.
he labor department of Minnesota v
as come to rank among the first in r
ne.country. Carroll D. Wright, at Ii
ne head of the United States bureau tt
statistics, has more than once ex- W
ressed his admiration of the ability d
isplayed by the head of the Mime W
)ta department, while the work of
he department has come to demand
lie respectand recognition of the most A