The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-08-25
What Is Going On In the Political
Arena of the Nations
Capital.
DO-AOTHIAS POLICY OF ADMINISTRATION
Work of n Government Bureau
Turned 20 Political Uses by the
ReDublicanA-Farm Not 10 he
Fooled by "PrOsperity" PaIaver-
DOctOrinK the Census Returns.
Especial Correspondence

l
1t is intended primarily for the can
paign speakers, and it is rather sil
nifcant fact that the republicans hav
to educate their own advocates ON til
arguments they are to advance.
Prosperity" is, of course, the key
note of the book. The tables hav
been largely prepared by the burea
OF statistics, government burea
which is supported by the whole pee
pie for legitimate purposes and no
for the benefit of the republican ma
chine.
Still 1t has been seized by the ad
ministration and made to grind on
a marvellous set of statistics. If tn
workingmen are to indorse the ad
ministration they must be convinced
that wages have risen.
| A table is given which purports t.
be compiled from reports of labor or
carnations. This is misstatemen
number one, for at least one-third o.
the trades quoted have no organiza
tion and those that have are moi
making statements for republicans
use.
Advances in wages for 1899 are
ranged anywhere from 10 to 800 pei
per cent. 1t will surprise stage EN-.
ployes to learn that they are credited
with the 300 per cent. advance in
three years.
The textile workers are quoted as
having increased their wages from IL
to % per cent, when everybody
knows that they were cut 25 per cent.
just after Mckinley went into Office,
that they had long and disastrous
strike in order to restore the rs
per cent, and that about two-thirds
of them are now idle, cannot get work
even at cut rates.
The table is not even a skillful fic-
ton, for it puts the increase lowest
in the trades that owing to their
own eXertions have had a substantial
advance and vice versa. This sort of
campaign fiction brings it's own re-
action very quickly. When a street
railway employee, for instance, hears a
republican campaign orator claiming
that Mckinley and prosperity" have
raised his wages Is per cent, and he
knows that he had to go on strike
to keep his wages from being cut,
that workingman is going to believe
that the republicans are direct in
heritors of the talents of Ananias.
When this same workman reflects
that he pays trust prices for every
thing he eats and wears and that
they are from rs to 40 per cent. high
er than in go, he begins to wonder if
it won't be good idea to elect a
president with a different policy from
the trust prosperity" one with which
we are burdened.
Boomerang Statistics.
The statistics for the benefit of the
farmer are not convincing. The farm
sr knows that the price of wheat, for
Instance, has often been higher than
t is now, but he does not remember
he time in his experience when wire
encing and lumber were so high that
lie had to go without fences and
'arns because he could not pay trust |
prices for the materials after he took |
he price determined for his wheat by |
he board of trade combinations.
The farmer knows very we'll that |
he consuming capacity of the people
S not greater than 1t was three years
go. To be sure plenty of poor peo-
lie would like to eat more bread, but |
hey have not the measure of pros
Gritty which will enable them to con-
ume all they want of the farmers
The republicans forget that manu-
actured statistics are always boom
rang. They are contradicted by the
of the people. Statistics
bout important matters are only be-
eyed when they coincide with the
lets at hand.
Dun's review of trade for July
.rikes pretty hard blow at the
argument. 1t Is not try
g to give the calamity howl either.
/ fact it endeavorB to explain away
le unpleasant facts which it is forced
present in regard to the state of
ade.
Dun's report shows a total of 1880 {
lures in all branches of business for I
lily, with liabilities of over $17,OO0,- c
0. Its own comment on this state
affairs is:
"The total shows a heavy increase
comparison with the corresponding S
onth last year, which is mainly due {
phenomenally sound conditions at i
at time"
So conditions were S17,OoO,OOO worth +
ore stable this time last year than G
w. The slump has been going on
r some time and the next three t
onths will show marked increase a
the number of failures. 1t looks t
though the republicans would be v
liged to drop their prosperity argu- il
INT very shortly. p
Manipulate the Figures. C
The census employees are being
'rked like a lot of sweat shop OPP f,
atives in order to collate and tab b
ate the immense mass of figures Ii
at have been collected in time for p
for republican campaign II
rposes. There are a lot of ques- a
ms on the census schedules which b
re put there for no purpose ex- 7
Dt to extract information for re- p
blican use. =
The system in the census depart
mt is simple. Any returns which W
not carry out the republican the p
7 can be ignored and other COM b
nations made. Nobody will be the a
ser. The work is so divided and ia
ssified that neither employees nor fl,
efs of divisions can be sure just m