The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-02
WHAT THE FIGURES TELL.
The Substantial Economic Measures
of the Republican Party.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
We must not wholly ignore, even for the
emergency, the substantial economic meas
ures of the Republican party, because the
tide of indignation which the premature de-
velopment of Organism has awakened Is
likely to postpone indefinitely, if not to pre-
vent permanently the reign of the anar-
chisrn he is planning for. The outrage at
Elmira is only premature outcropping or
Braynism, just as that of Victor was, and
as several intervening riots have been. L
say premature, because those who are nur-
turing anarchism We're not ready for even
a preliminary exhibition such as any one of
these But let US not count too much on
this indignation. A great many men who
pose as good citizens will vote for Mr..
Bryan, just as the like of them voted for
Mr.. Buchanan in 1856. when the rule-or-
ruin purpose of slavery was as manifest as
it was the day Fort Sumter was fired on.
l am not of a pessimistic turn Of mind. and
coming events cast their shadows before
only as / remember the shadows of what
were coming events in the early fifties.
But let us not lose sight of the substan-
tial character of the economic policy of the
Republican party. taken as a whole. This
cannot be developed in one administration.
fully in decade We have now the
aggregate results of four decades. In these
forty years there have been but two tenn
porary interruptions. Twice Mr. Cleveland
was President, but for so short time each,
with sound Republican policy OF four
years interjected, that only temporary set
backs were possible. Besides, Mr.. Cleve-
land was not the tool of the party, but in
finitely better than the party, SO that now
hardly the most ultra Republican repu-
dates Organism more vigorously than he.
Statistics are not good readin as a
rule, but when digested they tell important
economic truths. The statistics of railr Dads
alone would be instructive, but the dema-
gogue might use them TO influence the ig-
norant and the indolent, and so with the
statistics of manufactures; but when
minds broad enough to take in and digest
the statistics of every social and economic
interest int for , fifty years give the re, re-
even the humblest citizen must be in
structed. The public has such a digest
of everything that enters into the material
interests of even the poorest man or wom-
an of the land. In 1891 the Senate appoint
ed commission of It's ablest men, among
whom We're such men as Sherman and AL
lison and Voorhees, and Carlisle, to digest
economic statistics from 1S40 to and in
Guiding 1890. They took in everything, and
the result of their patient investigation
that from 1910 to 1860 the prices of
foods had increased "a points, while from
1860 to 1890 foods had increased 3.9 points
Wages from 1910 to 1860 had increased 1913
points, and from 1850 to 1880, COZ points
Clothing in 1860 was seven-tenths of one
point cheaper than in 1910, but 1t was 1879
points cheaper in 1890 than in 1860. House
furnishing goods were ia points dearer in
1910 than in 1860, but they were 1871 points
cheaper in 1890 than in 1860. Wages Were
S7.7 points lower in 1910 than in 1860 but
they were co., points higher in 1890 than in
hours n a .
in 1860, IL; in 1890, 10. In the report q large
number of items are grouped under the
head of miscellaneous, which were AL
points dearer in 1910 than in 1850, but which
were 39 points cheaper in 1890 than in 1860.
These figures relate only to wage earn
ers, but every class of citizens, If such a
thing as a class exists except in the brain
of Bryanism, is affected by the economic
is not possible to get at the figures of 9TH
ers. Ii will be noticed that the figures come
down only to include 1890. The statistics
for the following decade have been tabu-
lated, and the September number of the
bulletin of the Department of Labor, just
out, contains even more significant revela-
tons than the report of that Senate COM
mittee. 1t shows that the condition as
given in 1890 remained stationary in 1891,
was increased three-tenths of one point in
1892, but ii fell inety-eight-hundredths of
one point in 1898, the first year of Mr..
Cleveland second administration, and con-
tinued to fall until in 1896 Ii had fallen 2.37
points below the prices of 1892. But IL be-
gan to rise in 1897. the first year of Mr..
McKinley's administration, and the figures
for 1900 show an advance of 3.13 upon the
highest mark of General Harrisons adj
ministration, and 5.55 points higher than
1895, when Clevelands policy in full
blossom. We cannot be Indifferent to these
facts, even though the paramount issue is
Organism, and though every other posi-
BILE, real or imaginary Issue must be held
in allegiance until rowdyism and anarchism,
which is Organism. are crushed out for
ever. These figures are not accidental nor
partisan, but official. and they correspond
with what every careful observer knows
for himself. L. l.. SEE.
Indianapolis. Nov. /.