West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-11-12
A STATISTICAL JUccLER
The Republicans, Being In a
Hole, Call on Colonel Wright.
rHE DESIRED RESULTS OBTAINED

f'rtccs ON Fnper-incomc ana Cost
OF Living scientifically Adjusted.
How wright. Reputation IL ss.-
tained.
When the Republicans get In a tight
place. due TO discomfort from high
prices. low wages or waning prosper
ity. they send for Carroll ID. Wright.
They state their troubles to him and
ask him to dix things up. lie smiles
suegestiveiy and says he will try. IL
he Is successful, and he usually Is. the
Republicans see that his reputation as
a statistical authority does not suffer.
no matter how devious and crooked his
methods. He gets the required result,
is promoted to the highest position and
is hailed as the statistical savior OF
mankind. The Republicans understand
their business IS well as Colonel
Wright does his business.
A year or so ago the Republicans be-
came desperate. The census statistics
of manufactures instead OF showing a
substantial advance from 1890 to 1900
showed a decline In wages of ~ per
cent. AS Dingley bill trusts were null
tiplying and were raising prices rapid
ly and greatly increasing the cost of
living wise Republicans saw trouble
ahead. They consulted with their old
friend, Colonel Wright, whose methods
had juggled the 1890 census figures so
that they showed n substantial rise I'm
wages and who supposed that he had
the 1000 census fixed TO show q SINH
lar advance. They told him that ho
must somehow make a better showing
for the wage Garner either by raising
wages or by reducing prices or by
both. Get your labor bureau busy"
they said, land do your best for us.
Discredit the census figures and ask
the people to wait for the only stalls
ties which will be worthy of considera-
ton. We will boost you as an author
ity I'm the meantime, and IL the census
wage statistics now being prepared by
Professor Dewey are not likely to prove
satisfactory we will try TO hold them
mp until after the 1904 election"
Colonel Wright agreed to do his best.
In March, 1908. the department OF Ia
Dor issued bulletin on the Course OF
Wholesale Prices. 1S90-1902." which
showed that prices were exactly as
high I'm 1902 as I'm 1890 and that they
rose only 25la per cent from 1897 to
1902, This was about 10 per cent less
than the rise shown by the statistics
OF Il. G. Dun & Co., which are moro
carefully weighted" On Sept. 30 It
was announced from Washington:
THE bureau of labor, under the d.
rection OF Carroll ID. Wright, Is about
to issue the results of an exhaustive
study OF the increased cost of living
during the last few years In relation to
the increase OF wages. The work VIII
be presented In two volumes, one re-
lating to expenditures and the other to
earnings. The manuscript will go to
the printer In two days. The results
OF this inquiry show that there has
been a striking similarity between the
advance In wages and the increased
cost OF living and that neither has
gone forward as much as popularity
supposed. The current report that
commodities have advanced "a per cent
is shown to be wide OF the mark. 1t
Will be nearer 10 or II per cent. Wages
have so fully kept pace with increased
cost of living that 1t may safely be
said that the condition OF the laboring
man Is better today than ever before
In the history of this country
or course these statistics, coming
from such high authority, viii reas-
sure the worklngmen and make them
contented and happy. The man whose
wages have remained substantially the
same as they were in 1897 and who Ia
paying 30 per cent more for what he
has to buy Will now feel that he is at
least as well off as he was at the be-
ginning OF Republican, rule. This is all
that he could expect and the most that
the Republicans claim. The prosperity
that they talk about has all gone TO
the trusts.
Until these new statistics are pub
lished and the methods of reaching
them are known we cannot critIcise
them except 10 say that they differ
radically from any others now extant.
But TO show how worthless they will
probably be. except from political
standpoint, we may mention some of
Colonel Wrights past methods of rails
ing wages-on paper.
Colonel Wright won his FIRST Stats
teal victory and ingratiated himself
with the Republicans by classifying and
juggling the wage statistics OF Massa-
chusetts. Ono OF his methods OF rails.
bug wages statisticaIly was TO divide
tho total wages paid I'm 1885 by tho
average" number OF wage earners in
stead OF by the entire number en-
pioycd and between whom the wages
were actually divided, as was done in
1875. In this way he showed n decline
OF only 10 per cent. whereas the actual
decline was nearly 20 per cent. His
same metheds continued TO 1895
showed an increase IN wages when an
actual decline had occurred
Colonel Wrlghts methods, adopted
In the 1890 census, make n substan-
tial rise IN wages over those OF 1890
In 1900 this method OF Averages" was
carried still further. In 1890 the cav
eroge" number was computed for each
establishment for the actual time the
establishment was IN operation. In the
1900 census the average number en-.
ployed each month was taken, and the
establishment was considered to have
run the full twelve months This sys.
TEN IS bad IN all cases, but Il becomes
a Good Name
From personal experience testify that
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