Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-12-31


tanned.
When the Republicans get in 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 fix things up. He smiles
suggestlyely and says he will try. If
he is successful, and he usually is, the
Republicans see that his reputation as
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 as 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 Il
substantial advance from 1890 to 1900
showed decline In wages of III per
cent As Dinglcy bill trusts were null
tlplying 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
TINT they showed n substantial rise in
wages and who supposed that he had
the 1900 census fixed 10 show SINH
lar advance. They told him that he
must somehow make n 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.
Discrcdit the census figures and ask
the people to wait for the only statis-
ties which will be worthy of considera-
ton. We will boost you rs an anthor-
ity in the meantime and II the census
wage statistics now being prepared by
Professor Dewey are not likely to prove
satisfactory we will try to hold them
up until after the 1904 election"
Colonel Wright agreed to do his best.
In March, 1903, the department Of Ia
Dor issued bulletin on the Course of
Wholesale Prices, 1S90-1002," which
showed that prices were exactly as
high In 1902 MS in 1890 and that they
rose only 25ia per cent from 1897 to
1902. This was about 10 per cent less
than the rise shown by the statistics
of Il. q. Dun Il Co., which are moro
carefully "wcghtcd." On Sept. so 1t
was announced from Washington:
"rhc bureau of labor, under tho d.
rection of Carroll D. 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 will
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 striking similarity between tho
advance in wages and the increased
cost of living and that neither has
gone forward as much as populary
supposed The current report that
commodities have advanced 81 per cent
Is shown to be wide Of the mark. II
will be nearer IL or Il per cent Wages
| have so fully kept pace with Increased
cost of living that IL may safely be
said that the condition Of the laborng
man Is better today than ever before
In the history of this country"
or course these statistics, coming
from such high authority, will rcas,
sure the worliiugmen and make them
contcntcd and buppy The man whose
wages have remained substantially the
Same az they were in 1897 and who is
paying 30 per cent moro for what he
has to buy will now feel that he is at
least as we'll Off as he was at the be-
ginning OF Rcpul lcan 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 Cridciso
! them except to say that they differ
radically from any others now cNtant.
But to show how worthless they will
probably be- except from Il political
standpoint. we may mention some Of
Colonel Wrght's past methods of rails.
Ing wages--on paper
Colonel Wright won his first statis-
teal victory and ingratiated himself
with the Republicans by falsifying and
Juggling the wage statistics Of MasSa-
chusetts. One of his methods of rails
ing wages statistically was to divide
the total wages paid In 1880 by the
"average" number Of wage carncrs III.
stead OF hy the entire number EN-
ploycd and between whom the wages
were actually divided, ms was done in
1870. In this way lie showed Il decline
of only 10 per cent. whereas the actual
decline was nearly - per cent, His
same methods continued 10 1876
showed I'M increase in wages when an
uctual decline had occurred.
Colonel Wrights methods. adopted
in tho 1870 census. make suhstan.
saI ,t,s -, 80