Courier Democrat., 1904-08-25
THEORY VERSUS EAcT.
The Relation of Wages to the
Increased Cost of Living.

eSAON
wRIGHTs DIFFICULT PROBLEM.
He Endeavoss to Show That the Puf.
chaalnG Power Of Wages Hoe In.
creased. While Dun's Figures Show
That the Cost Of Living Has In.
creased 90 Per Cent.
The Republican argument for protec-
don has been furnished by the Ge-
partment of commerce and labor, as
was foretold by Secretary Shaw in his
Wilmington speech. The highest au-
thority" has, after year and half
Of labor by hundreds Of experts, en-
deavored to prove that wages have
relatively advanced more than the cost
Of living. Those who receive wages
and have been economlzing to make
them meet expenses may know better,
but the highest authority" attempts
to prove that, although retail plices for
necessities have advanced 103 per
cent, wages have more than kept pace
BY jumping up 1913 per cent.
That is extraordinary good news to
the harassed housekeeper, who finds
she has been dealing with the wrong
shop. where prices have been about
one-third higher than they were few
years ago. Most wage earners will be
very much dissatisfied with their pres
ent wages when they discover that the
report Of the department Of labor de-
clares that the wages paid to others
than themselves have been increased
1913 per cent, while theirs have either
been reduced or remained stationary.
But let us hope that the government
statisticians have made no mistake in
their figures. although the we'll known
facts would seem to indicate they have.
Nearly every one is grumbling ut the
increased cost of living. and wholesale
prices have advanced, according to
Dun's Index Numbers. 43 per cent up
to March; 1904. Dun's figures are ad-
mitted by all impartial statisticians
to be prepared on the best system pos
sible, as the quantity Of each article
used by each average individual Is
weighted according to the amount &c
tually consumed. Wholesale prices are
considered reliable. as such prices are
universally alike and not like retail
prices, different in nearly every store.
But wholesale prices and Dun's flg-
ures were too unstable for the "high-
est authority" for too great an ad-
vance in prices was indicated, so the
"highest authority" started out at gov
ernment expense to make prices. Of its
own by having the clerks Of the de-
partment Of commerce and labor send
all over the country to inquire about
prices at the retail stores. AS every
one knows, it is not difficult to find q
vast difference in price for the same or
similar article at retail stores, &C.
cording to their location and style Of
business. You can buy beefsteak oil
the way from 10 cents to 40 cents q
pound. Many other necessaries show
very nearly as great difference.
The "highest authority" saw this op-
portunity to juggle the figures and
prove by them that there had only
been small advance in prices, and
therefore the Democratic talk Of high
trust prices was nothing but partisan
nonsense.
1t was also incumbent upon the
''highest authority" If it would do its
duty to the Republican party. to prove
that wages have advanced enormously,
! even more than prices, for the wicked
Democrats were pointing to the numer-
| GUS strikes that are in progress to pre-
| vent cuts in wages and to the reduc-
tions made that the men have accepted
rather than strike 10 accomplish this
feat the "highest authority" took pains
to select for its figures only those in
dustries that had been able to keep up
wages, such as the building trades,
piano makers. ETC.. with which the
workers are so strongly organized that
the masters have so far not been able
| to make reductions.
Now, the proof of the pudding Is in
the eating, and those who receive
wages know better than the highest
authority whether they are getting
more or less than they were. The wife
who has been going to market for
years keeps pretty close run of prices
and can tell with much more certainty
how much the beef trust, the oil trust.
the sugar trust, the steel trust, the
hardware trust, the coal trust, the fruit
trust, the salt trust, the biscuit trust
and the numerous other trusts have ad-
vanced prices than the ''highest author
ity" can. If wages have advanced
more than prices. SO that the purchas-
ing power of wages is 1.S more than
they were, as the highest authority
tries to show, the high trust prices are
rendered nugatory, and the protection
the tariff gives the trusts is the bless
ing the protechonists declare 1t is. But
if wages have not advanced as faSt US
prices have, and IL many wage earners
are working short time and many not
l emnl0vei at all. and prices have ad-