Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-11-03
Another GIaring Instance eI
Democratic Juggling with
Government Statistics.
LABOR BULLETIN IGNORED
In Order TO Make Political Capital aui
Also TO Misrepresent Conditions
and Deceive Voters Cam
paign Textbook Trickery.

An examination of the files of the
Democratic newspapers for the past few
weeks and of the recently issued Demo-
cratic Campaign Text Book discloses a
disposition on the part of the managers
OF the Democratic campaign to discredit
the report on wages and cost of living 4
made by the Bureau of Labor in it's July
Bulletin (No. so. In view of the repu-
tatlon of Commissioner Wright for abso-
lutte fairness in the collection and pres
entatlon of statistics it is of some in
tercSt ut this time to review his report
III the light of the indignant criticisms
which it has brought forth, and it may
be said at the outset that a careful ex-
animation of the report reveals the some
what remarkable fact that practically
every criticism made has been answered
in the Bulletin itself. Indeed, it would
almost appear that the compilers of thu
Text Book either did not make use OF
the Bulletin or had no desire to be con-
vinced of the truth of the figures pub
lished therein, and that their insinua-
tons and clumsy misstatements of fact
were made for'the purpose of mislead-
ing the public mind. Let us proceed
10 the most specific of the somewhat
vague charges that are made.
1t is first charged that the report pub
lished in the Bulletin was Quoting the
Text Book prepared ostensbly as an
official document but in reality, il seems,
for the special use of the Republican
Campaign Committee" The ''well-nigh
conclusive" evidence submitted in sup
port of this charge consists of a state
ment by Secretary Shaw in June last
that such report would be published.
AS matter of fact ii had been known
to the public for several years that the
Bureau of Labor was engaged in collect
ing data for such a report and the por-
ton of the report relating to cost of liv-
ing was actually published in Bulletin
40 as early as November, 1903-nearly
eight months previous to Secretary
Shaw's statement.
Not what Democrats Wanted.
1t is clearly stated in the Bulletin
itself that the investigation was begun
in the winter of 1900-1901, and without
doubt the records of the bureau aud
the testimony of hundreds of manufac-
turers whose pay rolls were examined
would have proved the truth of the state
ment. had the truth been desired in Dem
ocratic quarters But no--for political
reasons, the facts disclosed were not
pleasing, and il seemed necessary to
adopt some method, apparently any
method that would detract from an ex-
hibt OF a remarkable condition Of indus
trial depression was desired. Conclusive
evidence is at hand that the gathering
OF these statistics was begun in the win
ter of 1900 1901. and that they were
not cooked up" for the occasion AS
charged, but il Is not to be expected
that this absurd charge will be with
drawn, although as matter OF fact the
figures as TO wages and cost of living
referred to have been corroborated by in-
dependent investigations which have been
concluded by the State bureaus of sew
eral important States
Ii IL charged also that by giving equal
weight to unimportant articles of con-
and articles of prime neces-
sity an unduly small increase In cost Of
living is secured. II is gravey asserted
that nutmegs, pepper, alum. etc.. are
given equal weight with such important
articles as lard, beef, eggs, -four, etc.
This charge might, indeed, be convinc-
ing If 1t contained even a slight element
of truth. Unfortunately for the criticism,
however, the Bulletin itself states that
all articles OF food are weighed exactly
according to the amount consumed in the
average workingman's family. In this
Bulletin the exact quantities are given
and the method clearly explained, 70
that the charge can only be construed as
a deliberate attempt TO mslead the vot-
ers of the country and not as an error
Oh the part of the compiler OF the text
book. AS a matter OF fact the most
careful search Of Bulletin IS shows that
the unmpoftant articles referred to. such
as putty. nutmegs, alum. pepper etc,
are not even mentioned therein. These
articles are found, however. among the
200 articles entering into an index OF
prices which has been publish
ed annually by the bureau for the past
three years, but this index has no con-
nectiOn whatever with the report OH cost
OF living. One pauses TO wonder nt the
fact that the Democratic managers are
SO lacking in resource as to adopt the
clumsy trick of injecting figures from
another report into n discussion Of tle
report on cost OF living. dal pretend that
they were part OF the latter report IL
must be assumed that in this section
there was the studied intention to mis-
and convey an impression to
the public utterly contrary 10 the truth
and entirely nnwarranted by the facts.
The entire portion Of the Text Book I'M
der the caption ".bsurdity OF Republic
can Averages" (peges 124 and 1851. and
much that follows on pages l26 and i27.
is of the character just mentioned
A Lrdicrop> Complaint.
The further complaint that the figures
for cost Of living are based on retail
prices instead Of wholesale can only be
by assuming that the use OF
the latter would have given the Demo
cratic campaign managers n little less
discomfort Bulletin ~ clearly explains
he reasons for the Use OF retail prices
~ a basis for cost Of living in prefer.
.nce 10 the wholesale. II is true that
wholesale prices have been used nj times
10 Indicate the ire i 81 cost OF living.
mt they are considered by economists
" unreliable for the purpose OF indicat-
TX the extent of the increase or L.
rpase. Until the present day investiga.
ION toy the Bureau OF Labor no records
4 retail prices covering ANY consider
III rs,.I 1,.I