Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1904-08-12
FOR PRESIDENT:
ALTON b. PARKER,
FOR VICE-PREsIDENT:
HENRY G. DAVIS,
OF WEST VIRGINIA.
COWHERD MAKES REPLY

NuhiImnu OoWHcIu, VI Tue DeInOcraLlc
Congressional Campaign Committee, has is.
sued a statement in refutation of the recent.
ly published tables from the Bureau of
Labor, relative to the increase in wages and
the cost of living. Mr.. Cowherds conclu.
sions are as follows:
In the bulletin on cost of living and wages
recently issued by the bureau of statistics
the methods adopted are as remarkable as
the conclusions reached. Wholesale prices
have always been the standard by which
the rise or fall OF the cost OF living has been
computed. Had Col. Wright followed the
customary course of using wholesale prices
he would have been confronted with the
excellent tables issued by Dun and Brad.
street, both recognized commercial authori.
ties.
Dun's table of prices shows that from
July, 1897, the low point to March, 1904, the
highest point, cost of living increased 43 per
cent. The most skillful juggler could not
show such rise in wages. Party necessi.
ties therefore would not permit Mr.. Wright
10 use this table, and he dare not refute IT,
So he adopts the shifting, uncertain and un.
known standard of retail prices. Whole
sale prices are fixed and stable, the same in
every community, with cost of freight added.
There is neither stability nor uniformity in
retail prices Coffee sells in the same city
for from 10 to 40 cents, tea from 90 cents to
$3.50, best creamery butter from IS to 30
cents per pound. A bright field agent Sc
lectlng his stores and localities could find
evidence in retail prices to support any
theory.
This was the way IN which the cost Of
living was reduced.
The methods employed to raise wages were
equally as questionable Every one knows
that the greatest increase in wages is to be
found in those industries where union labor
Is strongest and where the strength of the
nnlon has been developed during the period
under investigation. These conditions are
peculiarly applicable TO the building trades.
Out of the 3429 establishments selected by
Mr. Wright for comparison, /, 1855, or more
than one third, are in the building trades
or the remainder. 1885 are likewise in the
unprotected industries.
The greatest employers of labor in the
country are the railroads, and no other in
dustry Is better barometer of the average
wage. The railroads employ all kinds of Ia.
Dor, skilled and unskilled, union and non.
union. In no other industry are as com
plete and accurate statistics available. Each
railroad reports to the interstate commerce
commission the total wages paid during
each year and the total number of workmen
on June 80 of that year. The average wage
IL therefore easily obtainable.
Why were no railroad wages included Ia
Mr. Wrghts reportp The answer is ap
parent. The last report OF the interstat.
commerce commission shows an increase O
railroad wages Of only 3 per cent. The rail
roads employ more than 800 900 men. Mr.
Wright's figures cover 178,S27 Miners, on,
of the next largest bodies of laborers, alst
are omitted Mr.. Wrghts table does no
show that any of these 176. 1927 men received
more wages in 1903 than in 1902, or any
other year. 1t only claims To show the
hourly wage for those particular men hal
Increased
In other words. had mill raised the wage
OF It's employees 10 per cent and then shu
down one half the time, this would hay,
figured in Mr. Wright's table as an increas
In wages, 1t would have been Just as cas-,
To have selected an equal number of estab
lishmenls, whose output quality of work
and number Of employees was decreasing
and shown reduction instead of an in
crease in wages. Then. too, by taking hour
ly wages Mr.. Wright would not have 4
consider the 100000 men now out of EN-
ployment BY careful selection of his es
Establishments he did not have To consider III
100000 men whose wages, the trade Jour
nal tells US, were reduced in 1903 and 100
from 10 to 30 per cent
We shall appeal from Col. Wright ana hi
expert statisticians TO one who figures NOR
skillfully and carefully than he-the house
wife with the market basket, who must max,
her husbands scanty wages cover the con
slantly increasing cost Of the iamily's dali,
needs.