The St. Louis Republic., 1904-09-19
Campaign Book Says Republic
ans Juggle Figures 10 Gain
Their Point.
SO-CALiED "AVERAGE" FALSE.
Cost of Living Is Made t0 Seem
Low hy an Absurd Method.
the Fallacy'of Which Is
Easily Proven.


| REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Washington. Sept. ls.-A second INSTALL
! Ensnt OF advanced proofs Of the Democrat
! ic Campaign Book, which discusses visor
| ouSiy the tariff in its relation TO the cost
Of living and wage. has been made public
It. i strong deuuuciatiOr OF the abb
suri method BY which Republicans make
average cost of living seem low. while
average OF wages IS made TO seem high.
pointing out that wages have declined
from 10 j. per cent. not merely u. per
| cent, as claimed - Republican PARTISAN
experts"
Official statistics are set forth as be-
ing prepared by the GcyeruIneEt officials
especially for the Use of the Republican
Campaign Committee. The opposition Is
scored numerically for showing fayorit-
ISM 10 privileged pets. thus fostering mo
noqclieS aUi high prices. II Is asserted
that - trusts have been formed since the
enactment Of the Dinsiey law
These contentious arr slbstantiatei by
an array Ut facts ana figures which ap-
pear thoroughly convincing. At the outset
the second insial!ment ot the textbook
says:
The increased cost OF living. due TO the
Republican policy OF exorb!tant tariffs. i
felt IN every nome in the land House
wives know that because, for example, of
the B.rf Trust. meat costs from 10 10
cents :; pound more now than II die for
I-irTls. NOrklnSt:Ieu know that their cloth
IEE costs more because OF Republican hign
iaIIu taxes, mechanics KNOW that Ii;e
,nols ana implements Of their trades Gust
mure than they should. OF woul1. cost but
in- Ecpubl!cdn policies; business nel
EAncw that the typewriter for which they
must pay Slly Gusts only 81 when sold 10
foreigner: railroad men know that
American stye! rails are sold in Japan Tor
SIS To ~ a ton, while from American Tal!-
roads the Steel Trust efforts - ton.
In short, the Republican tariff system IS
devised. not as falsely claimed. TO protect
labor. but 10 enable certain huge ConSOlI-
Gated institutions. known Is trusts. TO
bleed the American people BY pooling in
teTests at home The trusts eliminate do
nestle competition. and there Is no foreign
competition because OF the high taEiH
ami enforced by . Republican edministra-
ton
RESULT sELF-EvIDENT.
The result OF this unjust system-in-
creased cost of living TO employees aE,l
employers aiike-is too sslf-eyiient to he
denied In speech at Wilmington. Del.
June Z, l.li. Secretary OF the Treasury
Leslie Nj shaw salo: May the soo1
LoTd deliver Us from another period when |
living expenses are cheap. Inen MI
Shaw cIIeayOTed to satisfy labor with III. |
increased cost Of living by asserting that |
tnan compensate Tor trust prices of beef |
and the oiher prime necessities OF life.
The Republicans graveiy announce that
while the increase in the cost OF iiyiEs II i
li. ten yeats ending in ist3 has been l5-5 /
per cent. the increase in wages durias the /
same period has been ls.o per cent. or
net Increase IN wages OF IL per cent
Even according To these figures. the
showing is a severe commentary on the /
boast that nigh tarif taxes
heEeiiI labor Allowing for the increase
in the cost OF living. the net Increase IN
wages i only IL per cent. surely not
very liberal increase for the ten-ye:.E
period. when We consider that within n.
last ten years new economies and neN
inventions have 50 increased the p-odgc-
tiveacss Of labor that In all right and
equity its wages should show a much
larger gain than that of IL per cent.
which is all that the Republicans Claim
has been made.
WAGE INCREASE FRAUDULENT.
But the humbug OF the Republican
boasts will appear still more striking when
il is seen that even the pitiful ii per cent
Increase IL fraudulent. and exists only in
he imagination Of Republican politicians |
The Republican Campaign Book gives Of
icIal Endorsement TO the absurd figures
and deductions o: the report on vases |
md cost OF living y h ch Carroll d Wrishi,
l. -uiieu Stat.S Commissioner OF i.lnof: has
prepared. Ostensib.y as an official cocc-
fnsnt. but in reality. ii seems. for tie
special use OF the Republican campaish
ts4A.A2AAAtft7- ~ 4
IN his Wilmington. Del, speech OF June
!. 1904. Secretary OF the Treasury Leslie
u, Shaw, alarmed at the growing dlscon-
ent OF the people as TO the constant IN ;
,rease OF prices demanded by the trusts
'or most OF the necessities OF NE. eGmt-
ed that prices were high. asserted that
I is 'unimporia1t what price we pay. 50
ong as NE Day il ourselves. and then .
ldded this, In the light of subsequent ce- ,
'elopments. most significant statement; '
"a, ion l.
here will be furnished from the highest
authority in the United States vel au-
heniicated data showing that the average
4 wages has increased in larger proper ,
ion than the average articles OF ordinary
loJIs.h hold consumption
Promptly on schedule time Commission
= Wright furnished the figures alluded TO
" Mr. Shaw, proving what the Repuo-
lean Campaign Committee wanted ana
hose figures have been incorporated in ,
he Republican campaign textbook ana
re being quoted by Republican papers all
,yer the country as PROOF that, although
he trusts. fostered by Republican policies,
Id raise prices. Yet wages also are raise1- ,
70 that the people can afford 10 pay the !
higher prices The absurlity Of Commi~- ,
ioner WrIght's figures Is almost sef-eyi-
lent. but that does not cet=r the hepEb-
lean committee, which Is accustomed TO
.se Cook statistics and fake averages ,
o as the nlisiead voters
The following extract points out the abb
urdity OF the Republican averages. as
,iveT by Commissioner Wright:
IF two men make 4 savings bank de-
.nSit the one OF 500 and the othe- Of 81.
he average deposit is 500. Would the 81
nan be worth 500 because OF this aver
ge'?
After pointing out many other absurdi- ,
les and Inconsistencies, the textbook
ays:
SO manifestly unjust and incorrect is
his system Of obtaining averages that :
ven so stanch Republican Organization ,
: the Protective Tariff lie gus. refuses to
~ sar,Fg.
I retail prices. on page II Of its 1914 I
and book. in an explanation of Duu's in /
* number. il is stated: Owing to the /
mpossibility OF obtaining accurate retail
riceS Wholesale quotations are taken. " I
I