Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-17
Theory Versus Fact.

The Republican argument for protec-
ton has been furnished by the de-
partment of commerce and labor, as
was foretold by Secretary Shaw in his
Wilmington speech. The highest au-
thority" has, after a year and a 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 economiZing 10 make
them meet expenses may know better.
but the highest authority attempts
TO prove that, although retail plices for
necessities have advanced 1913 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 Il few
years ago. Most wage earners will be
very much dissatisfied with their pres
cnt wages when they discover that the
report Of the department of labor de-
clares that the wages paid 10 others
than themselves have been increased
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 at the
increased cost of living, and wholesale
prices have advanced, according to
Dun'S Index Numbers, 43 per cent up
TO March, 1904. Duns figures are adj
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 ac
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 fig
urcs were too unstable for the "high-
est authority" for too great an adj
vance in prices was indicated. so the
highest authority" started out at gov
eminent 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 a
vast difference in price for the same or
Il similar article at retail stores, ac
cOrdin@ to their location and style of
business. You can buy becfstCak all
the way from 10 cents to 10 cents a
pound. Many other necesSuriCs show
very nearly as great a difference.
The highest authority" saw this OPP
pOrtunity to juggle the figures and
prove by them that there had only
been n 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 numcr
Gus strikes that are in progress to pre-
vent cuts in wages and to the reduc-
tons made that the men have accepted
rather than strike. To accomplish this
feat the highest authority" took pains
to elect 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- |
vanccd prices than the highest author
ity" can. If wages have advanced ,
more than prices. 81 that the purChas- |
ing power of wages Is Is more than |
they were, as the highest authority" |
tries to show, the high trust prices are |
rendered nu@atory. and the protection |
the tariff gives the trusts i the bless |
ins. the prutCCtiuniStS declare il is. But |
If wages have not advanced rs fast as |
prices have, and If many wage earners |
are working short time and many not !
employed at all. and prices have adj |
vanced. as Dun'S figures show, about |
- per cent. then the tariff should be |
revised so that trust prices would fall |
and the purchasing power Of wages be |
increased