Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-10-24
WILEY, DRIVEN TO
BAY, REFUSES TO
DISCUSS QUESTION
Asserts Food Prices Are Higher
in England Than in the
United States.


Democratic candidate for Congress
from the Seventh district, has made
an Intellectual effort to nave his Re-
publican opponent, Congressman Will
lam H. Wiley. explain a remark made
by the latter at a recent political
meeting, which remark was designed
to show that the extraordinary In
crease in the cost of living was due
to some other cause than the Payne
Aldrich tariff, for which Congressman
Wiley voted.
1t was on October IL that Congress-
Wiley, attending a meeting re
ported In the STAR the following day,
said, among other things:
'In free-trade England prices are
higher than they are here. Conditions
are such in England that the children
of the poorer classes are seen to eat
the refuse thrown from the stands in
market places"
Somewhat averse to believing that
Congressman Wiley had been proper
ly understood Candidate Mccoy sent
him the following under date of Oc-
tober 10.
Mccoy After Facts.
II presume that as opposing candi-
dates for election to Congress we are
destined to be a~ntagonistie somewhat
during the campaign, but that we can
be so without unfairness to each other
and so that l might not run the risk
of being unfair. | am writing you
about a statement attributed to you
in the NEWARK STAR of this date
as follows:
"In free-trade England prices are
higher than they are here
Would you mind giving me a list
OF articles entering into ordinary con-
sumption, the prices of which are
higher in England than here, and
where your facts were a%scertained?
you are stated to nave said also:
Conditions are such IN England
that the children of the poorer classes
are seen to eat the refuse thrown
from the stands in market places
MAY / ask whether this is intended
to mean that throughout England the
conditions are such as you intimate,
and also how many miles you Travelled
in England and whether you personal
~ observed any such occurrence?
"An early reply If you IA possibly
send it would be greatly appreciated
Wiley Begs the Question.
Congressman Wiley, In replying to
the foregoing, made it apparent hat he
was averse to having any further COM
m%unicatlon with Candidate Mccoy, ex-
cept to briefly answer the latter's COM
munication, which he did, In the follow
ing form;
Hitherto my relations with my Dem
,Nnvaf io a,Nnnt,an4a Ioxta oIuraac hoo~ -
the ~pleasaDtest character. Indeed, l
might say, almost cordial. We have
never INDUCED in criticism OF each
other, but confined ourselves entirely
to that Of the respective parties and
their platforms, and l had purposed
calling upon you that YOU and / might
possibly be able to reach the same posi-
tion, but your statement, that Mr.. Par
ker and I were minlons of Cannon, put
the discussion on a plane to which / am
unwilling to descend, and prevents any
such relations. much to my regret.
81 will, however, make this reply to
YOU letter of October 13:
at derived my information from oh
servation and inquiry. and have con
firmed It by inquiry since my return to
the United States. I refer particularly
to food, but there are ether matters as
well. You can obtain a list of the com
parative prices of articles entering into
ordinary consumption" by reading Sen
ate report No. 912 from the select COM
mittee, on the wages and prices of com
modities filed June 3, 1910.
I'm regard to the conditions in Eng
land, l may say, that / personally wit
messed all that ! stated in my speech.
on more than one occasion, n that /
travelled over three thousand miles in
England during the past summer"
This reply not being a direct answer
to the question of Candidate Mccoy
and still leaving a misrepresentation
concerning the cost of living in London
and New York he sent another query
to Congressman Wiley, containing a
comparative table, showing an aver
age increase of about 60 per cent. in
the cost of ordinary food products in
New York as compared with London.
Quotes Wilson'S Report.
Candidate Mccoy also quotes from
! Secretary IF Agriculture Wilson the
following statement, made last Jan
uary;
"The food products of the American
farmer are being sold in foreign coun-
tries to the consumer abroad for less
than they are being sold to consumers
at home"
Partly convinced by the tone of Con
gresham Wiley's letter hat he may
not reply to the second communication
Candidate Mccoy determined today to
furnish all the correspondence to the
press in order to show, not from his
belief, but from United States treasury
reports, the difference in the cost of
living here and abroad.
The second letter is as follows:
IL thank you for your reply Of the
14th inst. 70 my inquiry for further
information in regard to certain state
ments publicly made by you. l have
duly noted its contents.
81 cannot criticise Republicans as
such because s. many OF them agree
with me rather than with you on Can