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Show WAGES AND COST OFlH Grotesque Attempt by Democrats to Twist Facts for Campaign Consumption. GROSSLY INACCURATE STATEMENTS Country Is Not in Throes of a Disastrous Business Depression, and Workingmen Continue to Prosper What the Figures Show. Nothing could better Illustrate the Infinite In-finite rapacity of tho jcinocratlc party for doing the wrong thing at the right moment than Its attempt to outface acknowledged Industrial conditions with tho bald statement of Its campaign text book "that business depression of this J ear Is greater than was that of 1803 mid 180 1." As there arc as many million American Ameri-can voters as there nre millions engaged in Industrial pursuits whose experience spans the decide, nnd who know this to be most fortunately false, there is no need to waste time In refuting it. Tho Democratic depression that prevailed from 1803 to 1807 paralyzed Industry In every section of the United Status, and Us pinch was felt in every home. The "business depression of ,-.s year" Is so largely a figment of Democratic Imagination Imagi-nation that it requires a magnifying glass to be seen, and whnt there is ot it is rapidly railing from sight as the prospects or a great Itepublican victory become more certain. Hut the Democratic campaign book is not satisfied with this grotesque gcnerall-z-itlon, so it nt tempts to controvert the Itepublican claim ot prosperous times lu farm, ofllce and workshop with the ns-sertlnn ns-sertlnn that no one is better off by reason rea-son of Increased Incomes, because thu cost of living has Increased disproportionately. dispropor-tionately. How utterly and Irrationally nbsnrd Is this contention Is proied by tho tact that If prices were advancing more rapidly than the earnings of the great mass of the people, tho great mass of the people would soon l Irretrievably Insolvent or their purchases won... be so curtailed that the volume of business would be enormously reduced. There is no possibility of making a scientific comparison of uie relative Increase In-crease In wages and the cost of living, because they are controlled by different factors. The rate of wages Is controlled by Industrial conditions; the cost of llv-inr llv-inr Is controlled by the individual. No man can fix his income nt will; any man can limit bis expenditures. Let conditions condi-tions provide sufficient wages to the worklngman, and it rests with him to say by what margin he will live within his Income. The larger that income the larger his possible surplus. If better wages breeds extravagance, the result. In the language of Mlcawbcr, Is misery; It they are expended with economy, the result Is nn accumulation of wealth and happiness. CnnvliiclnB Testimony. Good times under llepuhllcan administration admin-istration has provided tho bettor wages, nnd tho economy of tho American people peo-ple has piled up the means of contentment content-ment nnd happiness, as is evidenced by the following statement nf the number of depositors nnd deposits In tho savings liuks or the United States for the eleven years from 1S03 to l!lu.t, inclusive: Year. No. Depositors. llcposlts. IHM s.tm.VIO $t.7t-,.f.Vin-,7 1-1I 4.7T7,fi.ST 1,T47,0R1,'.'SU tvea 4,S7.Vil(l l,Nln..v.i7,ir.':t iv n.tsn.tll l.d07,l"n,277 imit n.snt.i.f.' i,!ii'i,:t7n.ii.Ti tff.S n.KS.1.7111 2,llll-..ltll.VtiS imo s,(;s7.mr s.'JSii.r.r.n.tni ttso aio7.ns:i vu'i,.-i7,n.-, Hsu o.n."i.72:i 2..v7.i..vi 1IKC O.CIJM.nT.J 2.7.VI,I77,V!I0 l'joa 7,3n.V.'.,S S.U35,su.s- The Democratic depression of 1803 nnd IS) I, to which the campaign book Inadvertently directs attention, wns marked by a falling oft lu deposits of over f37.000.000 iu one year. Iletween 1803 and 1003 the average due each depositor Increased from ?3l0 to $117, More significant than the increase in deposits is the fact that In 1003 ther were 2,474,fi!IO absolutely new savings bank depositors in the United States, marking nn Increase of nearly 00 per cent, during a period when th total population only Increased "I per cent. Cot. Wrlnht'a riiinimnry. Turning now to tho direct comparison nf the advance In wages nnd cost of living liv-ing during the period under review, the Democrats nffert the greatest contempt for tho government statistics, which, under the able, conscientious and uu biased direction of Carroll D. Wright. I present tho following Instructive summary: These figures present tho results of an extensive investigation into the wages nnd hours ot labor lu th leading manufacturing manu-facturing and mechanical industries ot the United Stntes during the period named. nam-ed. It has designed to corer thoroughly th principal destluctive occupations, nnd Mr. Wright, In submitting It (see Uulle-tin Uulle-tin ot the llurcati or Labor, No. 53, July, 1001,) say: "It i believed that the data presented arc more comprehensive .and representative so far as the rnanu-factuting rnanu-factuting and mechanical industries are concerned than any that have bun fcr-tofore fcr-tofore published," The 6fures a to income and expenditure expen-diture or aummarised from data gathered gath-ered from 2.507 families, in 33 States, v hose nversre-Incom from all sources was $027 a year, whose avtrig sipsn-dltur sipsn-dltur wa $7. and who avsrag expenditure for food was $320 per family, fam-ily, or 42.51 per cent, ot the nvernge expenditure for nil purMises. This data was corroborated by other information iu less dct nil form, from tXi.-llO families, nnd so Is entitled to be accepted as rep-lesrntntlve. rep-lesrntntlve. The most cursory examination or the above table reveals the fact that the purchasing power of wages, measured by retail prices of food, was 5 per cent, greater In 1003 than In 1803, and this iu spite of the fact that the hour per week had been reduced 3.7 per cent. Itut more conducive to the wide dls-ccmlitatlon dls-ccmlitatlon of the prosperity than these proofs of tho Increased purchasing power pow-er of wages, is the fact revealed in the column giving the relative number of person employed In the establishments investigated, ltotween 180-1 nnd 1003 the Increase lu the number of employes receiving re-ceiving theso wages with Increased purchasing pur-chasing power was 31.3 per cent., whllo In the meantime the population of the United States ouly increased 21 per cent. Democracy's I.ust Kesort. Disheartened and disgusted with the wide distribution of prosperity in the homes, workshops nnd bank nccounts of American wage earners, demonstrated by these figures, the Democrats appeal to "railroad labor as affording the most accurate ac-curate barometer of wages." Here, they say, "a large proportion or e employes aro union men, whose wages are comparatively com-paratively steady." Then the compilers or the Democratic campaign book begin to Juggle with the very averages and percentages they affect af-fect to despise. They institute comparisons compari-sons between 1802, when railway wages were at high tide, and 1001, when they had scarcely recovered from Democratic recession of 1803-1800. They suppress the fact that the statistical average of railway wages was less affected by the Democratic hard times than the nvernge of other industries, for the obvious rca son that as forces were reduced In numbers num-bers the proportion of high priced employes em-ployes retained because of their experience experi-ence was greater. They also conclude their comparisons with the year ending June 30th, 1002, well knowing that the statistics ot the Interstate Commerce Commission for that year only reflect a month or two of the advanco In railway wages of that calendar year, which did not reach flood tltlo until July, 1003. Not until the rtntlstlcs of the Interstate Commerce Commission for tho year 1003-1001 arc published next summer will It be possible pos-sible to make an authoritative comparison compari-son of the wages or railway employes nnd the cost or living In the year 1003. Bat the report or the Commission for the fise.il year 1003 is available, and it furnishes the following data, which throws light on the rich slice of prosperity pros-perity which has fallen to the share of railway employes: M'MrtKK AND rOMPHSRATION OP ItAIMVAY i:.Ml'I.OYES IN THU YEAItS 1S)7 AND 1003: Yrsr. Number. Compensation. 10OI 1.312.MT $77-'.SJ1.4t.1 1SD7 SJ3.t;0 4(W.U01,.-,1S Increase 4S.O01 3O9,710,R,1l Imrr.ise per cent.. C0.4 C0.5 lurrraso nf compensation relatively over number 7.1 That this relative Increase of compensation, compen-sation, compared with that In the number num-ber of railway employes, does not tell the whole truth Is proved by the following follow-ing table: AVmt.UlK DAILY COMPENSATION OP OKIITAIN DISTlNtTIVi: CLASSES OP ItAILWAY EMl'I.OVKS foil Till: YIIAUH i:NII.N( Jl'NH 30TJI. 117. AND 1903 (vble slitientti snmial report of the stnllitles of mllnsys In the middle btatcs for 1S03, p. 43.) Dally Compen- Increase avernt entlnn per Ctais. Ii!i7. HKI3. cent. r.uginemen t:iai 4 m n.o rircmen 2.IH 2.2S 11.2 Conductors 3.07 ail 10.1 Other trainmen 1.00 2.17 14.2 Section foremen .... 1.70 ITS 4.7 Other trackmen 1.10 1.3J T3.S U lint the Klmire Pros- It will be observed that these six distinctive dis-tinctive classes of railway employes, embracing em-bracing almost halt or all the railway employes In the United States (501,47.1 In 1003 against :'.03,5r3 in 1S07) were receiving an average dally compensation Course ot employment, wages, hours of labor, weekly earnlurs and retnll prices of food, and punhaslug power of weekly caniluga relatively to pilrcs of fucd 1MU-1003. 1MU-1003. (Ilclstlv number computed on bssls of averag for ISOn-lSftO-tOOn.) Hetull I'ur. power Employe Hours per Weekly prlees weekly irngrs Iteliillv week, rtlutlv earnings of fond rel. to pries Yesr. Number number retail! r. reUtlve. of food. lhTl tfl.1 lr2 1012 104.4 Oft.0 1H1U 01.1 008 07.7 0'7 PRO trlfl MJ 100.1 0S4 P7S 111011 IS0I1 US 3 W., KiS PV3 104.2 1!I7 1000 !). D!I2 0U.3 llXt.o 1RU1 1IW.3 W.7 1000 0S.7 Ml 3 I MM 1IU.0 K12 1111.8 Wl.,1 Jill 7 10c 113.3 0S.7 1011 ion.1 1030 11)01 110.1 0.t llVi.O 1U.-I.2 lixi.7 llS.i 1--M.0 07.S 100.3 110.0 HSfl 1D03 1-U.4 t0.O 112.3 1103 101 S during the year 1002-3 more than 10 per cent, greater than during th year IS'.)!!-1807, IS'.)!!-1807, Morcmer, It la a notorious fact that the averages do not begin to represent rep-resent th Increase In the earnings of railway employe during th slimmer of 1003, wheu the rat or pay or certain classes was raised from 10 to 15 per cent. In that year, too, there were 227,012 more persons employed In the six classes named than lu 1807, and according to the Interstate Commerce Commission they were receiving Uie Increased dally averag aver-ag pay where they received nothing lu the year last named. Finally, returns gathered from th annual an-nual report for the year ending Juno 30th, 1004, of eight representative railways rail-ways In different parts- ofths country, I having a total ralleag ot 10,587 miles, Indlcat that tb oompeasatlsa t Ueir employes has increased more than 10 o cent, over the year previous, while t number of their employes has remained practically stationary, as is shown In th following table: Number and compensation of emplise t eight representsllvs rsllwsys: rar ending Cerjpeae- JiiusUO No. employes. Hob 1POI lOI.HII tOA.40O.M1 1003 lUJ.bDl 60.2S3.OM7 Increase .'. 453 6.210,870 Ineresse per cent... 04 10 Here at last we see truly reflected the effect of the horizontal raise lu th wag of railway employes made aa th rssuh of the widespread labor agitation la th summer nf lOU'l, The advance wa luriously estimated at the time is from 12 to 15 per cent., and any statistics that fall to show It must be distorted by the Introduction of some factor, such ns u dlsprcqiortion of low price Ubo tending to reduce tho average. Iu connection with the ahov proof of the 10 per cent, advance In railway wages in one year, it nhould b remembered remem-bered that the decline lu price bgu in 1003 continues. If tho Domocrats ar willing to accept ac-cept the pay ot railway labor a th most accurate barometer or wages, th Republican Re-publican party can call to th witness stand 1,312,337 railway employes t testify to the tact that, measured by what It will buy, their Incom ot 1004 is higher than It was In 1S07, and nearly near-ly hair n million or them can truthfully nfllrm that they received no compecs-tlon compecs-tlon whatever In 1807 where, according to the above system or average compensation, compen-sation, they now divide some $275,000,-000 $275,000,-000 among them, or about $503 apltc. |