Show F t WAGES AND COST Of LIVING Grotesque Attempt by Democrats to Twist Facts for Campaign Consumption GROSSLY CROSSLY CROSS L Y I INACCURATE STATEMENTS STATE Country Is Not in Throes of a Disastrous A Business Depression and Workingmen Continue to Prosper What Prosper What the Figures Show Nothing could better illustrate the infinIte infinite infinite in in- finite capacity of or the Democratic party part for doing the wrong thing at the right moment than its attempt to outface acknowledged industrial conditions with the othe bald statement of ot its campaign text textbook book book that that business depression of or this year is greater than was that of 1803 and 1804 As there are arc as many million American Ameri Amen can voters as there are millions engaged in industrial pursuits whose who e experience spans the deca decade e. e and who know this to be most fortunately false tale there is no need to waste time in refuting it The Democratic depression that prevailed from 1 1803 03 to 1897 1807 paralyzed industry in every section of the United States and its pinch was felt in home The business depression of c IS is year is so largely a figment of ot Democratic imagination nation that it requires a magnifying glass to be seen and what there is of or it is b rapidly fading tading from sight as the prospects of ot a great Republican victory become more certain But the Democratic campaign nook book ook is not satisfied with this grotesque generalization generalization generali generali- so it attempts to controvert the Republican claim of prosperous times in farm office and workshop with the assertion assertion assertion as as- that no one is better off oil by reason reason rea rea- Sl son n of ot increased incomes income because the cost t of ot living has bas increased How lion utterly and irrationally absurd abound is this contention is proved by the fact that if it prices were advancing ad more rapidly than the earnings of ot the great mass of or orthe the time people the great mass of ot the people would soon be irretrievably insolvent or their purchases be so curtailed that the of ot business would be enormously reduced There is no possibility of ot making a scientific comparison of ot me toe relative increase increase increase in in- crease in wages and the cost lOst of t living because they are controlled by different t factors The rate of or wages is controlled by industrial conditions the cost of or livin living liv liy- in ing is controlled by the individual No o Noman Noman oman man can fix his income at will any man can cap limit his expenditures Let conditions conditions conditions condi condi- provide sufficient wages wares to the g nan and it rests with him to say by hat margin he will live within his income The larger that income the larger larger h is lI us Itt wo wages vannce he in in the language of Micawber is misery miser if iC they Are ire expended with economy the result i is an accumulation of wealth and ha happiness p ne s. s Convincing Testimony Good times under Republican administration administration admin admin- ration has provided the better wages and the economy of ot the American merican peo- peo piled up the means of at contentment contentment content content- content content- ment and happiness as is evidenced by bythe tl tile the e following statement of or the number of depositors and depo deposits its in n the savin savings banks lanks of ot the United States Stites for the eleven years from 1803 to lOui S inclusive Year YIU No o. o Depositors Deposits Iso Iso-i 1805 isom I 1 lO 8 6 1 I 09 W 2 4 1 1900 1000 10 G. G 1 S1 1901 1001 1 63 7 4 0 O 1902 0 1903 1003 The rhe Democratic depression of ot and 1894 1804 to which the campaign campain book inadvertently directs attention was marked by a falling off in deposits of ot over in one year Between 1803 1893 and 1903 1003 the Ilera average e due each depositor increased from to More significant than the increase in deposits is the fact act that in 1003 1903 there were absolutely new savings hank bank depositors in the United States marking an increase of ot nearly 50 per percent percent cent during a period when the total population only increased 24 per cent Wrights Wright's Col Summary Turning now to the direct comparison of or the advance in III wages and cost of ot living living living liv liv- ing during the period under revIew the Democrats affect the greatest t contempt for or the government sIa statistics ti cs which under the able con cit conscientious and unbiased unbilled un un- billed biased direction of Carroll D. D Wright present the following instructive summary summary sum sum- mary marr These e figures present the results of ot an extensive investigation into the wages and hours hour of or labor in the leading manufacturing manu mann and mechanical industries of ot the tho ho United States during durin the period nam nam- ed d. d It has designed to cover thoroughly the he principal occupations and Mr Ir Wright in submitting it see Bulletin Bulletin Bulle- Bulle tin jn of or the Bureau of ot Labor No 53 13 Ju July loot 1904 says It is believed that the data presented are more comprehensive and representative so far AS ilS the manu mann and mechanical 1 industries are concerned than any that have han been heretofore heretofore here here- published The fj figures urt 1 a aS a'S to income and ad expenditure are summarized from data gathered gathered gath gath- ered from 2567 2507 families in 33 States hose whose average income from all sources was a year ear whose hose avera average e expenditure was wu 7 j and aad whose average expenditure for tor food was per family tam fam ily or per cent of ot the average expenditure for all purposes This data was corroborated by other information in le less j detail form torm from families and so is entitled to be accepted as rep rep- The most cursory examination of or the above table reveals the Ithe fact tact that the purchasing power of or wages measured by retail prices prices' es' es of ot food tood was 5 per cent greater in 1903 than in 1893 and this in ill spite of ot the time fact that the hours per week had been reduced 37 per cent But more snore conducive to the wide dissemination dis of ot the prosperity than these proofs of or the increased purchasing power power pow pow- er of or wages is the fact revealed in the column giving the relative number 01 of persons employed in the establishments investigated Between 1804 1894 and 1903 1003 the increase in the number of ot re- re eiTing these wages with increased purchasing pur pun chasing power was per cent while in the meantime the population of or the United States only increased 21 per cent Democracy Last Resort Disheartened and disgusted ted with the wide distribution of prosperity in the homes workshops and bank accounts o ot of American wage earners demonstrated by these figures the Democrats appeal to railroad labor as affording the most accurate accurate accurate ac ac- ac- ac curate barometer of or wages wales Here they i say a large proportion of the are union men men whose wages are corn com steady Then the compilers of ot the Democratic Democrats campaign book begin to juggle with th the very averages and percentages they al affect af- af feet to despise They institute comparisons compari- compari sons between 1892 1802 when railway wages wage were at hi high h tide and 1001 1901 when the they had scarcely recovered from Democratic Democrat rece recession sion of 1893 1803 They suppress the time fact tact that the statistical average o ot of railway wages was less affected by th the Democratic hard times than the average of or other industries for tor the obvious reason reason reason rea rea- son that as forces were reduced in numbers numbers numbers num num- bers the proportion of ot high priced em em- retained because of ot their exper experience ence was greater They also conclude their comparisons comparison with the year ending June 1002 1902 well knowing that the statistics of ot th the Interstate te Commerce Commission fo for that reflect a month or two of the advance ce in n railway wages of t that tha calendar year yeaT which did not noc reach floo flood tide until July 1003 1903 Not until th the statistics of the Interstate Commerce Commission for the year 1004 1003 ar are published next summer will it be possible possible possible pos pos- sible to make an authoritative compariSon compari- compari son of ot the wages of ot railway and the cost of or living in the year rear 1003 1903 But the report of or the Commission fo forthe for the fiscal year 1903 1003 is available and i it furnishes the following data which throws light on the he rich Tich slice of ot prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- which has fallen to the share o ot of railway NUMBER U mER AND COMPENSATION OF OFIN r. r RAILWAY AND iY 1 1903 IN TIlE THE YEARS Y Year Tear ar Number lImb r. r Compensation 1903 J 1 1897 97 Increase Increase per cent CO Increase of ot compensation relatively over oer num number er 7 71 That this relative increase of ot compensation compensation compared with that in the number num num- ber her of ot railway does snot not tell tel the whole truth is proved by the the following following follow ollow- ing table AVERAGE DA DAILY DAHY ILY COMPENSATION OF OP Cf CERTAIN DISTINCTIVE CLASSES OK Ol RAH RAILWAY WAY I S FOR TIm YI YEARS AnS I ENDING JU JUNE 1897 1807 AND 1003 1903 vide ride sixteenth annual report of ot time tile statistics of ot railways railway In the middle States for tor 1903 1003 p. p 43 Dally Daily Com pen Increase aY average cation per Class 1897 1903 c cent nt 35 05 99 linemen Firemen 20 Conductors Other trainmen Section foremen 4 47 Other track men What Wha the Figures Pro It will be observed that these six Ix distinctive distinctive ills dis dis- dis classes of or railway embracing embracing em em- bracing almost half halt of ot all the railway in the United States in 1003 1903 against in 1807 were cre receiving an average dally daIly compensation Course of ot employment wages hours boors of ot labor weekly and retail retell prices of ot food tood and purchasing power of ot weekly I a earnings relatively to prices I of ot food tood 1893 1903 Relative numbers computed on basis buls o of avera averse average e for 1890 1809 Retail Tur Pur pow power r Hours per Weekly prices weekly Traces wages Relative week relative earnings of ot nod food tod rel rd to price Year Yur Number r number relative relative o of ot food tood 1803 1893 2 92 10 1003 1013 3 1012 1032 KM 1044 4 1894 S1 08 9 91 7 I lJj 1001 lOOi S. S boa 6 1890 1896 S 95 9 9 55 1042 1807 1897 1009 6 9 2 93 1030 1 1899 1805 1003 1063 7 1000 1010 57 1013 1500 1109 12 1012 1017 JOI 1900 1000 19 5 15 97 1041 1001 1130 1130 0 1001 19 1 1191 1059 1039 l 1902 i. i 1007 1002 6 1230 1093 1109 iio 85 1003 10 10 1264 11 1123 3 1103 1303 1018 during the year er 3 1902 3 10 more than tha 10 per percent percent percent cent cent greater reter than daring the year ear 1896 1897 1837 Moreover it is i a notorious fact that these thee averages average do not begin to represent represent represent rep rep- resent the increase in the earnings of or railway during the summer umer of 1903 1003 when the rate of or pay of ot certain classes was wa raised ri ed from 10 to 15 per cent In that year ear too there wera sveno more moore persons employed in the six classes named than in Iii 1807 and td according to the Interstate Commerce Commission they tey were receiving the increased dal daily average average aver aver- age agE pay where they received nothing Inthe Inthe in inthe the y year er ar last lut named Finally FInaly returns gathered from the annual annual an an- nual reports reports for the year ending Juno JUlO 1904 1004 of ot eI eight ht representative railways railways rail rail- rai- rai ways in Ia different parts pUl of ot the country having a total mileage ae of ot miles mit indicate that that- the that the compensation compensation- of their ir J 1 has lias ha increased more than 10 pea pel L cent over the tho year Cr previous while the th d. d 1 wl number of ot their employee has ha remae s practically stationary as a Is shown hOWD la I t t. t t. t j. following table Number umber and compensation of ot empl y- y eight representative railways Year Tear ending I June JO 3 No em tio 1004 1904 S 1903 t. t eIO Increase 4 Increase per cent 0 04 10 v lIen Here lt at ter last lat we see cc le truly trull r l j effect fet of o the horizontal raise ra in the tl wage WN ic t of ot railway em made mad a is the result na of ot the widespread labor agitation i Ia f the th te cummer ummer of or 1903 The Th advance dunc WM wu A variously estimated at the t time thai s from 12 to 15 per cent and any statistics that fall fail tai to show It must be b distorted by the introduction of ot some factor acor sac uck v as a a t disproportion of low price labos tending to reduce the average 0 O In connection with the tha above proof jot j of ot the 10 per cent advance in ha railway f j wages in one year yar it should be b. rom t i ity ty that the decline in prices price preN bejo br In 1903 10 continues t If I the Democrats Democrat are an at willing JUnr to t ao- ao a. a the pay of labor a as the te most moat mot fa accurate barometer of ot wages warel th te Ee- Ee n Jf publican party can Cau call cal to the witness stand railway employed t. t it testify to the fact tact that measured by what it will wi buy their income of 1904 i is i h higher her than it was wu in 1897 and nd nearly near near- ner ly half bait a million milon of ot theta them tem can cn truthfully affirm aIrm that they received no 1 tion whatever in 1897 where accordini i to the above system of or average nation cation they now divide some 2150 i them about 7 0 among the or apiece |