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The Commoner.
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' VOLUME 6, NUMBER 23
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Increase in Cost of Building
Tho Boflton Commercial Bulletin undertakes Springfield, Mass"., Republican says: "From ac-
to answor tho very common complaint concern- tual quotations and conservative estimates it
ing the high price of building materials. Point- hence app0ars that it really does cost about 45 per
ing out that it is frequently said that the cost . . . . . . . ,. A
of building is twice as high as five years ago, tho cent re to "uild'today than five years ago.
Bulletin makes comparison between tho price of This is taken to refute conclusively tho no-
various kinds of lumber, steel, bricks, etc., in tion that costs of building have doubled within
1901 and tho present time. For instance tho . five years or increased by 100 per cent. And,
Bulletin says that ordinary spruce framo lumber of course, it does, assuming the correctness of tho
was quoted at $17 in May, 1901, $20 a year ago quotations which is evidently not to be ques-
and $25 now; match spruco boards $18 to $20 in tioned. But as a matter of fact -the Bulletin un-
1903, $19 to $21 a year ago, and $24 to $25 now; wittingly or carelessly concedes far more than it
extra cedar shingles $2.80 minimum in 1901, $3.30 should. The adding together of the several per-
ln 1905 and $3.G0 now; white pine uppers $G2 centuges of increase for various groups of charges
minimum in 1901, $83 in 1905 and $88 now. is of course, wholly wrong, and this may quickly
We are told that a slight increase of the be exposed by indicating that if the groups of
prices was notable for the four years to 1905, tho costs were further divided a total percentage in-
increase has been greatly extended during tho creaso of 100 or over could be obtained. It is as
past year. For instance it is pointed out that the if the percentages of the fftst table given above
common bricks, while standing at from $7.75 to bad been" added together to find the total or net
$8.00 for the years to 1905, have now jumped up average increase of cost, and that would have
to $9.75 and $10.50. Portland cement rose from given a 500 per cent increase or thereabouts
$1.54 per barrel in 1901 to $1.65 in 1905 and to Assuming that the cost of building is equally di-
$1.90 this year. Steel frame increased in price vided between labor and material, the figures
little at all In 1905 as compared with 190, but given -would show an average increase in cost of
Within a year have advanced about 5 per cent, only about 20 per cent instead of 45
Mal,? th(f .,a PrcGntaeG, comparison be- "But an increase of one-fifth or 20 per cent is
tween 1901 and the present time the Bulletin laPg0 and must bQ keen, &lt men1 nlumWng
gives the following: m.. fixtures and the like are taken into consideration,
Increase, the actual increase in cost of building may be
Per cent, found to be fully as large as represented. But
Spruce ordinary- frames .....', 47 wny should 1901 be taken as a base of reckoning?
Spruce, 10 arid1 12-inchv diameter 42 Prices had undergone a heavy advance at that
"Spruce, matched bbar'ds ......... .';. .... 29 time Combinations, trade agreements and trusts,
Shingles, cedar', extras .....'..;.. 29 promoted by and finding shelter behind the high
Clapboard, spruce, 4 feet, extras . ..''.';,. .; 33 Dingley tariff rates enacted in 1897, and thus
Laths, 1-inch : v.,.';.l;,i.. 39 taking the utmost advantage of the improving
Oak quartered, 1 inch ........... 28 industrial conditions, had begun to lift prices two
Oakj plain white, 1 inch. ....... 27 or three years before 1901, and to find out just
Whitewood, 1 inch '. ' 37 wnat has been the increase in cost of building
Maple, 1 inch .. t -22 which now impresses .people and causes painful
Ash, brown, 1 inch i .:'. . . 31 exclamation, we should have to go baclr to 1897
White pine, Michigan uppers, 1 inchf-;.. 39 ?n(l 1898. Let the Bulletin do this and then it
Cypress, 1 inch ' t. 35w 'wlll comprehend the-full ground of present com-
Brlcks : . . . . . . '.tfjftf plaint.
Tiimo . . . j, . . . .' ........ .5- "We have jaot all the quotations at band for
Cement .-.V."-. ;.r.';V7rj2ff yearsDacit of 1901, ISruc" vTie-lY-inwM&SvZ!--
Steel beams and channels, 315 inch...-. '5' irora the federal bureau of labor's recent Bulletin,
Steel beams and channels larger than 15f.s 5 giving the course of prices back to 1890. Thus
Angles; 3 inch and-larger :4 5 Michigan white pine uppers now quoted at $88
Average advance on materials .rr 27Mi wer M feet, were quoted in 189,7 and 1898 at
T , f .' .7 about $46 an increase since then of over 90
i 1 tV1,,- - er found that wages of labor, in per cent. Spruce boards, now quoted at $24,
tho-building trades have increas.ed about -14: per were then quoted at $14 an increase for the
cent, but on the assumption that labor in the eight, years of over 70 per cent. Common brick,
.production of building materials increased to an now quoted at $10, were then quoted at about
equal extent, it would appear that the increase in $5.50 an increase of nearly 100 per cent. Ce
. costs of buildings Is about equally divided, di- mont shows np increase, but there is a very sub-
- rcctly and remotely, as between material, and stantial increase in lime, in structural iron and
aAm " 1 -- steel and otlier forms of Iron an(l to Slass and
v,, i ,?.Q. e ulVG the summing-up as. given other material not included in the above review,
by the Bulletin: t , . , Let then Uie mquiry bajk eight yQara
': ' Mve Years ,,.;?iv x instead of five. The Bulletin sententiously says
V' '' " Increase, that 'prosperity is a tax.' Very good; it Is cer-
"Buildinc mnlPrlMiQ V ' M Por c1 talnly such under a trust-breeding high tariff.
Sine Kbor - v.-.' 27 Therefore extend the inquiry back to the begin-
Arc itects' fooc, ' ' 13 ninSs of the high tariff prosperity and get the full
Contractors' cLv'ir'oV '" .... 2 moaning of the tax. It will be found, we imagine
wmuactoiB chaites .,,,.. that while the costs of building may have ln
Tot T ' , - creased only about 20 per cent in five years, most
Barnes and the Muck Brush
It will be remembered that President Roose
velt recently sent to the senate the nomination of
Mr. Barnes, his present executive secretary, to
be postmaster at Washington City. Barnes is
the person who officiated in tho recent episode
at the White House in which Mrs. Minor Morris
figured, it has been charged by reputable eye
witnesses that Mrs. Morris was treated outrage
ously and foroibly ejected from the White House.
Among the witnesses to Mrs. Morris's ejection
was a representative of the Washington Star. Be
it remembered that the Washington Star is a
paper without any particular politics. It has
generally 'lined up with the national administra
tion whatever party juay have been in power.
But the Star has revolted and recently printed"
a?e taken- Ch followinS extracts
"Tho president, has roundly trounced the.
S?S?ntn;i0raljeiw? lmvo saId pleasant
things about the great trust magnates. Now it
would seem to be in order, in 'the interest" of
fair play and the square deal, for somebody to
show up the iniquities of the wielders of the'
muck-brush.
"Take for instance, the case of Mrs. Minor
Morris, now coming to the front again in con
nection with pending action upon tho nomination
of B. F. Barnes to be city postmaster. Mrs. Mor
ris was a respectable, cultured, ladylike woman
whoso husband, through the congressional pull
of her .sweet brother, Representative Hull of
Iowa, had been turned out of a petty office and
the family deprived of a livelihood. He was re
moved without the slightest charge of incapacity
or ill conduct, and solely at the demand of the
liigh-minded Hull. Headed off in all her efforts
to get redress in other quarters by her dear '
brother, she naturally went to the White House
to appeal for justice to that grand champion of
the square deal, Theodore Roosevelt.
t "An engaging trait of -Theodore Roosevelt's
v character is his readiness to stand by his friendr
when under fire. He not only gave prompt an.
proval to the action of Barnes and the W
. tjtt the affair, but in his usual imperious and
Impetuous way he undertook to make evervboriv
else approve it. yuuuy
"He attempted to coerce the newspapers into
accepting the cooked up White House version
in lieu of the careful, unbiased statements of their
own reliable and trusted reporters." In the sail o
strenuous fashion he went on to employ
whole powers of government in behalf of his
White House favorites and to crush out all op.
position. The police department and all the de
tective machinery of the government were set to
work to scour the city and country for evidence
damaging to Mrs. Morris and calculated to vindi
cate, Barnes and the police.
nn0f"Tiiemeageil results from the widespread
cast of the great executive dragnet must havo
been a sad disappointment at the White House
The biggest item in the catch was the remark
able testimony of Dr. H. Bascom Weaver of
hAeille',nN- ' This testiony, it is slateu by
an Ashevllle paper, was secured from Dr. Weaver
by Republican State Chairman T. S. Rollins, 'who
was desirous of aiding the administration,' and
at the request of the chief of police of .Wash
ington.' "ou
"Dr. H. Bascom Weaver is a "willing little
cuss, ready to violate his professional honor
for the vindication of our chief executive,' and
so he proceeds to tell an elaborate story of
having treated Mrs, Minor Morris about two
years ago in Asheville for about six: weeks, and
that he came to the conclusion that she was
unbalanced mentally. TJie White House evidently,
put a high value upon the testimony of Dr.
Weaker, for Jt is paraded as the most important
feature of the testimony against Mrs. Morris
furnished by the administration to the" postal
committee and figures prominently in that com
mittee's 'confidential' report in favor of the con
firmation of Barnes to be postmaster. But its
usefulness Ib greatly damaged by the irrefutable
proof that Mrs. Morris was never in Asheville-,
never met Dr. H. Bascom Weaver anywhere,
never wrote to Dr. H. Bascom Weaver and was
never aware of the existence of Dr. H. Bascom
-W&av.er until he bobbed up as a witness, .gainst
her on behaoif tirorsldSt' And now worst
of all, Dr. Weaver, cornered in his fabrication,
confesses that he never treated Mrs. Minor
Morris, though he names her specifically in his
testimony, but he claims that he treated another
Mrs. Morris.
, "Then Major Sylvester reports regretfully
that nothing defamatory of Mrs. Morris could be
obtained from the department stores.
It J? be resretted that the testimony
of. the White House officials and employes is
not presented in a more intelligible shape. It
is evident that the witnesses were not properly
coached. Of course the whole gang was badly
rattled by the exigencies of the case. No two
of. the witnesses agree.
"Moral The victims of a White House
Knock-down and drag-out should never be indig
nant and on no account drop on their knees and
offor up a prayer for divine guidance and support,
under penalty of being declared insane; and if
they should follow up this incriminating act by
praying twice' on their knees, "they must be
adjudged dangerous lunatics to be consigned at
once to a padded cell.
"But what does the republican senate care
for evidence? Barnes, through whose blundering
stupidity and incapacity this great national scan
dal has fallen upon tho White House, will be
rewarded by an office with a salary considerably
-larger than is given to United States senators
and representative more than Secretary Loeb
gets, or tho secretary of the senate; more than
the justices of the supreme court of tho district
get.
,l, "50wn witl1 the accursed muck-rake. . .Up
with the blessed muck-brush 1 , '
"That is- the latest edict from the White
House." , -
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TIME TO BEGIN
The New. York American says:- "It Is not
apparent, if the president has the smallest re
gard for consistency, how he can continue to
refrain from action. 'The Standard Oil company
ho proclaims, 'has, largely by unfair and unlaw
ful methods, crushed out home competition.'
Apply the law, then, Mr. Roosevelt, and crush this
law-defying trust. Words,' as you truly said
long ago, 'are good when bached by deeds, and
only so " . ;
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