CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (BUBEATJ OF LABOE STATISTICS.) 



193 



quiry the organic causes of impending or threat- 

 ened social disorders, and what under all the 

 circumstances are the general conditions of 

 legislative operations best calculated to pre- 

 vent them. 



"To aid the legislator in this direction is the 

 principal object of this bill. The creation of 

 the bureau proposed in this bill will lead to a 

 greater, profounder, and more extended knowl- 

 edge of the general character, habits, manners, 

 customs, and dispositions of the people, their 

 social status, their progress in civilization and 

 intelligence, their material and sanitary condi- 

 tion, their advancement in moral and mental 

 culture, their different classifications as to la- 

 borers, skilled and unskilled, professional men, 

 capitalists, and non-producers, as well as the 

 production and distribution of wealth. The 

 object of the bureau, tersely stated, is to pro- 

 mote a more general diffusion and better com- 

 prehension of social science. Sociological sci- 

 ence is based upon statistics which collects, 

 collates, arranges, and compares facts, from 

 which the statesman ascertains, and without 

 which he can not ascertain, those great princi- 

 ples in accordance with which the state must 

 act if it would promote and foster the well- 

 being and happiness of its citizens. It is from 

 this source alone that the political economist 

 can determine an equitable and just rule to 

 govern the production and distribution of 

 wealth. 



"It is hardly possible that any gentleman 

 upon this floor will deny that correct and sys- 

 tematized information of the character here 

 outlined is not essentially and absolutely neces- 

 sary to a comprehensive knowledge of social 

 subjects and to a correct understanding and 

 just conception of the exact condition of the 

 country and the legislation necessary to more 

 effectually advance the material and social 

 well-being of the people. To my mind such 

 data and information are of the greatest im- 

 portance in tracing and determining the vari- 

 ous circumstances by which evils and wrongs 

 creep into society, as well as pointing out the 

 safest and surest means of removing them, be- 

 cause from that source alone can be ascertained 

 a knowledge of the action and reaction which 

 is forever taking place among the different and 

 manifold elements of which society is com- 

 posed." 



The bill was amended in several points, more 

 or less important, and passed the House April 

 21st, by the following vote : 



YEAS G. E. Adams, J. J. Adams, Alexander, Ar- 

 not, Atkinson, Barley, Bayne, Beach, Bisbee, Blan- 

 chard, Boyle,Brainerd, Breckenridge, Brcitung, F. 

 B. Brewer, W. W. Brown, Budd, Calkins, Felix 

 Campbell, J. M. Campbell, Cannon, Carleton, Cas- 

 Bidy, Clay, Cobb, Collins Cosgrove, W. K. Cox, D. 

 B. Culberson, W. W. Culbertson, Curtin, Cutcheon, 

 Davidson, G. E. Davis, L. H. Davis, R. T. Davis, 

 Deuster, Dingley, Dockery, Dunham, Eldredge, El- 

 liott, Ermentrout, I. N. Evans, Everhart, Ferrell, 

 Fiedler, Foran, Funston, Geddes, George, Goff, Green- 

 leaf, Halsell, Hanback, Hancock, Hardeman, Hardy, 

 Harmer, Hart, H. H. Hatch, W. H. Hatch, Haynes, 

 VOL. xxiv. 13 A 



D. B. Henderson, T. J. Henderson, Henley, Hep- 

 burn, G. W. Hewitt, Hiscock, Hitt, Holman, Holmes, 

 Hopkins, Horr, Houseman, Howey, Hunt, Kurd, 

 James, Jeffords, Johnson, B. W. Jones, J. H. Jones, 

 Jordan, Kasson, King, Kleiner, Lacey, Laird, Lamb, 

 Lanham, Lawrence, Long, Levering, Lowry, McAdoo, 

 McCoid, McComas, McKinley, Maybury, Maillard, J. 

 F. Miller, S. H. Miller, Mitchell, Money, Morey, 

 Morgan, Morrison, Morse, Muldrow, Murray, Mutch- 

 ler, Neece, Nelson, Nutting, J. J. O'Neil, Patton, 

 Payne, Payson, Pierce, 8. W. Peel, S. J. Peelle, Per- 

 kins, Peters, Post, Price, Pryor, Pusey, Randall, 

 Ranney t G. W. Ray, Ossian Ray, Reese, Riggs, W. 



E. Robinson, Rockwell, Rosecrans, Rowell, Kyan, 

 Seney, Seymour, Singleton, 0. R. Skinner, T. G. 

 Skinner, Slocum, Smith, Snyder, Spriggs, Springer, 

 Steele, Stevens, Charles Stewart, Stone, Strait, Stru- 

 ble. C. A. Sumner, D. H. Sumner, E. B. Taylor, 

 Tully, Valentine, Van Alstyne, Vance, Van Eaton, 

 Wait, Wakefield, Richard Warner, Weaver, Well- 

 born, Weller, Wemple. J. D. White, Whiting, Will- 

 iams, Willis, James Wilson, E. B. Winans, Wolford, 

 Wood, Worthington, Yaple, York, Young 182. 



NAYS Aiken, Ballentme, Bennett, Bjand, Blount, 

 Buchanan, Candler, Clements, Crisp, Dibrell, Dunn, 

 J. H. Evins, Hemphill, J. H. Rogers, Scales, Shaw, 

 Tillman, H. G. Turner, Oscar Turner 19. 



NOT VOTING Anderson, Barbour, Barksdale, Barr, 

 Belford, Belmont, Bingham, Blackburn, Boutelle, 

 Bowen, J. H. Brewer, Broadhead, T. M. Browne, 

 Brumm, Buckner, Burleigh, Burns, Cabell, Caldwell, 

 Chace, Clardy, Connolly, Converse, Cook, Covington, 

 S. S. Cox, Cullen, Dargan, Dibble, Dorshefmer, 

 Dowd, Duncan, Eaton, Ellis, Ellwood, Findlay, Fin- 

 erty, Follett, Forney, Fyan, Garrison, Gibson, Glas- 

 cock, Graves, Green, Guenther, Hammond, Herbert, 

 A. S. Hewitt, Hill, Hoblitzell, Holton, Hooper, Houk, 

 Hutchins, J. K. Jones, J. T. Jones, Kean, Keifer, 

 Kelley, Kellogg, Ketcham, Le Fevre, Lewis, Libbey, 

 Lore, Lvman, McCormick, McMillin, Matson, Milli- 

 ken, Mills, Morrill, Moulton, Muller, Murphy, Nich- 

 olls. Gates, Ochiltree, O'Hara. Charles O'Neill, Paige, 

 Parker, Pettibone, Phelps, Poland, Potter, Rankin, 

 Reagan, Reed, Rice, Robertson, J. S. Robinson, W. F. 

 Rogers, Russell, Shelley, Smalls, Spooner, Stephen- 

 son, J. W. Stewart, Stockslager, Storm, Talbott, J. 

 D. Taylor, J. M. Taylor, Thomas, Thompson, Throck- 

 morton, Townshena, Tucker. Wadsworth, Ward, A. 

 J. Warner, Washbum, Milo White, Wilkins, W. L. 

 Wilson, John Winans, G. D. Wise, J. S. Wise, Wood- 

 ward-i21. 



The bill came up for discussion in the Senate 

 May 14, and was severely criticised, especially 

 by Mr. Morgan, of Alabama, and Mr. Ingalls, 

 of Kansas, both of whom ridiculed its pro- 

 visions. The serious objections made by them 

 were summarized in the former gentleman's 

 opening speech : 



" I fail to see in the legislation of the United 

 States in all of its past history any real dis- 

 crimination against the laboring classes of this 

 country, as laboring men, or as citizens. We 

 have upon our statute-books a tariff which I 

 think operates very unjustly against the opera- 

 tives, those men who are employed as laborers 

 by the manufacturers. At the same time it 

 must be admitted that the laborers themselves 

 are the men who sustain that tariff. Misguided 

 in respect to its effects upon their own pros- 

 perity, they are used by the manufacturers 

 constantly at the ballot-box, for the purpose of 

 sustaining the burdens under which they rest. 

 "Whether they want to be better informed on 

 that question or not, I do not know. I think 



