Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-09-12
Voice of inc People.
lThe CITIZEN is not responsible for the Opin- ions expresred by its correspondents.
ySURY.

UsURY.
 ED. CTrrzEN:-It is not without hesi- tation that undertake to pen these lines. because l know the average edi- tor of & newspaper to be sensitive, and quick at repartee, in which he has also the great advantage of ofcommsnding the columns of his paper against prIyate individual, who does n ot enjoy tbis facIl- ity.
 But think know the gentlemanly editors of the "Colonia" and the "Fron- terizo" well enough not to fear that they will consider the following re- marks in the kindly spirit in which they are written and not ss the presump- | tious remarks of mean criticism of their in every way worthy publications. For in their province my remarks | properly belong, seeing that the fearful | abuse daily perpeTrsted in this city m | tine shape of unlicensed usury Is found almost without exception among the lower classes ofour Mexican population. who, sometimes compelled, and espe- cially so during the tax-paying period, 10 borrow small amount of money, fall into the hands a shark, who charges such fearful rate of interest as would make even Shylock blush.
 Be 1t we'll understood that l do not speak here of licensed pBvnbrokers, who if they comply with all the require ments O, the law, have hard enough read to travel and whose business suffers also from the abOve mentioned outside money lenders
 Out of s great many cases that have come to my 0SEledge l will cite one, the minute details of which have from the very lips Of the suffering party. This latter, a man of property, both reHl and personal, hard worker, to whom Mir. Samsniego, Mr. Stevens, MT. Hughes, MT. Drake ur most anybody, would have lent the required SlO as an accommodation without any interest whatsoever, procured this small amount from one of his Mexican friends at the rate of 8 per month interest. After be had paid S6O in interest, a friend told him very plainly the most truthful W, Tds: "Yt UT are condensed fool" and the loan was cancelled. Com ment Is unnecessary; on one side almost incredible ignorance, on the other the most remOrseless usnry.
 Do the editors of the Fronterizo Bnd the Colonis perhaps not know that the general rule amongst their countrymen m the lower classes Uf life IS to lend and borrow at the standard of one bit greRl) on the dollar for each week!
 There IS perhaps no man who reads these two Spanish papers with greater pleasure and attention than do; l even wade through the lengthy columns Of sometimes very intricate Mexican poll tics in the Fronterizo. l have observed with satisfaction that whenever an un- fortunate Mexican falls into the clutch es of the law, be 1t for actually commit ted or only implicated crime or malfeas- snce, or ss quite frequently happens, becomes the innocent victim of wrong ,ul accusation, both of our Spanish papers stand np in arms and defend the delinquent's rights to the utmost of their power.
 This is az it should be.
 But could not much of all this be avoided: It is true that little poetry now and then IS both refreshing and friendly as Mr. Bofiin remarked to Mir. Silas Wagg, but could not a little of the Colonias and Fronterizo's poetry and romance be left out of their columns to make place for such information as will prove useful to their readers of humble standing in their daily walk of life?
 Our children receive instruction in school. but 1t IS the noblest work of the l press to educate the grown people.