The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-10
The LlBORERS or MEXICO
WHAT THEY ARE PAID PER
DIEM.
How They ClOtbe and Feed Them
selyes-Their Habits and
Manner Of Life.
lsPkeIAL TO THE APPFAL.l

las OOCu albA eNN
ed toward Me xieo for some time by
reason OF serious political question,
now happily eettled. But little notice
has been given TO the gradual Ameri-
canizing Ct the tie Republic, although
teveral very large colonies OF Amer.
cans ara now ssttiins in that topical
Dominion. TIE reports jus. received
from the American ConsuIs st Fan
Bcnito, Monterey, Nutvo Laredo,
Mexico City, Maamores, Merida and
Guerrero show that there is 10 oper =
ing for agricultural labo ers in Mex
ice. That Claes of workers fre 200 ly
paid end are plsn'y in the main.
The general condit on Of the egri-
cultural lab rer in Mexico is as unen-
viable as can be we'll imagined. While
the system of peonage, which made
the master almost the absolute owner
of the person Of man, is mea ure
done away with, still enough OF it's
worst fea urea remain to make tho
condition of a laborer for hire an tx
tlemely u pl'a'snt one. Aside fr I'M
that the filler OF the soil takes life very
easily. OF money he knows but little,
and cons quently in some Iespects he
is to be envied. His home, if he be
connect d with rome hsc enda, is
comfortable enough as protection
from The weather, but is little adapt d
to any other purpose. Built of adobe,
without win dows, and having but enc
door, its flor but the hard beaten
grouud, and with the addition of the
untanDed cowhide, serving for chair,
table and b d, it shelters and only
shelters that half Wild progency that
every laboier, however door, sur
rounds himself with. The Ignorance
Of the aericu tural pi ope in Northern
Mexico is tompulsoIy and all the evils
which follow in the train OF ignorance
are his.
The rate of wages paid agricultural
laSorers varies with the seasons, the
highest rate prevailing during harvest.
Ordinary day labor is paid at the rate
of 373 cents per day, and in harvt st
time the rate il az high as so cents.
Payments are made monthly, weekly
or daily, as the employers see f., and
seldom in casa. Nearly all the own
els in the large haciendas usa sys.
tenn of payments in orders upon them
selves for supplies. OF cou:Ee the
employer is also the store keeper,
and, as his idea of profit is by no
m sans email, tho result is that the
EN- oloye is slmolt constantly ia debt
to The employer. The miserable pit
lance paid the laborer, coupled with
the rlitant pr fits exacted On sup
plies by the master, scarcely enab es
the poor workman to obtain the bare
neceasaries OF life for himself and
family.
Hours OF labor extend from the first
break of d9y to the last moment of
light, but matter and man alike in
dugs in frequent siestas during the
day, SO tt at the actual time spent in
work is not lsrge. In addition 10 the
money paid for labor, each lsborer J e.
ctives one bushel of corn per month
and house lent free. The Mexican
farm hand is content with the simplest
kind of food, which consists Of tar
tillas cake', made from cornmeal with
out seasoning of any kind, and frijoles
beans. Vegetab es generally and meat
ale luxur,es. Wheat bread is never
used. Meat aud fish do not enter into
the latorers' fare st all.
The Mexican laborer spends little in
clothing. He wears sandals tied to
bis feet with strips of dressed hide.
The sandal is nothing more than a
piece of sole leather cut to the size
of the bottom of the foot. His clothes,
which are Of heavy native linen, coEt
So 80 for full suit. He always carries
a blanket, which is woven by the
women of the family, but if he buys
one it COTS, f ON 81 80 to $40. One
blanket will last for several years. His
c,ownipg glory is his hat. No matter
how poor he may be, every Mexican
will have his sombre o, gorgeous with
silver spangles and heavy with cords,
or if he prefers straw to felt be will be
equally extavsgAnt in its decoration.
One sombreIo does duty for many
years. The total cost for clothing does
not exceed Sl2 annually, and an
equally small expense is necessary for
the other members of the family.
-Four or five dollars will provide two
calico dresses for bis wife, and the
children, when clothed at all, are bnt
sCantily covered with the remnants
laid aside by the parents. OF house
hold goods the lsboier is ignorant A
few unnamed hides are used for beds,
and dressed goat or sheepskn serve
for mattresses and covering. Knives,
forks, spoons, pillows, window glass
and many similar articles are rare and
often unknown among the rural popu
ulatiop.
In Lower California farm laborers
are paid from So to So 70 per week.
In the State Of Aguas Galleries field
laborers receive fer days work 123
cents and two quarts If shelled corn.
In Chispas the monthly wages are "a
with supplies, etc, the whole aggre-
eating about $l8per month.
In Coahuils, which ia about the s'zs
Of Oregon, tie days wages are about
371 cents. In Durango miners are
paid rs cents per day in money, and
other laborers from 81 to So per month
with supplies. Nineteen cents per
day ia the rate for farmers in Guapa-
jus, 25 in Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco
and Michoscan. twenty-five cents is
also the prevailing rate in Neuvo
Leon, Ozica, Puebla, San Luis. Potosi
and Zacatecas. Field hands in the
State of Vera Cruz are paid SO Ter
month from January to June, and SO
from June to December. The rate
per day is 373 cents in Tlsscals and
Morelos, 10 cents in Tamanlipas and
Queretsre. In Tabasco workmen earn
so cents per day in winter and 371 in
summer.
The most productive State isJslisco,
which is about equal TO Nebraska in
area. JalisCo harvests $l6000,000
worth of corn every year, which most
ly finds home market at prices about
three times as great as those prevail
irg in the Upied States.
tits difficult for foreigners TO &C.
quire land 10 Mexico, but in the dis
tricts where it can be had the price is
low.