The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1894-08-02

is furniture factory costing $5OOOOO,
and no furniture industry ever opened
to more brilliant prospects. Heretofore
almost all furniture has been imported
though Mexico has illimitable forests
containing an Infinite variety of precious
woods. In the staircases of public
building at Jallsco there are over eighty
varieties Of beautiful native woods, and
that does not nearly cover all the kinds
in the forests. Contractors are now
supplying the Mexican Central and
other roads with ties of ebony, rosewood,
and like material, while ebony is being
burned to supply the Tampico smelters
with charcoal. There is unlimited pine
and tir in Mexico, but heretofore almost
all lumber consumed there has been
imported from Texas and the Pacific
states. Now a native numbering indus
try is being established
| 1t appears that the fall in silver is
doing for Mexico what 300 years of pro-
lection failed to do, and that is, to de-
velop industry and better the condition
of the people. Now, with the enlarging
demand for labor, wages are rising, and
the necessities Of civiliz alton are coming
within the reach Of the people
The situation in Mexico is very inter
esting from an American point of view,
ard many will ask the question: "Would
a silver basis bring about like results in
the United states?" There is some
difference in the condition Of the two
countries. Mexico is country of match
less resources upon which development
is only fairly begun, SO that manufactur-
ing as yet comes far from supplying the
demands that will arise in the home
market as the purchasing power Of the
people improves. Her exports consist of
agricultural and mineral products. The
United States on the contrary has many
lines OF manufacturing developed so far
beyond the demands Of her home market
that few months full run brings about
congested conditions. and the necessity
OF freer trade relations to relieve these
conditions is now imperative. Hence
she cannot live within herself as Mexico
can, and the question as to whether she
can take advantage of deprecated silver
as the Mexicans do is more difficult of
solution, at least to one who is far from
mastering that very abstruse problem
that has bewildered the legislators. The,
above facts may set some. experts to.
figuring.
Possibly an effective solution of the
silver question would be free coinage
alliance between the United States and
Mexico, as suggested to me last spring
by the president of the Hope mine of
Philipsburg. He had given much study
to the matter, and believed that with
such an alliance the output Of silver
would be SO far controlled by the chief
producers that the rest of the world
would be made to bid it up to it's former
values
1t is interesting to note that just now
the Australians ascribe their financial
disasters and generally depressed con
dltions to the premium on gold, which
compels them to accept half price for
their exports. It is no less interesting
to look back to the silver agitation in
England about 1886, when number of
the ablest fnanciers of the world put
forth the following propositions:
"lhat from the fall of Rome (resultinp
from the failure OF the silver mines that
supplied the circulating medium) to the
present time, contraction of money has
always caused depreciation in the prices
OF commodities, paralysis of industry,
and distress; that the dark ages were
due to the lack Of money; that in 1886
British industries were suffering from
appreciation of prices caused by the rise
10 gold; that capita! was boarded rather
than invest in industries on a falling
market; and that if silver was not ra-
monetized it would not be long until
every mill in Lancashire would be closed,o
The prevailing conditions Of British
industries indicates the correctness Of
chat prophesy, and that the depression
in the United States is not altogether
due to prospective changes in the ~.
But, whatever the cause, the progr,
condition of Mexico, with it's silver
aard, compared with the depressis -
The gold standard countries affords /
Tor reflection. s. PAN
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