The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-25

in the remote mining districts there is
slight Increase All laborers have TO feed
or find" themselves IN Mexico. on all
plantations there are stores owned by the
landlord. What Is usually earned by la
Dor on the land is always spent with the
owner of H.
The question naturally arises, especial
~ after one has heard the promises Of
the silver men from the floors OF con-
gress Why have wages not risen In Mex
icoy Why, even on a silver basis they
are SO much lower than the lowest paid IN
the United States? II must be remem-
bered, too, that the wages paid here are
as much in a deprecated coin worth only
half as much as the same amount re-
ceived for labor IN the United States
on all sides one hears the answer that
the silver basis IN Mexico Is not response
BILE for the low wages paid here Ac-
knowledge so much, though II Is not en-
tirely true. still wages have not Increased
or made any advance under the free coin
age OF silver This seems TO be the chief
argument of the silver men in the states
that wages will advance and that the vol
ume of currency will be largely inflated.
This idea has been so fully absorbed that
In Kentucky few days ago the silver men
In one OF the counties met ana decided
that when the government should adopt
free coinage laws Rev. Mr. So and SO,
nelnR the most honest man III Lnbl us
trict should be relegated to distribute
the silver IN that section.
Nothing which has been promised by
the silver men has come to pass here.
Wages are lower ana living higher. Since
silver has decreased In value TO about
one-half everything produced In this coun-
try which completes with the markets of
the world has decreased proportionateiy.
The only products which have remained
al nominally the old iigure are those which
are not grown for export and which
do not come In contact with similar pro
ducts grown In countries which have
sound currency. Even coffee, which Is one
of the staple products has risen 10 such
point as to practically be beyond the
reach Of the peon and the iaborer, while
the only beef ever IN reach Of the peon
is that which is cut from the murdered
animals after the bull night.
Butter is so dear as 70 make 1t lux
ury to all classes, and il is ordered n
restaurants as radishes lettuce and other
dainties are got. Beer. which is a stand
ard drink here, sells for Is cents glass,
and the only liquor which is to be had
by the laboring classes is native drink
called "pulque," a mllk'like looking bcv-
erage which produces some of the results
OF the malt product without possessing
any of its virtues
Cotton and wheat in Mexico are con-
these products in the United States.
Such is the case, and II works well enough
for the few who raise these products,
but they are out Of the reach Of those
to whom they are almost necessary TO
life The reason these products are high
er Is from the fact that there Is not enough
of cotton and wheat raised IN Mexico TO
supply the home market, and the price is
regulated by the scarcity Of the home
product and the tariff necessary to i'm
port what Is actually needed. The peon
and the laborer here live almost exclu-
sively on bread made from rough ground
corn, onions. chile peppers and pulque.
When these facts are pointed out to the
silver man from the states he at once
says that such a condition Of things could
not exist there. that labor Is too we'll
organized to permit such a state of af-
fairs to last The politician, as well as
the laborer, knows that there can be no
fictitious value in labor, and that, more
over, less than 2 per cent Of the great
mass of labor in the United States Is or
ganized.
The low wages here are not confined
alone to what may be termed the laboring
classes, but all salaries are proportionate-
~ small. The best Of clerks In the stores
get from $50 to 500 per month. The most
expert bookkeepers can seldom get more
than $50 to sl25 month. Yet, in this
class OF lIes the flOlHeS lnty wear the
food they eat are bought al gold prices.
While his salary is higher. yet his neces-
stiles are so much the greater.
Argue as they will there can be but
one result from a silver basis in the
United States. which should be made
clear TO all who are dependent for their
living upon their labor. 1t is that wages
would not be perceptibly increased and
that the purchasing power OF those wages
would be diminished almost half Rents
have been steadily advancing here and
they would be put up in any country
which depreciates its money Whenever
the United States goes upon silver basis
the earning power Of her laborers arti- |
sans and clerks will be cut almost In
half, while the clothes they wear, the
houses they live IN the food they eat, |
will be increased almost double
Seeing the condition OF the toiler and
the peasant here. I'm a country upon |
silver basis. It can be but the one prayer |
of an American visiting Mexico that his |
own country will be spared the folly of |
doing what seems now would be an ir- |
reparable wrong.