People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-06-06
Silver and Mexico.

y
the Monitor. Press point to Mexico
and triumphantly query, "Do you
want to be reduced to the level of
Mexicol"
The editor Of the Review of Re-
views has a good deal to say along
the silver line in his June issue. He
is an anti-silver coinage man and
thinks it would be "an extremely |
dangerous experiment for this coun-
try to undertake alone to float
silver as money metal" Notwith-
standing, he says it is fair to all
that people may know how the
country which uses silver alone as
money is progressing. He then
says:
Industrial and commercial condi-
tions in Mexico are affOrding some ar
guments to the American silver men |
who happen to be cOnversant with af- |
fairs south Of the Rio Grande. The |
Mexican silver mines are working
quite prosperously and the various
national and state minis are busy
coming the Mexican standard silver
dollars. The ordinary purchasing
power of the Mexican silver dollar, so
far as we can ascertain by considera-
BILE recent inquiry, has not been
sharply affected by the divergence 10
the value of gold and silver bullion in
the worlds markets. Some years ago
the citizen of the United States who
visited Mexico with hundred dollars
of American money in his pocket could
realize not more than a hundred Mex
lean silver dollars in exchanging his
cash. But during the past season the
one hundred dollars Of United States
money would buy about two hundred
Mexican dollars. Yet in the ordinary
transactions of tie Mexican people
there has been no disturbance 10 val
ueS, and the silver dollar will buy as
much labor on the one hand, or as
much food or house rent O" common
clothing on the other hand as il ever
would. 1t is obvious that this condi-
ton of things, however, could not be
favorable to the importation of for
eign goods; inasmuch as the Mexican
silver dollar when applied to the pur-
chase of commodities in gold-standard
countries has lost almost or quite half
of its purchasing power. Consequent
ly, the monetary situation has acted
as a protection and stimulus to Next
can home industry, and many things
which we're formerly purchased in the
United States and Europe are now be-
ing produced on Mexican soil. In all
candOr, after some examination of the
question on the ground, we must con-
feSS ourselves unable to see that Mex
leo is placed at any serious disadvan-
tage by her continued adherence to
her single silver standard. 1t is true
that the extremely high price OF gold
as measured in standard Mexican sill
yer money adds much to the burdens
Of the interest upon the foreign debt;
but Mexico Is coming safely and
sOundly out Of her financial perplexi-
ties of a few years ago, and it would
appear that she has never enjoyed
more prosperous times than during
the past year." ...s,.. ,... ...t..-,,
This tallies exactly with the very
able article OF the Mexican minister,
Romero, in the current number of
the North American Review. The
Mexican minister is in love with the
silver system Of Mexico, and says il
is giving entire satisfaction and
great prosperity to his people.
The great bugaboo Of the goldites
is that unlimited coinage at the
present ratio will throw the United
States on to a monometalic silver
basis with all its imaginary perils,
This is denied with NOR: apparent
plausibility by the silver men, blu,
in the event that it did, the evil
consequences predicted by the gold
men are not borne out by the ex.
perience Of Mexico. 1t is very
plainly shown in Mexico that the
discount Of their money works nc
hardship to anyone except those
who want to use foreign goods, ant
this fact serves as stimulus to home
! manufactures, even greater thar
that afforded by protective tariff
: Would Americans be any more re
luctant to give up the purchase o
foreign goods for their use1 How
: many Of the poor wage-workers, So
, hypocritically prated about by tn,
goldites, make practice of buyinI
imported goods1 We can easil,
! dispense with imported goods,
necessary, and the foreign manufac
turer would be the sufferer. Som
of our "lah-de- dab" dudes in Ney
England and their Goldfish" imita
tors in the west MIGHT eYnerienc