The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-05-10
SOMETHING PoR LABOKING MEN TO
THINK OF.

The Atlanta Journal says;
..pecont1v the president Of railroad
which touches the South. gave as ms rea~
son for fayoring the unlimited coihase "a
silver the fact that II would reducs w
aas, ~ Labor He said railroad employees
are now paid too much, ana ne VANS a
cost of labor. He said railway employees
rcJuce their nav accounts and at the
eano time maintain the same nominal
,.atc of wages We have often ccnlenueu
that under the deprecated currency
which a silver basis would give us wages
would suffer, and the. railroad president
10 whom we have referred, taxes iOb'-
cal view Of the question. There are 10
doubt. many other advocates or unlimited
silver coinage who are controlled Dy inc
same motive. but are not frank enough
10 avov H. There would be general OF
substantial increase OF wages If the pur-
chasing power Of a dollar were redhceu,
and the wage carners would ma thdl
while they received as many dollars a.
they did before, they were really pau
a great deal less The remark OF on,
railroad president should be cohsiu'i
by wage-workers and salarled men III
knows what he is talking about
What will our laboring men say Of this?
We don't know whether the railroad pres
ident said it or not, but We do know
that II we had free silver the laboring
mon would be paid in greatly deprecated
money. and that their wages would not
rise in proportion TO the depreciation Of
the money, if at all. The universal histo-
ry of cases Of deprecated money is that
wages are the last thing TO rise. and that
they never rise in proportion to the de-
probation of the money.
Mexico furnishes us an excellent Illus
tration. They have free coinage Of silver
there and # has driven all gold out OF
circulation. Silver Is the only money
used. and It circulates at just half OF its
nominal value That is If you give a
Mexican ono Of our gold dollars for a
thing that he offers for nifty cents he
will give you the article and Mexican
silver dollar. which contains more silver
than our silver dollar. in change.
We have not fun information concern
ing prices in Mexico, but We think the
following statements are accurate. They
are made upon the authority Of W. T.
Mitchell. Esq, Of Chattanooga, Tenn.' in
his excellent pamphlet called Dollars or
WHAT" lie states i'm that pamphlet that
it is information gained by him during a
soiourn Of some time in Mexico. He says
he made particular enquiry as to wages
paid in agriculture and mining. the prin-
cipal Industries Of the country, and found
them varying from ten 10 thirty-six cents
a day in Mexican money, which would he
equivalent to from five 10 eighteen cents
a day in American money. The average
for farm laborcr he says, does not
exceed twenty cents a day, or about ten
cents in our money. The people, he says,
live in huts subsst on the coarsest food,
and 81 in American money would buy
the average outfit, from head to foot in
clothing.
What have our la5Oring men 10 say OF
this? Here is a country which has free
and unlimited coinage OF siler, where they
viii give you two Mexican dollars. each
containing more silver than our silver dol
lars contain. for one of our gold dollars,
and yet here are the wages that labor
commands i'm this free-silver country.
We should think our laborng men
would reflect a little before they consent
cd to turn themselves over to such a
condition as this