The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-08-09

TIE MEXICAN LABORER
The White Metal Has Caused a
Rise in the Wages.
NO Trad S UNIONS NECESSARY
The Mexican Laborer GETS High Wages
AID even then Requires Care
full Handling by His
= pnnlovar.
Employer.

EflpiOfEts
The following article, recently writ
ten bv Mr.. Clinton Kurdish, of the Ma
tional Bureau of American Republics
is one of the ablest, most philosophical
and practical expositions of the silver
question we have yet read:
| Since the early days of the Republic
| there has been little change IN the
attitude of benefciaries of special leg
islation. Those who accept the teach
ings of Hamilton as the only true
foundation for a political faith firmly
believe in the duty of government to
legislate for the rich that the rich
may take care of the poor. This is
the basic principle of Hamiltonism
and of modern protection. And wher-
ever special privilege is attacked its
beneficiaries become at once the voci-
ferrous protectors of the poor working
man and of the widows and orphans
whose savings are said to be threatened
by communism. Just now the old cries
are repeated and protects and forestal-
lers of wealth are making the welkin
ring with shouts in behalf of the labor
ing classes. 1t is declared that if the
people of the country secure, in an
swer to the pressing demand, free
coinage of silver, the workingmen and
the depositors in our savings banks
will be the greatest sufferers. The
situation becomes amusing by itera-
ton. The laborer is asked to believe
that his employer is lying awake nights
to prevent the passage of laws which
will diminish his wages. And it is
serious situation for the poor en-
ployers. Still staggering under the
shock of denial of their right to in
crease taxation that they might the
better pay high wages, another evil
impends and another class is drawn
into the fight for the maintenance Of
vested rights. The special privilege
of issuing the paper money of 1900
600 people is attacked, and the banks
join with other employers of labor to
protest against the danger threaten
ing those so unable to protect them
selves. To emphasize the argument
it is customary for the press decoted
to defense of the status quo to hold
up the terrible condition OF the work
ingmen in Mexico and other Latin
american countries.
There are, doubtless, those who viii
be influenced by such appeals. But it
is safe to assert they will not be found
among intelligent laborers, who have
been forced to study of economic
conditions and laws. These have
found that the laws governing produc-
ton and distribution are as changeless
as that of grayitation. Toilers in
mines and workshops have come to
understand that wealth results from
the application of labor to natural op-
portunities.
They have also learned that in pro-
portion as the access of labor to the
natural opportunities is denied by
forestallers and monopolists, in just
that proportion is labor robbed of it's
rights and denied its just wage. And
for this reason the citation of Mexico
as a terrible example of the evil of free
coinage of silver is peculiarly unfor-
tunate for those who would argue
therefrom that the Mexican laborer is
being robbed because he is not forced
to use the most expensive tools where
cheaper ones would answer Just as
well, For the purpose of arriving at a
clear understanding of the condition
of the workingmen in Mexico we may
safely take the results of the observa-
ton of English officials as being en-
tirely unbiased by a prevalent political
discussion The British foreign office
has recently published a report of the
coffee industry of Mexico, from which
the following is taken:
THE wages paid vary in different
districts, but the average rate for the
whole country was officially estimated
in 1892 at 81 cents, Mexican currency
Cor 9ad), per diem. Since that date
prices have certainly risen, and the
daily wage is now generally placed at
about so cents Us 1d). Both employ
ers and employed frequently prefer
piece-work to a daily wage, particu-
larly for such work as clearing land
before planting coffee.
''The Mexican laborer requires care
full handling if the most is to be made
of him. A rich soil and tropical eli
mate supply nearly all his require
ments with little effort on his part
and will not easily submit to harsh OF
unfair treatment from his employer
If reliance be placed upon the first
of these paragraphs it would be pos
sible to extract therefrom arguments
entirely favorable to the claim that the
use of silver as money in Mexico had
caused a rise in the rate of wages, be
cause SucD rise 0du DeEu cOiICititllt
with such use. But the only conclu-
sion fairly to be taken from that state
ment is that the use of silver as money
has not been enough of an evil to pre-
vent the advance of wages in Mexico
And when we turn to the second para
graph quoted we find a hint as to g
possible solution of the Mexican wage
question. Let it be carefully noted thai
the Mexican laborer does not have tc
organize a trades union nor a confed
GRAFTON of labor. He seems to have his
employer at his mercy and can give III
his Job without fear of results. AnC
why? Simply because rich soil and {
tropical climate supply nearly all his
requirements with little effort on his
part Let us measure his wants il
bananas, this being a commodity we
can readily understand without the
use of Latin terms for money. Lei
us suppose the Mexican laborer want:
twenty-five bananas day. If he car
pick them from tree by half an hour
work and if the cultivation of hi:
banana plantation does not require
much further effort it is quite clea1
that he will not work for any employees
for less than twenty bananas a,day.
The Mexican laborer may not know
as much about political economy as
! some of the eminent financiers in Wal