The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-09-06
HOW FREE SILVER WORKS
IN MEXICO.

Jos. ives IAmantcur. the Mexican mir
ister % finance, arrived n 81 Louis tae
other 6ay and talked very. free.y WIN a
Glo5e~Dsmocrat reporter ~ the existing
ooaaa lions IL Mexico under he silver
standard He drew onoarlsenS between
the laAorin< man D. the United States
and Mexico. and showed Row a free silver
monetary system would affect The United
States
Legally We have a double standard IN
Nsxico." said Mr.. LTantour. "oat pT2cti-
cally II "a a silver standard. "a there 5 no
gold in circu,at ton. Evsry ounce O sod
we produce IS Immediately drawn Out q
our country BY foreign cations We coin
silver a, re ras!o o. .sia % :. We 10 aot
coin god. Oh. as QEtcA as Il assumes lis
bullion form < leaves Mexico or IS locked
I'D In oaT vaults As the property Of fer
sgners- Mexico has had four god bond
issues since lSSS. ana a number Of domestic
silver bond issues. The god bond issues
aggregate about sIo0l0o. &c Mos, q Ire
bonds bear 5 per cent interest The inter
est on The gold bonds amounts 70 about
Ssso.a10 Il gold annually. bat when ths
time comes around % pay he interest We
have 20 give up sl2.o GO Of cur money.
So We really pay double interest on our
loan Then The question presents Itself.
what amount will (. take 20 redeem the
what we VIII owe a. the time o.. reder2p-
don. II silver goes up We Will owe less II
IL goes down II VIII take So much more OF
our money 20 pay our creditors. It's ali
according 10 what our dollar Will bring IN
the markets Of the world
What Mexico wants most today IS
fixed price Of silver. What we fear most is
the continual fluctuations Of ;he white
metal. WIRE silver Up and down alternately
raSr IN .
for future transactions. in q commercial
sense We live from tay 10 day. TIE msr-
chant in Mexico woula p4sce ais business IN
jeopardy IL he made a contract covering
what - looked upon as a reasonable time
In the United States. AS result. the Mex
can merchant Is extremely conservative.
He buys only what he actually needs. and
when silver auctustes violently, as !, often
does. the Mexican merchant is obliged 70
draw back and wait urIcil no can SEQ his
way clear TO a purchase which VIII not
prove a boomerang al the next days quo
tauon On silver. This condition OF affairs
naturally leads TO a general conservatives
ness In all lines. Our commerce is restrain
ed. as We must naturally proceed with
the utmost care and caution in all our
business ventures"
what Is the comparative condition OF
the laoorer OF Mexico and the United
States?' was asked.
The conditions in the two countries are
different" replied Mr.. L:mantour. The
farm hands in Mexico get between 3 cents
aud ~ cents dav, but as most Of thea
are Indians. they have no great needs and
are content with low wages. The Mexican
laAorer Is content 10 wear clothes made OF
cotton. The lower class Of laborers are
satisfied II they have for daily fare corn.
beans. a little meat and bananas. which
abound in great numbers The average
laborer cannot AFFORD imported products,
such as good furniture. The highest wages
are made by artisans from other countries,
engineers. nasons. etc. They get from s.
10 - a day, OF course. IN Mexican money.
Tinware. ironware, dishes and furniture
and farming implements. especially the
improved farm machinery, are very high
in our country.
Surprising a carnenter who made 81 a
day In the United States goes 20 Mexico.
and under your silver STANDARD makes the
averages wages. could he i've well in
Mexico for the money he earns as ne does
in the United States" was asked.
He could net" was the reply. He could
by about as good food as he does In the
United States. but he could not with the
vases he earned in Mexico live as wei in
other respects He would have 10 wear in
ferio- clothes and Use poorer furniture.
Mexican workingmen don't live in such
well furnished houses as American labor
ers
NO single country can successfully up
h0d 4 double standard system az an in
dependent rate" sad the Mexican minis
Ter Of finance. "a double standard canno.
he maintained with free coinage 90 silver
a ratio OF le or 1si2 20 !. The moment free
coinage al either ratio is declared that mo
nent marks the beginning OF movement
which ends In the drainage Of every dollar
~ gold from he country. That is what has
happened IN Mexico. and that IS what will
happen IN the United States. SO long as
me United States KEEP. enough gold IN rs
treasury to counteract the heavy with
drswals everything would De all right. but
The serious side OF the situation would pre-
sent Itself when the gold gave OUT
How would Mexico be affected by The
free coinage OF silver IN the United
States9'
Mexico would az frst he Injured. on &C
coun. OF the great fuctua ions which
would naturally follow a declaration OF
this character but in the long ru~ Mexico
would Ne benefited by free coinage In this
country"