Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1896-10-16
CONDITIONS in MEXICO.
The Chicago Labor Assembiy's Committee
Report,

report.
Chicago Oct 1.-THE committee OF
the Trades and baI.or Assembly. sent ID
Mexico by that organization TO investi
gate the condition Of tile lahoring classes
Of that country" has returned to Chicago
and submitted its report 1T The meeting
| of the assembly this afternoon.
The repor; was adopted by an almost
unanimous vote. only two members
speaking in opposition to It.
The delegates Gained. in submitting
their report. that they carried ont THEN
mission in IN unbiased and non-paltisan
manner. and they simply pictured The low
state Of tha working Glasses rs it was,
without reference 10 political questions.
There We're many calculations of aston
ishment at the pitiahla pictures presented
and the motion to adopt the report called
forth but little debate. The report says
in part:
The TWO peoples rs 10 their habits,
tastes. customs and modes of life, are
such that Il comparison is unnatural. Life
is regarded from very different stand
points rs they live under different CON
ditionS, inasmuch as the Mexican lab0rer
Is apparently contented with the -four
bare walls of his ten-foot square adobe
hut, with nothing inside but the bare
ground to sleep on, shawl or blanket to
wrap himself in. dish of tortillaS (e0rn
pancakesl and frigiles tbeansl for his
frugal meal. and in Il large number Of
cases. a little pig. Il dog and Il chicken on
two of the game cock order sharing his
scant quarters. while the American labor
er across the line had all the comforts of
home and many of the luxuries of life.
Wages i'll y Nico. except TO skilled
and steady mechanics always foreigners
are very low. ON railroads engineers
tAmericam on passenger trains receive
500 per month, while the tiremen Mex
icansl receive S1.S5 per day: freight en-
gineers tAmericam $3.50 per month. fire
men tNIeXicanl S1.50 to $115 per day
passenger conductors tAmericam $160
per month, brakemen (MeXicam $1.aO
per day; freight conductors lAmerican
$500 per month, brakemen tMexicam $57
to SOB per month; Pullman conductors
$50 per month tAmprican money!, and
the porters $2S per month american
money! with s. per month extra for be-
ing able to talk Spanish The national
soldiers Irregular army of AIexicol. called
rurales. and who are all eN-bandts, re-
ceiye ST day. In broom factory, near
the depot Mt Jimenpz. the men are paid
80 cents. women and children - to 3T1h
cents per day. In the cotton mills, seed
oil mills and soap factories mt Torreon.
men are paid 47H to 30 cents, women
and children - cents per day. A cara-
dor public carrier has Il rate Of 1919
cents per hour. but you can hire him for
from % to 371a cents per day
Your commission would caution Amer
lean worknen against going 10 Mexico
without sufficient funds to bring them
back or to have employment secured be-
fore going there Or they will he obliged
to Subsist on cactus and the sap Of the
lelula pant Willle dolhS Inc country
On asking an American who was con
Quoting Il prosperous business in one Of
the cities, Which your commission visited
why il WAS thai the foreigners all seemed
TO be making money. no matter what
business they were engaged in, he. with
characteristic Yankee frankness. replied
The lahorer here is different from The
laborer in the states. Here labor is cheap
and we have no brains 10 contend with. :"