The Indianapolis journal., 1896-08-28

The silver mine owners never tire of tell
ing of the unexampled prosperity which
Mexico Is now enjoying because that coun-
try is silver basis. They tell of
the profits realized by silver miners and the
few manufacturers now in that country.
Not long ago Senator Stewart, as the presi-
dent of a Mexican silver mining company,
made a report i'm which he congratulated
his shareholders that while prices have
risen in Mexico by the depreciation of sill
yer, wages have not risen at all. We have
already been informed of the wages to
which the silver Senator and aristocrat re-
fers-from 81 to $3.50 in silver. equivalent to
so or 20 cents in our money. Because wages
remain at from so to IS cents per miner
starvation wages-this greatest OF the mil
ionaire silver aristocrats congratulates his
shareholders. 1t is vastly more profitable
to mine silver in Mexico than in the United
States, because the wages of miners are not
over one-third as much as they are in the
United States.
OF course. the profits of silver mining, as
the silver mine owners declare. are such as
to make the prosperity of the favored few
who own and run the mines very great;
but they come out Of the toll and priva-
ton of the half-paid miners, who seem to
be of no more account in the summing up
Of the prosperity than the same number
of machines or beasts of burden. For the
limited number of persons who own the
factories and pay less than 20 cents a day
for operatives in cotton mills the prosperity
must be of very positive character. No
wonder they can write to the United States
that five times as much money can be made
per spindle in Mexican cotton mills as in
New England. But what can be said for
the prosperity of the hundreds who. by
working for the lowest wages. contribute
to the wealth of the very few?
a few days since Jose Y. Limantour, Mex
icos Minister Of Finance was interviewed
in New York. Among the questions which
were asked was: What is the effect upon
wages of the depreciating silver standard?'
The Minister of Finance answered as fol-
lows:
They have not increased perceptibly.
The same is true OF Japan where wages
are very low. For this reason Japan and
Mexico will in few years be able TO COM
pete successfully with England and the
United States because of the silver standard
and low wages.
That is. while the purchase power Of
wages has been gradually falling with the
decline in the price of silver bullion, wages
have not increased perceptibly." Further
more. because of the low wages and the
silver standard Japan and Mexico will in
few years be able to compete with Eng
land and the United States.
The silver Senators. in the address which
they issued to the manufacturers of the
United States. urged that free coinage of
silver was necessary in order TO enable us
to compete with Japan. They tried to
mystify the matter by some vague express
sions about exchange. but what they meant
and what they intended the manufacturers
should understand was that by paying Ia
Dor in silver they would be able to bring
American wages so per cent nearer those
of Japan than they now are. This was the
bribe which Senators Teller, Stewart, Jones,
Dubois Mantle and Cannon offered to
manufacturers of the United States to join
the silver mine owners party. That bribe
the manufacturers rejected. but now their
Mr. Bryan is going up and down the coun-
try trying to stir up strife between the en-
ployers who rejected the proposition TO rob
their employees and these same employees,
whom they proposed to deprive of a large
share OF their wages,