The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-14
THE MEXICAN nNEGoc1A..

THE MEXICAN HNECOClA.N
All subsequent information gained
from those who have gone to Mexico
they wish to find them, whether they
are advocates of the gold or silver
standard, but confirm the position
taken by the Glob e that there are
exceptional conditions prevailing there
that make comparisons valueless so far
as they are sought for to bear on the
issue here. Any country in the process
of an industrial awakening through
the development, by means of railways,
of resources heretofore untouched, and
especially when barrier against i'm
ports of 100 per cent is raised by the
cost of foreign exchange, cannot fail
to present some features that are
favorable. But to use these features
as an argument for or against a none
tary standard, in country where con-
ditions are wholly different is as UNI
fair as were the comparisons made by
the protectionists of labor conditions
prove the beneficence of protection. a.
Again, it is hazardous for any man
TO go into strange country, with
whose language and customs he is un4-
FAMILIAR, and try to get the conditions
OF trade or the range of prices. For
instance, the Mexican method of max
ing purchases is as different from ours
as their language and disposition are
from those of our people. With us the
practice of ''jewing down" is practi-
cally extinct. The American is too
busy person, whether it is a man
driving a bargain or a woman doing
her shopping, to spend time haggiing
with the tradesman about the price.
In fact, the general practice is one
price for all. If the price accords with
the customers idea of what it should
De the article is taken; if not, another
place is sought or purchase abandoned.
1t requires a people with abundant
leisure on their hands to chatter long;
over the price of the articles of daily
sucn people among the indolent
Easterns, with whom time and
themselves are one; but we are
yet in too great hurry to
afford the time. This disposition to
Maggie is illustrated by the woman
VINO, on asking the price of an article
was told that it was Is cents. ,Misun-
Outstanding the reply, she said: FIFTY
cents? I'll give you 15." Corrected she
reJolned: well, then, I'll give you 10
cents"
Mr.. Hawthorne, of this city. who
went to Mexico as the agent or the
silver committee to get statistics that
would prove the superiority of the sill
yer standard, took with him the North
ern idea of bargaining. Other inouir-
ers, who have elected the same sim.
posed facts, doubtless went there with
the same conception. They were ig-
norant of the Mexican's inyeterate
love of what they term negocfa and
what is kpSwn here as sjewing down ;"
tw>Se, or more, what he expects to sell
Tor. The purchaser expects that he viii
DO so. This forms the basis of that
protracted and enjoyable negocia. in
which both parties to a bargain so d.
hght. They start from opposite ex
tremes, the seller asking twice what he
Will take and the buyer half what he
is willing to give. Gradually. nv a
process of oral sapping and MINING
they approach the point where their
minds meet in a happy agreement
made happier by this price fencing. So
when these emissaries of the silver
cause went about among the yario,1s
tradesmen and craftsmen to get the re-
tall prices at which household neces-
sar1es are sold, the merchant met Them
with the idea that he was getting a
customer and proceeded to state bis
initial terms of the negocia. The seeker
after truth noted down the price in his
note book and left, much, doubtless
to the vendors chagrin These facts"
were duly collated and have been re-
tailed at home in the press and on the
stump to show how much higher
prices are in Mexico under a silver
standard than they are here under the
yellow one. Whether they are collated.
to support either standard they are
equally unreliable, and, aside from
other considerations not to be omitted.
they prove nothing for or against one
or the other standard.