The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-24
The Mexican Episcopal Church

| ne ME XiCdn e. p'SCUpdi NIlus Gh
Office 1442 First Nina street, two
| blocks east of Mexican Central Rail-
| road station. Mr. Forrester's hours
are to 10 a. m, and to p. m.
This issue of the Herald, comment
ing on the recent articles by Justice
Walter Clark, after his visit to Mexico,
gives as the silver question from the
Mexican standpoint, and it has so
much interest at this time that we
copy it in full:
One of the brightest Americans who
| has RECENTLY visited this country is
Justice Walter Clark, of the Supreme
| Bench of North Carolina. He came
here already a believer in the use OF
silver as money, and strong and out
spoIten bimetallist, and naturally was
oratified to find in the prosperity OF
the Mexican Republic a living confir-
nation of his theories. At the border
he found that he received for his
American money nearly two dollars in
silver for one sanctioned and issued by
the Government of the United States,
and the next most marvellous thing
was MS NlScONCIilS biltbb LiA1 ~'AN1@AANNeAA
dollar does. inside of Mexico, quite the
same amount Of work as the gold dol
lar does in the United States. JUS
flee Clark saws. in an article recently
published in the Arena: THAT silver IN
fact has not deprecated in the least
NAV be seen right here in Mexico, and
throughout the fifty millions of peo-
ple living on this Hemisphere, south OF
II H. h trio
the silver dollar will pay as much
taxes, as much public and private IN
debtedness, as much railway freight
and passenger fare, as 10 ever did, and
where. consequently, farm produce
and land will bring the same prices
they formerly did. The standard OF
value not having been artificially en-
| HANGED fixed charges, as debts ana
| taxes, are not enhanced, and the same
amount OF produce and labor will pay
| them"
Justice Clark then goes on to show
that the loss to the people of the South
ern States, last year, by the demoneti-
| zation Of silver was, on cotton alone,
| s210.000,00o And the Northwestern
| wheatgrowers were mulcted IN the
same proportion. But in Mexico he
| found the agricultural interest thirty
ing, as is testified to by the continually
expanding local traffic of our railways.
| This is the true test of internal pros
pcrity. Mexico, had it been financially
managed as has been the case with the
United States, would be to-day, one
If the poorest and most wretched
| countries on the face of the earth.
Imagine General Diaz's government in
RI. IsarySr9fp Cna1dAd IN
adopt the gold standard! The country
| could have borne the strain then for
tho great fall in silver had not come;
| hut a few years after, the tension
would have been enormous and every
| thing would have suffered. Our manu-
/ factories would have been annihilated,
| hundreds Of new factories would never
| have been built; our tropical agricul-
! ture, now extending itself at a marvel
| ous pace, would have remained small
/ and relatively insignificant. In word,
/ Mexico would have been ruined
/ country
Outside of our two cities, such as
| the City Of Mexico, Monterey, etc,
| where the demand for houses conse-
auent on an unanticipated growth, has
sent rents up rapidly, the cost of living
/ has not materially advanced. 1T is true
| that with the penetration Of the rail-
WAYS to all parts Of the country there
| has been diffused spirit Of progress, a
| desire for more luxurious house furn-
| ishings for costlier clothing, etc, and
this has added not to the essential cost
| Of living but to the cost of living more
moderately, so to say. But every one
| familiar with this country knows that
| one may still make the silver dollar of
| 1896 90 quite as far as the dollar OF
1876. Imported goods have risen, II IS
true, in proportion to exchange, but
our mills are enabling frugal people 10
dispense with foreign wooden and cot
ton textiles. Mexican print cloths are
both tasteful and durable, and our
woollens are most creditable TO the
manufacturers. Articles such rs cot
Zee, in active demand outside, have
risen in price because they command
gold abroad. But q careful inEestlga-
ton, such as that made some time ago
by the careful and intelligent consular
representative Of Great Britain at this
capital shows that the Mexican dollar
practically does the same work to-day
as formerly.
Even in many lines of imported
goods, prices have not greatly adyanc-
, ed Tin some cases they have not ad.
vaneed at alp and this for two reasons
, first, that the increasing perfection oil
| machinery in foreign mills has cheap.
ened production so that the obstacle tc
. importation offered by the high ex.
change has been overcome, and, sec.
ond. because many costly goods are
now most effectively initiated in cheap
J or materials Ask any great suppliel
! of women's goods If this is not true.
/ AS the Mexican Herald has been con.
: tinually pointing out, the silver dollar
efficient at home in paying every due