The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-14

or rope passing over the forehead in
stead Of the shoulders of the oxen.
Planting is done by poking hole into
the ground with a stick, dropping the
corn into II, and the seed is covered by
the peon in stepping from hole to hole.
On these immense tracts OF land the
natives, or poems, have lived for GEN.
turies, and are forced to buy all their
necessities of life at the haciendado's
Gland Owner's) truck store. On the
hacienda the peon gets from Is to 20
cents per day for his work, and hut
to lie in, If he builds it himself. The
peon gets no money except on feast
days and for religious offerings. BY
this system he is always in debt to the
haciendado. This form Of slavery has
been forbidden by law for number OF
years. but two-thirds of the poems do
not know it. as they can neither read
nor write. and their masters take good
care not to teach them this fact.
"Organized labor Is unknown here.
which Is considered great blessing.
But that country today which has the
best system OF trade organizations. and
the greatest number Of unions per cap
ita of its population is the foremost In
wealth. progression, and the happiness
of its people.
"The cry is raised that there are no
poorhouses in Mexico, but that Is no in
dication Of the absence Of poverty, as
your committee can fully testify with
out fear of contradiction. as the voice
of the mendicant supplicating almost
rang our ears all through the country.
In the cities of Zacatecas and GUIANA
juato, with populations of 10000 and
70.0G0 respectively we failed to get but
ter and potatoes on the tables of the
best hotels. On inquiry we were in
formed that II we paid 81 pound for
butter it would be purchased and Kept
for our exclusive use.
Your committee would caution
American wOrkingmen against going
to Mexico without sufficient funds to
bring them back. or to have employ
ment secured before going there, or
they will be obliged to subsist on cactus
and the sap Of the tequilla plant while
doing the country. On asking an
American, who was conducting pros
porous business in one of the cities
which your committee visited, why 1t
was that the foreigners all seemed to
be making money, no matter what
business they were engaged In, he,
with characteristic Yankee frankness.
replied: The laborer here Is different
labor is cheap and We have no brains
to contend with
1.-THE mission intrusted to your COM
mittee is a peculiar one. We We're
sent to study the social and financial
conditions Of far away people. We
are plain toilers, Injured to the hard
knocks Of the factory and workshop,
and none are better qualified to in
vestigate or to feel and sympathize
with the workers of another country
than men from our ranks.
THE AMERICAN wORKINGMAN IS
A PRINCE.
1--WE did not go loaded with creden-
tials, or to be entertained by the bet
ter classes, or yet as scholars, to de-
scribe the monuments of historic inter-
est, or to have our poetic fancies in
spired by the landscape and azure
skies, or build up wasted energies in
the healthful air of that southern
cline. but to go among the common
people, who are of our own class, and
study conditions from that standpoint.
Hence this epistle does not abound in
high sounding platitudes on the sub
lime and beautiful of that country, but
on facts that still exist and are ready
to speak for themselves to those who
will go and seek as we have done; and
should they do so. they will feel as we
do, that the American workingman is
a prince compared to the workingman
of Mexico. That in this country all
stand equal in social and political life.
and in that political right they should
exercise with care the faithful dis
charge of their duties. unprejudiced
and unbiased. by supporting such prin
ciples as will do the greatest good to
the greatest number, irrespective of
party politics or the machinery of
either party, who may manipulate con-
ditions and measures for personal gain
to the detriment of the whole people.
"P. j. Mas,
Patrick Enright.