The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-08-23

0AtfNalltiS. per NdNss.sss
Flfemeu. per day ..-....'..........' see
Train hands per cy.......................
Now observe the disparity between the
way in which prices rose and wages rose.
The blocksmith's wages mad risen pc
tween 1850 and March, 1850, from sl.'J
per day 20 81 30 per day, or about hlhe
tin IS but the bccf shin that ne PAID ten
cents for I'm 1860 had risen IN March,
lScJ. 10 81 or 80 times. In other WoIus
wages rose Only nine times wnile pro
visions rose 80 times. ms IS the way
II then. we had free silver. the dollar
I'm which the labOring man was pald MS
wages would fall 20 the value OF aDous
nv Ger u.s. but the wages paid him WOulu
advance very slowly, and never III pro-
portion 20 the depreciation OF the "yney
i'm which he was paid. THINK OF tndt'
woil,irgrren before you commit yVuI-
selves 10 any scheme FOR making the mon
ev Of the country. a dollar worth ony
81 cents instead Of dollar worth lVO
cents. -x<.o.~. o.,cr,
I have spcker TO you OF the condition
OF things H. Mexico but thal conu ,an
deserves q more CAtchltu HV'~O IMAM
iave given IL. ~ -, o.,
As i have said TO you. Mexico has al,
wavs Lac free coinage OF pOtn tolu alu
silver at about our ratio or 10 10 j, Will Will
makes her gold dollau of about the Nalue
Of cur gold dollar, and her silver uoIidi Oh
about the value OF our silver dOllar. lhey
are slightly more valuable. nut NO
enough so 10 mention 1t. The result OF
this free coirage of silver IS mat as tne
market value of silver mas gone ooNi
fine Mexicar gold dollar has lEappeWeu
from circulation until IL is never seen
nov unless 10 IS bought as sugar anu
coffae are. The Mexican government has
never attcn pied to take care OF ING
Mexican silver dollar by giving goo
dollar for 1t, as we nave beeh uoii,s, 80
has left IL 20 travel upon tts own merits,
| whcreupOn it descended to It's Dullloh
value. as a purchasing agent, OF ~ cents
Now This state Of facts has arisen IN MeNl-
co. II a merchant in the city oil mexico
buys American made hats II LoslV. ~
| s. au.ece. he sells them in me Clly OF
Mexico for four dollars apiece IN Mexican
silver dollars with his commission auueu
| TO that. o,..
But labor IS paid in silver, and wages
are inst about the s. me now rs lHey WIZ
twenty-five years ago, Wnen lht SHFCl
dollar was as valuable as the eolu uVitdl.
Wages are as low there almost as tney
| are i'm Japan. The ordinary DAY IdOoiV -
Doid from twenty TO thirty cents ia!
| in deprcciated silver, worth about ~ 10
~ cents i'm our money, anu those ne
| about the wages he was PAD tWeH,y ~ ~
| years ago when MS twenty anu 'u. 49,,
cents were worth twenty ana tnlily ceH's
of gold So that, although the money
the laborer is paid In has deprecldlcl II.
purchasing power by one hdlI' tlo -,
of wages have remained about what tney
were before the depreciation TOOK pld'c'
Mexico is therefore, an OpJect-lessOh
for US. and particularly Tor our idDoi,ls
men She Is a free-sllNer cOul'4 y, Due
wages are at a starvation pVihl tii"' a., a..
American fMOrkingman coulu hot NC
,,nou and they are paid in money that Is
only half as valuable as 1t purporls 10 po'
Tr;ily here is an object lesson LOT US,
And having taken the SuDJeCe ny f,,it,
inst as well to deal a little more luily
with the conditions now eAlstIns o"Ns'
ina free coinage Of silver III Mexico.
Mr. Romero, the Mexican minister 70
the North American Review Tor June,
1891 in which he discussed very IulS
the conditions existing under Tree CUM
age of silver in Mexico. 49,.
'Diecussing the effect OF free coinage on
| imports and exports. he said Mexican IA
Dor was paid less than labor was pau III
Europe, and consequently, lar Tess 'ilal ~
| IS maid In the United states, ana ne useu
| tbis Language. "Our low wages also help-
| tne 10 hiring about these results. Hero
il the highest order OF Official testinVht
upon the subject. lie alsO sSlu t' =.
| heans which occupy the same relduoh 70
The food of the laboring classes as IRISH
potatoes DO to the same classes IN IT,
iand constituting, indeed, almost thcli
exclusive food, have risen from cents
| the old price, before silver dcciIheu' 10
40 The Mexican Flnancier published in
the CITY Of Mexico. discussing t.lS SUI SUI
iect. says in its issue or Aptt 30 i 80;
Tho scale Of wages anu INC bti.e4 90
stsndard OF life OF the working man IN
| Nferfco are far behind those ehJOycu ny
! the laborlng class in the United states
| And again, 10 says, IN the s''ilo isSuS'
CAS- for luxurleS. our WORKING ptOpic ~
not strive for then' tnvy ~" no' 49,
| 10 them and do not demand thehL lIey
ira MS simple and as frugal as the ia,
nauese" who live on about one iat anu
a handful Of rice for week.. rqI tle
American wOrkingman We ONLY ucsl!o
good fortune. May he long continue 10
nave his comfortable little home ms cur
nSted doors. his well clothed family ana
his good meat diet TINS is Mudl q
leading Mexicar' paper sd!s "a - wy ~ ~
laborers. They never even dtcalh oi
comfortable little homes, cafpeleu hQoIS;
well. clothed families and good meat uier
Thev live in dog huts, ana nave nOttllis
but beans to eat whlch laS ~ ul,s,ns
\ cents TO lG cents, while thelr wages
ro,,sfnsd ytafiorsry This Is what Tree
silver has done for Mexico.
Fut | must add further testimony upon
this point. Hon. Il l.. Iaryer. OF l@Ieuv.
TOYS a member of the Legislature OF
,revoe who has lived on the border or
Mexico all hi life. and has been III tho
habit Of travelling through MSNlco', H,iS
recently written letter 10 non, >. r.
Shamrock, OF TaylOrSvllle. H., Whlcn -
nuLli,hed i'm the New York Journal OF
Con- mercc for Augt 81 Z. lS'p. IN IL ne
saws THE Mexican laborers On the IeNds
side OF the llO 0iailut nave ii'lh 'i'AN
immcmOral. been paid IN Mexican money
and i'm all this fan Of the Mexican dollar
fhev have Continued to receive the same
number OF collars per month"; IhaL ls
Ia saw. they got from 50 TO $50 per month
in $50 when Mexican money was worth
81 10. and are getting the same wages to-
dav i'm Mexican money, when IL is
worth only % cents on the dollar. and
everything they now buy on ms Size Is
priced i'm American money.
This is an astonishing evidence or the
hopelessncss OF the struggle OF laDorlnS
men against the consequences OF de
basement OF country $ money. Al
though these Mexican labOrers Work be-
side American labOrcrs who arc paid gold
dollars. they have TO continue. receiving
the Mexican silver dollar their employ
ment CONNER Ced with. No doubt. tAey
kick but tho reply comes back, you are
nothing but ID Mexican. Isn't
your own money good enough for youI
Take it or 20 back 10 your own country.
WHAT MEXICAN SILVER DOLLARS
WILL BUY.
1.e. us consider now. a few items Of
evidence upon y hat the Mexican dollar
will now buy
Mir. T.. NJ. Arthur, the eminent head OF
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers has written letter 10 the New
YORK Jcrrral of Commerce from which II
ouotes in its Issue OF July 81. 1S96, as fol-
What I did say was that the engineers
euploved on the Mexican National Road
complained 10 me about the depreciation
4, the NJ ney they were re ,eiVlng' and
took the matter ID with the President Of
10 road whose Office IS in New York