New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-10-14
BRYAN EXPOSED BY WAGE-EARNERS.

The inccndiary Bryan IS putting all his fore"
into n desperate appeal 10 workingm"n 1t *
fitting that the Overwhelming reply should
come from workingmeL themselves. Preach
Ing everywhere the gospel OF hate. Bryan tells
workers that, II free silver were not n good
thing for them. capitalists and employers
would never oppose II. The workers answer
by sending at their own expense two OF their
most trusted leaders from Chicago, n Kepub-
lcan and Democrat TO investigate the actual
situation In Mexico. The reply comes In am
DIe time to fix tn, stamp Of falsehood upon
Bryan's assertions, which the wnge-earners
themselves have recognized as unpatrotic and
incendiary Mr. Mas. one OF the delegates. u
general organizer Of the American Federation
of Labor and organizer OF the International
Typographical Union, and Mr.. Enright. vet
elan IN labor organization, Is OF the cxecrtiv"
board of the Iron Moulders' Union of Chicago.
Their Joint report from the abstract telc-
graphed. appears to be- as positive and unconi-
promising ms any statement could he regard
ing the condition Of labor in Mexico under
silver standard A few sentences from their
statements sufficiently disclose the conclusions
they have reached:
We found that the price OF labor I'm that coun-
try has been decreasing. white the cost of com
modities has been increasing. There Is nothing
like Industrial independence I'm that country.
and there cannot be anything or the sort as
long as present conditions continue.
American mechanics get good wages In Mex
ico IN some instances more than they can set
here but when they come to pay Tor what Is
necessary they find they don't get az much AZ
they could In the United States. Everything 10
eat and wear and that goes 10 make life worth
living a. all Is dearer there than here To the
average Mexican what ne wears IL not matter
of much concern. as It amounts to so little. He
does not eat much. either. and his house is more
like a stable than anything else.
A carpenter gets % cents d day In Mexico.
and a bricklayer half that amount: they don I
have much left If they buy much after the fam =
ilv is fed A printer only gets on aN-
eragc CA cents n day. and painters but little
more.
An American could not and would not live the
way the Mexican does; lie Is man; and NIX.
| anord to pay 81 per pound for butter or cents
| per pound for iour loaf Of bread being 1
cents: sugar is double what 1t IL here In the
| United States: milk. tea coffee, syrup. canned
fruits and vegetables, ham, potatoes and other
! things which are necessary to us here he cannot
touch at all c Tm9 MeTIan
hosiery and such things. Labor Is dcbased and
| those who labor.
| The cost Of commodities Is the direct and
unavoidable result OF a deprecated money, per
pctually nuctuating In value. This forces every
trader and middlcman and transporter to add
something to his charge, in order TO insure
himself against possible loss II the money he
received shrinks In purchasing power He buys
I'm the United Statcs or elsewhere commodities
costing 80 cents in gold. which means that they
cost him 100 cent? In silver, but as the silver
varies from day to day and may at any time
90 lower before he can buy another stock to re-
place the one sold, he must put on an extra
| charge to. cover the anticipated risk. The
transporter must settle with foreign creditors
In gold and SO must charge for possible depre-
citation Of the money he receives The Gov
crnment itself has TO raise money to meet for
cign obligations. aid must fix taxes high
enough to cover the probable cost Of the gold to
he paid Every step from the land or the mine
to the final consumer Is thus rendered more
costly in order TO cover the risk OF deprecated
currency. The whole comes from the wages of
labor, because under such circumstances the