The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-08-15

Estimated wealth. sis.siS, 10000. Commerce
| thus:
MEXICO.
unskillcd labor. a to 10 cents per day;
skilled labor. 80 cents 10 NW per day.
Es.mstcd wealth. stop.Oco.0U Commerce,
COLOMBIA.
skilled labor. 90 cents to N.75 per day.
| Commerce. $s9.sleooo.
PERSIA.
unskilled labor y to S. cents per day
m s,isa ssS Sc y to y cents per day. Com
t,nskillcd labor, 20 TO 60 cents per day;
skilled labor, 80 cents 10 &2.0 per day.
Commerce, ssS,sa5, 900.
These figures are not unfair, except that
In Mexico and the Sodth American cVun-
tries there is nothing that can properly
be called skilled labor receiving as low
as 20 cents a day. Our own consular re-
cents, is a minimum wage iot any skilled
labor by men. Passing this. the country
least favorable to labor of these ciSht is
Persia lts eovernincnt ~ desp,t'c: us
are nneducated. unorganlzed. IL happehs
to be silver country. Turkey has the
advantage over Persia 81 being closcr to
Europe, having more European travti
and being. to u large extent, uonina,sd
by European influences. AS VII be seen.
HIS wages are not better than those OF tho
South American States. after making al
lowancc for the difference III god and sill.
Yer. II there Is anything In ,he theory
that a gold standard is good thing for
TSrksNs M apS r"G Than
they are.
This question Is especially pertinent as
TO Portugal. Cor Portugal. h,n been on y
gold basis longer than any other country
ON earth except England. Why 10 ioriu-
Eucse wages SHOW smaller than those OF
any other gold standard country. mud
lower than many silver cotmtriosy why,
is II that, although England has hal lhc
gold standard for alnos, a century, wages
in England are less than IN Canada, me
United States and Australia? Why were
they lower In 1870 befors we adopted the
gold stanjardY II any workingnan Will
stop and think for moment he viii zee
hat there IN no more reason for saying
that SILVER mcnome,all'sm would make
Mexican wages IN the United States than
there is for saying that gold monometal-
ism makes Turkish, or spanish or ltal-
IAN, or Portuguese wages. The money has
very n,ilc to do With II, save IN one re-
spoct. and in that respect silver is the
b,s' money.
That one respect IN stability. with a
stable money yoi can have business pros
rcrty. with m approciatins MONEY, such
as gold has been for fwcnty-thrce years.
You have business failures, DEPRESSION
panic. " YOU have business prosperity.
wages viii takc care OF Themselves IN
every country whore labor Is org,r0 ed
and intelligent. because when you have
prosperity the demand for labor viii cN-
coed the supply. The silver standard
countries have had business prosperity,
Tho god standard countries have not
Workingmcn IN silver standard couniries
rnvc constant employment. Workingmcn
IN gold standard countries by thousands
are working half tino or are out of en-
ploymont altogether. This gives the op-
pofiunl'y 10 reduce wages, and It * being
ut'l 2od Iiut start your factories aud
npikc legitimate business OF all kinds
profitable, as II viii he with Il stah'. cur
rcncy. and work will he pisnty That IL
what makes prosperity for the working
man. A wage rate of s; per day II You
can got work. hut half time. is little bot
ter than u rate of s. per day. And II you
can get no work at al II Is a mere mock