, 1896-10-28
HIS ANCIENT WHISPERS.

Inc peOpl nave a right 10 eSDec
honest statements from a man nearly
10 years OF age and whose locks are a
white as the driven snow. One woult
think that he woui,. consider himself
n little too close to the brink of eter.
nifty to misrepresent existing facts ir
the slightest degree, and yet we are un,
der the painful necessity of abiding tC
II glaring Misrepresentation made by
the John Baptist of finance" He stat
ed in terms not to be misunderstood
that the Mexican woolgrower could sell
his wool on the Boston market at 1C
cents per pound, in competition with
the American producer. take his mon
ey to Mexico. convert it into Mexican
silver and buy twice us much as the
American. When Senator Stewart
made that statement, he knew that he
was enlarging upon the truth to a de-
gree that was painfully close to what
James Ingersoll would brand as 'lie
No. l." No one knows better than he
that the staple articles Of commerce
in Mexico. when measured in Mexican
silver. are just double the price that
they are when measured in American
silver or American gold. To illustrate,
we have before us a list of prices pre-
pared by a Laramie boy who Is now
living in Mexico. We are satisfied that
the list is not distorted in favor of Nc
Kinley, because the young man in Ques-
ton would be an ardent supporter Of
Bryan were he in Laramie today.
Sugar. he says, re;ails in Mexico at
so to IS cents per pound: -four, 81 to
Sc per cwt: beef, Is ent per pound,
neck and tenderloin same price; shoes,
Sc to SIP per pair; calico 25 to 80 cents
per 33 inches; overalls, $3.50 per pair;
shirts, SO to 81. The same price list
gives the wages of ranch hands at from
S. to $3.50 per month, in Mexican sill
yer. and that of the miners at s1.5O per
day in the same coin. and the latter, it
it stated, are compelled to do task work
besides.
One other feat of white %whiskered
coin juggling was that in relation to
the Russian farmer with his wheat.
SUPPOSE" he said. that a Russian
farmer owed a debt of $1,000 and an
American farmer a debt of like amount.
They take a thousand bushels of wheat
to Liverpool and sell for $500 each in
gold. The Russian farmer goes home,
converts his money into 81, 900 in Rus
sian silver and pays off his entire in
debtedness, while the American farm
er comes home pays his creditor his
$500 in gold and still owes $500" The
senator with his ancient whiSkers hop
ed to play upon the credulity of his III
dience and by this juggling trick made
them believe that there was an advan-
tage gained by the Russian farmer. The
ordinary mind at nce grasps this prop
osttion and %unravels the deception.
Without hesitation any bright school
boy would tell the senator that the
American farmer borrowed $1,000 in
gold or its equivalent in the first place
and should return like measure OF
value, while the Russian farmer bor-
rowed 81 1000 in silver, worth just half
the amount borrowed by the American,
and could therefore of course pay it of
| with half value.
The senator's illustration concern
ing the Chinese and japanese coal was
parallel with the wheat tuggle, but he
gave. the whole thing away when he
said labor was in demand in Japan.
Does any American wish to make a
scramble for a situation in the orient? ?
Wages over there are just half as much
as those of Mexico.
Such attempts to deceive the people
would be unworthy of even our own
Johnny Osborne. What is in store in
the hereafter for this ancient dissem-
bier?