The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-11
WEDNESDAY, MARCH II. 1896.
ATTENTION. woRKINGMEN,

In the coinage Of Mexico there is sill
yer dollar and gold dollar. each having
little more pure metal than our silver
and gold dollars have. twenty-five years
ago the silver and the gold dollar circuat
cd upon even terms with each other. But
Mexico has kept her mints always. open
TO tho free and unlimited coinage OF sill
yer dollars. and. as a consequence. her
gold coinage mas totally disappeared from
circulation. as silver declined ia value, and
tho only money she now has is silver
money and paper currency, that is re-
deemed in silver money. a Mexican viii
give nearly two Mexican silver dollars
for one Mexican gold dollar. These are
perfectly familiar facts that any one can
find out to be facts If no will take the
trouble 10 make inquiries.
About a month ago. Nlr. Allen, of Utah.
made a speech in the House Of Repre-
scntauvcs. I'm which he read a letter from
Mr.. 4. V. Temple. manager of the MeXi-
can Bureau Of Information. Mr.. Temple
has been a resident Of Mexico for the
past twenty-six years. and throughout
that period has been engaged in business
and connected with financial and COM
mercial enterprises. lie says in this let
ter:
Il would say that Mexican dollar
buys to-day az much in this city as it ala
when / came here. and 40 that time
Mexican dollar was worth Sl.l0 in gold
in san Francisco. The price Of corn
beans. -four. wearing apparel. etc, is
almost exactly the same as In former
years. OF course, there are Quotations
due to good or bad crops. but the average
cost Of all the various articles which
20 TO make no the expenses OF family
are almost exactly the same as when
gold was at par
II Mr.. Temple had said that everything
produced in Mexico bore about the same
price in Mexican silver dollars that It
bore twenty-slx years ago but that what
ever was imported from other countries
cost the gold value of the import in the
country that ii came from, he would have
stated the case very much as it is. For
Instance. If good meal. consisting ex-
clusively of Mexican products. cost
Mexican silver dollar twenty-six years
ago ~ restaurant I'm the City Of MeXi-
co. it will. be found that the same meal
can now be bought at the same restaurant
for about a Mexican silver dollar though
a gold dollar was also the price of Il
then. and though it takes nearly two sill
Yer Mexican dollars now to get one Mexi-
can gold dollar.
Now, If a hat costs 50 Of our money in
Connecticut to-day, and # IS sent TO
Mexico for sale. II will bring there nearly
three Mexican gold dollars. but nearly
six Mexican silver dollars. These also are
perfectly well-known facts that any one
can ascertain 10 be facts II be VIII take
the trouble TO make inquiries. Yet an
ether illustrative TACT. When you have
ordered that dinner in the City OF MeXi-
CO that is TO cost a Mexican silver dol
lar if you offer the host an American
gold dollar in payment he VIII leave you
with your dinner and give you a Mexican
silver dollar. less a few cents in change.
But better SIN. II you offer to pay him
with an American silver dollar he will
leave YOU IN possession Of the dinner and
give you a Mexican silver dollar, less a
lew GEMS. ia change. though the McM-
can silver dollar contains more pure eil-
Yer than the American silver dollar does
The reason is that the American silver
dollar can be- sent 10 the United States
and converted into geld dollar which
Is worth nearly two Mexican silver dol
lars.
Now. the great ana the all-iu portant |
fact 60 be att 'nded to i'm this se.ies OF |
facts is this. that the products OF Mexico |
bring not much moro ia Mexico in Mcxi- |
can SILVER dollars than fhey brought
twenty six years ago when the Mexican /
silver dollar would bu~ as much as the |
Mexican gold dollar anywhere IN the !
world. while the Mexican gold dollar /
Will to-day by twice as much any |
wherein Mexico or elsewhoic-as tho /
Mexican silver dollar Will
What is the meaning OF this most as
forishinB fact? II Is this. That a Mcxicar /
dinner sells to-day Tor only half as much /
as Il sold for twenty-siX years ago. That /
IS the naked truth OF the case Juggle |
about IL as they may. The dinner costs
just as much labor now as IL cost TWEEN
- 80 'N'' "eo' why N''9 ~ "4i"S V"'S
falf a. much. In fact, though the same
I'm name? II Is because the money Of the
country has been debased, and when ~.
c0uniry's money Is dsbased everything
rises In Diice except labor Labor retains
It's OLD wage paid TO n IN money bearing
the old name. bat with part OF its pur-
chasing power gone.
After We pass through considerable
belt OF arid territory on crossing into
Mexico from Texas. We como TO the
fertile piaiss al fhA country. Gnd they are