The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-18

a common lahOrcr from eighteen 10 tnif-
~ cents Postal carriers get from - 10
SIS per month. Clerks receive from " ~
Ss per month. House rent for the poor
laborcr f. Si.50 to s. month-sold or
course. lie must live on beans and corn
cakes, often without a table TO eat from.
with no bed for himself and family, oX-
ccpt a mat on the floor with no furniture
in the room OF his house. save perhaps
a little box which serves for a trunk
one suit Of clothes for himself. one fo1
his wife. and a piece Of suit for each
child. and Of children their are usually
a plenty. At night they must sleep IN the
clothes worn during the day. unless for
tune has been kinder 10 them than IS
usually the case. Of course there are cX-
coptiOns. and frugaiity. industry. tidiness.
backed By sobriety ana diligence, have
overcome even the curse OF poverty. and
tho family will be found On comparative
comfort The statements that are being
published as 10 the Mexican lab0rer build
Ing himself a home. you may set down
MS unmitigated bosh. In a few places.
men who are working land on shares are
allowed little corner somewhere. where
they can erect an adobe house. or a ham-
boo hut. into which they crowd their
families. and often All their relatives.
with them: but to say that the time has
come when the laboring classes OF Mexico
are supplying themselves with homes IS
simply nonsense, I'm addition to being
false.
HOW TT CAME ABOUT.
Mexico was once rich. II was when The
Spanish invader came in. IN the year 1919.
and found the people engaged in the
pelcable tillagc OF the soil. There were
a few silver mines. but they were work
ed only to "a slight extent. The Spaniard
wanted silver, and he wanted ii badly.
Neither the MOors nor the Spaniards ever
took kindly 10 gold. IL was In the year
1919. and those succeeding. when the
Spaniard needed silver with which TO
carry on his European wars. especially
those with the people Of the Netherlands.
that the Mexicans were tazon from their
fields and put TO work in the mines Thus
the economic conditions Of the country
were changed. Some of the lands then
abandoned have not been touched since.
and the independent spirit of the tiller OF
the soil was br0kcn-hrokcn ON The wheel
OF silver Tor $50 years silver has iloWod
forth In an unintci ruptcd and prolific
stream. finding its way unto the ends of
the earth. but the l0horing classes OF
Mexico are worse OF. and lave been. than
wore their prOgonitOrf before tho work
ing Of the mines had commenced. II u
hard TO understand the blind fatality Of
my courtrymon who want a free coinage
or SILVER. N they are successful IN en-
grating the Mexican financial system. so
far as silver f. concerned, upon the
American people. they certainly vii. rue
the day they accomplish IL. DO not mis-
understand mo. Mexico is looking mp !.
She is coming forward among the nations.
she Is feeling everywhere the pulsations
OF q new life. But it is not because she
has free silver. since she has always had
it. but because she has an enlightened
and progressive Government with r
MAGNIFICENT man az its head. and guaran-
tees TO every man who comes here TO in-
vest his capital I'm the infant industries
of the country that he and his Industries
shall De protected. This gives prosperity
to tho capitalist and more labor 90 tho
vvorkingmcn. / wish every American
could see for himself the abiect condition
of the iaboring class Of this country under
free silver. and there would then be no
doubt as 10 how he would vote I'M the
coming election.
city Of Mexico. September .. 1896.