Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-10
A VOICE FROM MOBILE.
Mr.. Clarke Does Not Have the Confidence or
Support of the Workingmen at His
Own Home.
Mobile. April 8.

ing journal of our city, which trust you
will kindly publish for me, as l think ev-
cry workman in Birmingham and
throughout the state of Alabama should
read it, as it will throw some light on the
falsehoods that Congressman Clarke's
orators are preaching in their wander
ings over the state of Alabama.
Mobile lis all right for Captain john
ston. The workmen and clerks are al
most unanimous for Birmingham can
didate for governor, and so are great
many of our prominent business men.
We expect to carry Mobile county for
Captain Johnston on next Saturday, and
his friends are working hard for him.
Clarke'S managers are getting desperate,
and are beseeching the officeholders to
assist them by allowing their names as
delegates from the different wards ~hop-
ing thereby to win few hundred votes.
Yours truly
A MOBILE WoRKINGMAN.
Mexico and the United States.
To the Editor Morning Journal:
Having attended the political gather
ing in the Princess theater last Thurs
day evening, please allow me space as
democrat and voter to lay bare the I'M
preston that meeting made on me from
a working mans practical STANDPOINT
Being possessed of a limited education,
and utterly void of that priceless vehicle
of progress, namely, the imagination,
will confne myself to monosyllables and
plain writing. Therefore, Mr.. Editor, as
far as we understand the present finances
of our great and glorious country, we are
for the free and Independent coinage of
silver. To lay our understanding bare,
we will not advance any theory, but Will
give you plain, practical comparison
between two republics that we have had
experiences IN.
Free, easy-earned silver in the one. and
hard earned gold in the other. Silver
in the young, progressive republic OF
Mexico and gold in the great but handi-
capped United States of America.
Workingmen, to make it brief, you know
there are a dozen or more OF us In TINS
city today that have worked over great
part of the North American continent,
and some of the more unfortunate or us
have earned our daily bread in many por-
lions of the globe. And we can truthful
ly say from our observation and study
that no country has shown US in her
ancient or modern history anything to
equal Mexicos progress and civilization
since she stood out boldly and made her
own money free of dictation.
1t is ten years since the winds OF cir
cumstances first carried me to Mexico
Then l rode muleback escorted by a
compan of soldiers heavily armed, as
Mexico then had but a few hundred
miles of railway from Mexico CITY to
Vera Cruz. Then the native women
ground their coffee and corn between
two grinding stones, and the whole re-
public did not possess shop large
enough to build coffee MILL
How Is 1t at present? One of the many
Industrial esta blshments in the country,
the Chihuahua machine works. is puilo-
ing and has built as fine Corliss engines
as were ever put together by Frazier q
Charmers in Chicago, owned and OPP
Grated by Mexican citizen. In the city
of Mexico in the last few years numef-
GUS tombstone compound locomotives
TOD Vett mn g me.
chanics. that those engines are the larg-
est locomotives in the world? Is 1t not
SO mechanics you who are here in Mo-
bile, that all of the great cities of the
Cactus republic at present have extern
sive railroad shops, large flour mills and
electric light plants, and the old Aztec
and Spanish silver mines that have been
abandoned for several hundred years
are being constantly reopened and
equipped with up-to-date machinery
made in Mexico? Since the Mexican
legislation said: Bring the native sill
yer to our minis and we will make 1t
into bright and shining dollars for you
People here in Mobile-four or five in
the Louisville and Nashville shops-is 1t
not so? Is 1t not true that Mexico con-
ceiyed and constructed the Tehuantepec
railroad, thereby shortening transporta-
ton of a certain commerce between the
two great cities of our country, New
York and San Francisco, many hundred
miles, and refused, under any consider
alton. to let 1t be handicapped by the
benevolent magnate, c. p. Huntington?
She went down in her own treasury and
dug up the funds to build and equip it
and paid her employees their wages ev-
cry two weeks in silver.
Why does not our country build the
Nicaragua canal? She can do 1t just the
same If her legislation gave the people
what they desire and need And now the
time has come to demand 1t. l have told
you little of what progress Mexico mas
made with the benefits of her free silver.
Now let me tell you of the advances she
has made i'm ciyiiiZati You do not re-
ouire generals body guard to go even
into the most remote parts of the coun-
try The people have free silver; they
have something to work for, they have
places to work at, and are contented;
and the country has money to pay them
with and they are satisfied to work in
stead of preying on the mule trains OF
commerce, as they were wont to do when
money was scarce and the people We're
handicapped with bad legislation Also,
with free silver and plenty, they lost
their desire for the cruel passion of bull
fighting, imported from that gold basis
country Spain. Be 1t known to you, citi-
zens. about five years ago the grand CO.
lossal bull ring In the City OF Mexico
was torn stone from stone by an excited
and Disguised common people, and where
once stood this building of torture today
stands magnificent hotel. Thus did
good legislation make-those people real
lie that the sport was inhuman, and since
that riot none of the celebrated Spanish
matadors are allowed to produce the re-
voting amusement borrowed from one
of the gold countries.
san Luis Potosi, GuadaIahara. GUAM
puati. Pueblo and all the beautiful cities
of Mexico have initiated the example set
nv the proud-capital of Montezuma, and
those temples of torture removed SO that
thew may be forgotten. Workingmen of
Mobile, is 1t necessary for me to go any
further? AS it is getting late and have
to work tomorrow ! will draw to close.
Yet few more lines please. Now for
the impression the Clarke meeting made
on my friends and me. We went there to
get the finance question, as Mr.. Clarke
and his colleagues would expound It, or
as they understood 1t. The argument
produced that night was comparison
between this country and Mexico; and,
workmen in Mobile. you know all the
statements in. regard to wages in the two
countries were false and the majority of
the politicians on the stage knew them
to be So But they hoped to carry US off