The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-08-08
A DECEASED CURRENCY.
Guatemala, With Free Silver. Over
run With Millionaires.
But THE PEOPLE ARE DESTITUTE.
w. f. Chiiherg Returns From Central
America With a Few Startling
and Warming Facts.

The free silver theory is in practice in
Guatemala, Central America, and j. Z.
Chiidberg, of this city, who has just
come from there, has s., SIP in Guate-
mala silver dollars which he wishes to
sell at 80 cents each. As agent of the
Puget Sound & Central America Steam
ship line, he had many opportunities
of noting the interchangeable value of
money from the United States and Qua
tamala, on the silver basis. His obser-
vations would be impossible to contro-
vert by the free silver advocate, as they
are of existing facts.
" Everything has increased about two
fold in the country except the prices
paid for labor. The clerk, book keeper
and day laborer receive the same wages
in debased currency as before the
adoption of free silver. Where a few
years ago the bank clerk receiving $3.50
a month could live in the best hotel in
the country for $50 he is now compelled
to pay 500 and receives but the same
salary. I paid S2l0 month for room
and board for two persons, but it worked
no particular hardship on me as l was
paid inAmerican gold and would simply
buy $40 in native silver money with
500 in gold, and it was really the same
as paying SlO5 for lodging and board.
The bank clerk receiving at par the sill
yer money Of his country had TO pay
twice as much to live as |, simply be-
cause he was native of free silver
country.
Everything there is governed by the
prices in foreign markets. The poor
people live almost entirely on corn,
ground and made into tortillas, and a
fruit picked off the trees. Corn can be
imported at a cost of 3 cents a pound in
fllver, consequently the poor people
must pay cents for their corn as hardly
enough for consumption is grown III the
country. If the money were received
at par by the native selling the corn,
they would have to pay but ! ] cents.
The poor people are deprived of all
luXurics, not only those imported but
ftLNO lliO0C SiOh il III bllCli Wv II NOuHllN
for, as | said before, the foreign market
sets the standard of prices.
Take the coffee of the country. The
natives have to pay 40 cents a pound
for their own coffee, while in the United
States it sells for 20 cents a pound. The
common labOrer on the coffee planta-
ton gets from - cents to 81 day, just
as he did before free silver was tried in
the country. The coffee produced by
their labor is shipped to some outside
market and paid for in gold. The
owner of the plantation takes the gold
and buys native money, giving but 30
cents of his gold for every silver dol
lar. He then pays off his laborcrs in
silver money, making 100 per cent. on
his money beside the regular profit on
| his coffee. Millionaires are thick in
! Guatemala, they thrive and prosper
there, while the condition of the poor
! is very bad and getting worse all the
! time.
Gold really exists in the country
only as an article of merchandise, and
is not IN circulation. The price Of silver
an amount of native money never
! knows exactly what it is worth Why,
during the thirty days | was in Guate-
maIa, silver dropped in value - cents
on the dollar. The currcn money cor
responding to our dollar is a sole or
| peso, and it contains more SILVER than
! four dollars do now, though it is less IN
value than the Mexican dollar, which is
! coined on ratio of Is to l.
Another thing that has considerable
! influence on values in this country is
the taxation. The government has a
/ heavy national debt, and as it paws tie
/ interest now in silver, it has to increase
/ It's revenue by taxation. 4 sum for in
terest was paid out just before | left,
and they had to pay $206 in silver for
every SlG0 due in gold. seattle Post
/ Inteiligcnccr.