The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-08-08
SILVER IN MEXICO,
HOW THE CARTWHEEL DOIIApc
MELT AWAY,
N""here Are Beggars More Numerous
or squalor and Wretchedness Moro
III fHidence-A Ragged and PoorIy
Housed People.

/ =
Housed People.
ne advocates of the free and unIimit
ch coinage of silver. and Mr. Tnvnc in
particular. are of late given to holdinr
up IN" monetary system of Mexico and
nc conditions there as illustrations of tho
dressings of free silver 1t is doubtful
u there Is nation on the face Of tho
Slohe where more poverty is Sppn N All
- parts OF the nation than ran bc found
III M"Xico. 1t il more than DrohabIe
however, that neither Mr.. Towne nor his
TRENDS nave taken the time to famiIiarizc
themselves with the conditions Of The
people OF that free silver rppublic Whnn
they say the Mexican wage Garner is in
Il more prosperous condition than those
oi thlS country they do not fail 10 exhibit
th.lr utter Ignorance of the question.
;, anyone who knows anything at all on
ne SUBJECT knows there is not a SyIla bic
eI truth III such statements Mr. ToUne
Is reported to have said y few davS
since ut st. Louis, that Mexico was
Il muon more prosperous country than the
! nitod States, and cited as the rauSp for
thIS the fact that Mexico was on
iret silver basis. It is not understood
her" that Mr.. Towne has ever snsnt
much time in that country-if he has
eyer been there at all The testimony
OF those who have spent months and
years III that country is entitled To at
IeaSt even weight with those who have
never been across the Southwestern
frontier.
The Rev. Francis i. Clark. prosident
81 the Society of Christian Endeavor,
gentleman of observation and the highest
integrity. who has lately compIeted
Journey Of 300 miles in Mexico, writes
found them:
terrestrial paradise in every respect The
traveller is reminded of that in MANY WAYS
i ne Mexican cartwheel dollar met4 away
III surprising fashion when il come Ia
buying what an American considers the
neceSsarieS of lie For instance whom
the Coiored porter of the Pullman bufrct
ear brings you the bill Of fare il aImoSf
taxes your breath 10 the prices
charged for various ComcStibcS For in
stance, two boiled eggs cost 80 cents while
three may be obtained for the moderate
sum OF 40 cents. Bread and butter i ~
cents, cup Of tea or coffee costs the
same price. while a sandwich may he had
Tor no less OF course the eye Of a Ros-
tonian would seek the price of the sUccu-
lent and nutritious baked bean. and he i
surprised To find that it requires 10 centa-
vos tcertSl to pay for the dish for which
MS municipality is famed 4 small bottle
of appo.linaris water costs 30 cents ana
other things are in proportion
Desiring q light lnnch on one occasion
package of sweet biscuit about half a
pound in all which might have cost Il
cents tt III America and was surprised
that my bIll amounted to 81 Cents
II should be remarked however that if
one Is content to live in Mexican style
prices are not eNorbitant. A good room
the cxecra Bile cooking of the country is
from 81 to 81 more
The silver of prosperous" Mexico has
not ~ yet found its way I" any great eX-
Wages are, evidently on the highest sort
of god basis A number of my friends
told me that they pay their cooks about
of such labor in the States In the coun-
try districts an able bodied man earns ST
hieNtCanl a moath tS3 American and his
board. while fair days wages in city or
country for a laborinS man IS 30 cents
AIcNican.
Nowhere are h"gglrS more numerous. or
squalor aud Indebtedness more in evi-
dcnCe than in prosperous Mexico. lhr
railway stations are thronCed with NJ
most naked children. holding out grimy
hands while their Pittfn, ana monGtg9"gS
one of the "BdckShcesh" "Backsheesh,
of Egypt aud syria. Indeed, the condition
Of the common people seems not one whit
better than that of the felIahin of Egypt
or the pariahS Of India
In many respects the condition Of thcSc
widely separated ones is Strikingly Simi-
lar They live in the same Kind of mud
houseS They are clad In similar futtcr
ing picturesque rags except the rags of
Mexico seem a little more ragged than
those Of the East Their feet are shod
with the same kind of sandal. fiat piece
of rough leather, bound on with leather
thong There is one difference, however
the red fez Of Egypt and the white turban
of India, in MexiCa gives way To the great
Sombrcro on which every MeNcan VINO haS
a spark of SCIf-respect pridCs himself
In the matter Of headCear this Oriental
country Of the pCCidCnt has the adVhu-
ta.-a of the sister natiou. of the East. Its
tile Is truly 4 magnificent ono. " some
times costs 500. very frequently from 50
to $50 often a mounted Mexican may b"
seen galoplng across the dry plains. whose
oyershadowiuC SombrcrO is worth more
than all the rest Of the outht coat anu
Shirt and trousers and horse and saddle
Hundred- of thousands Of NeNicans live
in houses which could be built for 81" IN
American money and their whole ward
robe minus the ~omhrero. would come
hirh at two hits | am speaking. of
course. of the poems, the peasant class
Thcre T., another class of N"NIcanS. IT
whom I cannot write in this paper, who
live in beautiful houses surrounding 'oY"
ly patniS or inner courtyard gardens
hutIt very much rs were the houses of an.
.ient pnmprii These MeXicauS ar" ~.
I1te generous ho>pitable. full of eager
homes for their country. and patriotic 10
the last degree # il a race with large
nossihilitieS and hopeful future Is free
silver the good genius of the repuhic:
viii leave il to fnanCicrS to say Simply
record the impressions Of traveller