The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-07-20

The United States consul general to
Colombia writes letter. published last
week, In which he utters a note OF
warning TO the American people which
deserves thoughtful reading, especial
4 ~ by. the wage-workera who are listen
Ing to the demoEoGic cry that this free
silver movement Is in their interest.
Consul McKinnc. details the history OF
the result OF the establishment OF the sill
yer policy OF Colombia and shows con-
clusIvely how disastrously 1t has affect
ed labor. He says that the Colombian
congress passed law that made paper
money legal tender for all debts. the
paper to be payable In gold or silver at
the option of the government. this being
an attempt TO make silver at par with
gold. the thing which our silver friends
propose to attempt.
No sooner had the law gone into effect
than the gold all went out OF the country.
and the government was on 4 silver
) basis In spite of its efforts by legislation
to keep gold and silver at n parity, and
there has not been since any gold In cir
culation in Colombia. The effect OF
this. says Mr.. Mckinney, was 10 raise
the premium on gold from 20 per cent in
1855. to 100 per cent In 1895.
How dlsastrously this affected the
workIngmen OF Colombia is fully
! shown. In 1855 the wages OF the work
3ingmen on the plains OF BoSota were 40
cents per day, and in the hot country 60
cents per day. At the present time the
wages are 60 and 80 cents respectively.
This Is an apparent advance OF fifty, per
cent, but It Is not an advance In fact,
since al the samc time the necessities OF
If. have advanced 200 per cent. Meats
{ in 1855 were selling for from II to Is cents
/ per pound: at the present time they are
s selling for from 40 to 80 cents. House
rents have increased from 100 TO 200 per
cent. Tenements, such as the poor poo
Pile occupy, rented In 1855 for So per
month. now the same houses rent for IS.
In 1856 the Protestant minister ut Bogo-
Ia occupied house for which he paid $50
per month; he now pays 5000 per month
/ for, the same house. Table board at
. hotels has advanced from 81 to 81 per
day. and the proprietors say there iS less
profit than there was under the lower
price. Wearing apparel has not In
creased In proportion to the price OF pro-
visions, but Mr.. Mckinney says that
this Is due to the fact that the people
are too poor to pay for the quality OF
goods they were In the habit OF wearing
before, and only the poorest quality OF
goods arr. placed on the market by the
merchants.
Consul Mckinney says: ut seems to
me that II the workingmen OF the United
9tstes will study this object lesson they
will readily see what they want Is an
honest dollar that will buy as much in
the markets abroad as the dollar Of any
other nation. II silver Is coined In the
United States" he says, "at the ratio
OF l6 10 /, while the gold in n gold dollar
is worth 100 cents In any country In the
! world, and the silver Ii silver dollar Is
only worth 80 cents. is 1t not plain that
tho experience of Colombia, and In fact,
all South American states where II has
been tried, will be the experience of the
United states?"
e i. has been the experience OF every ma
ton which has undertaken this policy
proposed by the Democratic platform
that gold leaves the country and that 1t
requires two dollars OF silver to buy one
dollars worth OF goods In the markets,o OF
the world where gold IS the standard.
This Is the strong argument for the con-
tentIon that silver and gold cannot be-
kept at parity save by an international
agreement.
f But the question. which Is Vital to
every worHingman Ig put strongly by
4 Consul Mckinney. when he says that
Inc wages nr labor do not increase In
proportion to the cost OF living, The ex-
J perlencc OF every silver country Is the
game on this point, DO the workingmcn
the United States want to try tho ex-
!. pertinent? 1t Is no fanciful theory. but
IAN aundeniabis fact that the price OF
Inbor will be governed By the Inv OF sup
ply and demand, while the cost Of livins
a viii be governed by tho value OF the dol
liar the Iaborer receives for his toll.
Z, A very striking lesson for worklngmeh
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