The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-12
HE HAD ENOUGH
OF FREE SILVER
The Sad Experience Of q Boston Man ID
Guatemala.
Seeking Home in a Sick and Desti.
tute ConditiOn..Failed to Find Q
Land Of Milk and Honey.

Washington, Aug. 11.-An emaciated,
saiiow-looking man. with struggling
peard and wearing a ragged Spanish
costume. including red leather boots,
laced up in front, tottered into the Of
flee of the sanitary officer at police
headquarters yesterday. He said he
| was white man, although the fierce
sun of Central America had Drowned
him to the color Of a mullattO. He pro-
duced his passport from a port in Qua
temala, which showed that he was Will
liam Russell, twenty six years Of age,
although he appeared to be forty, and
that he was a native of Boston.
He told a story Of terrible suffering
while in Guatemala, and was trying to
reach his Boston home, and received
assistance from the sanitary officer.
Russell was sick and destitute, and he
attributed his sad plight to a life Of
one year in the free silver country Of
Guatemala, saying his experience
should sound a warning note to the 16
to advocates in this country.
ATTRACTED BY THE WAGES.
| Russell said he was a carpenter On
May 10, 1895. he was working at his
trade in New Orleans. At that time
the agents Of the PanZos railroad, then
| being constructed in Guatemala, were
In New Orleans, engaging mechanics
and laborers to work on the road. They
offered s. per day for the services of
mechanics, and stated that the cost Of
living in Guatemala was much lower
than In the United States, and that
I fro ell, ,trxr
with plenty Of money in circulation.
Attracted by the wages Of 81 per day
and the statements about the low cost
Of living and the plentitude Of money,
Russell shipped as carpenter on May
10. 1895. He was under the impression
that he was going to a land of milk and
honey. After one years experience In
the land Of free silver he found that his
dream had been rudely and sadly dis
PEELED.
II will tell you the sort of cheap liv-
ing we found in that free silver country
of Central America" said Russell Tho
mechanical squad of which l was
member was compelled to pay SIPS for
each scant meal Of which 1t partook.
This amount had to be forked over in
advance at the gate Of the dinner tent.
| The shibboleth was no money, no food
| and those who were unfortunate enough
to be without cash went hungry. This
dinner consisted of fat pork or barrele6
corned beef. bread, Mexican beans an0
coffee. Such q meal as could be pro-
cured here for or 10 cents. Canned
goods were extra.
PAPER AND SILVER MONEY.
| "Now," continued Russell, take
three meals a day, at $1.25 each, from
our daily pay of seven Guatemalan dol
lars, and you can realize what the COM
mencement was in that land Of milk and
honey. Guatemala has for many years
been glaring example Of what free sill
yer would do for a country. Paper
| money was put In circulation, with a
silver reserve and on silver basis, but
it is a we'll known fact that there are
seven paper dollars to every silver one
in reserve. The paper dollars there are
not worth the paper they are printed
| on. You cannot purchase food from the
Guatemalan natives with the paper cur
rency. They would rather give you
something to eat than accept the stun
backed by the alleged silver reserve.
I'm order to prevent the Americans
employed on railroads and in other in
dustries from bringing the Guatemalan
silver dollars to this country the gov
ernment stamps a mataeo (6h-cent
| piece) across their faces. Thus stamped
they would be regarded by American
bankers as mutilated coin. This IL
done to force the Americans to ex-
change with Guatemalan money brok-
| ers, who charge 10 per cent. In good