The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-31
GOOD PLACE TO QUIT
E. O. COOK DESCRIBES OLD MEXICO
AND ITS CONDITIONS.

Mexico as They Do4in the States aud it,
Mexican Dollars, Which are Wort!
Only Forty Cents, Three-Fifths Les
Than Face value.
Mr.. E. C. Cool: of Fort Worth, Texas
associate editor of the Texas Railway
News and illustrator, is in the city visit
ing his brother R. 8. Cook on College
Hill. He has just returned from a bust
ness trip through Mexico and gives an
interesting account of what ne saw and
learned there. He says:
Yes, 1 have recently returned from
an extensive trip through Old Mexico.
and as 1 was touring the republic on
business 1 got sufficient atste of this
free silver xallacy to know that this
country escaped a terrible calamity
when It turned Bryan down last fall.
Some people here declareNthat Mexico
is a prosperous country, but you never
see a man who have worked there say it
is the place for the wage eaEner. 1t
makes 10 GllIcItHGt N!l-NH SNAbAOAl q
man fills he is paid in Mexican dollars,
and as they ara becoming cheaper all
the time it is just like cutting mans
salary. I came in contact with the rail-
road men more than any other class Of
people and many of them are threaten
ing 10 quit and return TO the states, as
they call this country. where money Is
receive only 1855 per month in Mexican
money, OF which a dollar is worth only
40 cents. That makes a pretty small sal,
airy compared with what they get in this
country. A passenger conductor here
gets from 300 to S125 and every dollar
is worth 100 cents. / was talking with
several office men and they say they re-
ceive only from $50 to 500, Mexican
money They say they do not see now
any one can live in Mexico and be for
free silver. Those railroad men won't
do a thing to Mr.. Bryan if he goes down
there and advocates his free silver idea.
Grocery men and hotel keepers, as we'll
as other business men, are raising the
prices on their goods on account Of the
they have to do something of that sort
to come out with a reasonable margine
on their goods.
1T is the concensus Of opinion among
most Of the larger business firms and the
prominent railway officials that Mexico
will soon resort to a gold basis. The
railroads feel the depreciation of silver
very materially because they have to
pay the interest on their bonds in gold
and the yellow metal is as scarce there
as il is in all free silver countries. 4
believe Mr.. Bryan never told a better
truth than when he said, about a year
ago, that Mexico is an object lesson for1
this country. II surely Is a good object
lesson now. / was there three weeks
ago when silver commenced 10 drop rap
idly and there was quite perceptible
effect upon the business of the country.
People became alarmed.
Notwithstanding silver has gone
down 1t is still mined in endless uuanti-
ties almost. While at Monterey 1 went
out on a mineral railway 70 the silver
mines about ten or twelve miles from
the city, and on our return the train
brought back ten cars Of silver ore TO
the shelters. There are several smelt-
ers at Monterey, and they all seem to
be doing big business.
Monterey is the most Americanized
city in the republic-that is. it has a
larger number Of American people than
any other place of its size The arcni-
lecture Of the buildings and the street
attest the handiwork of the
places there. is the old battlefield of Mon
terey, where General Zachary Taylor
won his immortal renown as a military
leader and paved his wa yto the presi-
Gency OF the United States.
AT Torreon and Durango I also found
a great many Americans. mostly miners
and railway men. The latter city is
noted for its numerous churches and its
famous bull fights. Some of the largest
there are over 800 years old.
As Durango is 1900 feet high and only
about lao miles from the Pacific ocean
Ii is quite cool there especially al nights.
a heavy blanket is required there every
night for comfortable sleeping. Beauti-
ful plSZas adorn the city every few
blocks-in fact there is not city in the
republic tina. is not embellished with
charming plizas. And at the leading
plazas If each city is a large band stand
where choice band music is-discoursed
every Thursday and Sunday nights. rain |
or shine
NO, did not attend any bull fights |
while at Durango. but 1 wanted t. see
one though just for the sake OF saying !
/ had seen one.
AT Torreon. which is at the junction |
OF the Mexican Central and the Mexi- |
can International railways. Is a large
Gotten mill which like all other leading
enterprises is owned by foreign capital. |
The natives around there raise lots Of |
cotton. One interesting feature about
raising cotton in that section of the
state IS tina: they do not have 70 plant |
II only once in every four o. five years |
Mexico has some splendid railway |
systems. ana excellent train service is |
assured 70 the Traveller Accommoda- !
tons are as good on most OF the lines
as you will find on many o fthe roads in
tais country. That IS surely a delight !
tul country 70 travel in. and a mighty
good country to leave.
WILL BEATTIE MARRIED
Formerly of This City and Now in Business