The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-06-03
Free Silver Mexico.

'.Silver Mexico" Is the heading given to
an address recently made before the J-ffer
SON Club Of Detroit, by Stanley ParkiIl, of
Owoss0, which we find In the Ypsilanti
Sentinel of last week Mr.. Parkill Is a
| very enthusiastic fellow, and his address
abounds 10 very rich rhetoric and very alb
| surd statements II would have been bet
ter for the purpose he had 10 view had he
ATTEMPTED to give no details. but continued
! throughout with his Eighty praise Of Mexico
as the peculiar home OF free silver and its
attendant blessings. One of the first def
mite statements made in Mr.. Parkill's address
Is this:
mo Western Union abomination exists
| IN Mexico with its watered stock, its poor
service, and Its ext0rtiOnate fees, out under
government control as it should be with
good service and reasonable rates j."
1t Is quite possible that Mr.. Parkill
thought he knew what he was talking about
when he made the above statement, but he
most assuredly did not. The Western
Union telegraph company has absolute
monopoly of all business In its line to and
from Mexico, with all the outside world,
aud its rates are almost three times higher
than rates for equal service in the United
States. In fact its charter or contract calls
for payment for its service in gold. and 1t
stipulates that II Mexican silver Is accepted
at all 1t shall be with payment at the rate
of $500 In Mexican money for one dollar in
gold. Mr.. Parkill would probably not have
prepared or delivered that address had he
been familiar with this single fact. Anoth-
or of the few definite statements made by
Mr.. Parkill is the following:
The open mint has given to Mexico dur
ing these years of stress and contraction an
unchanging measure of volume. No mat
ter what the rate of exchange with foreign
peoples may have been, values In Mexico
have been more nearly stable during the
past twenty years than In any gold stand
ard country In the world.
The ''Open mint" has robbed the wage
Garner of Mexico of more than half the val
ne of his daily earnings, and this robbery
has resulted In nation Of almost absolute
paupers on one hand and millionaire CAPT.
|
stated the fact his words suggest in cearest
terms 1t would have been thus announced:
mo matter how cheap the silver of Mex
leo may have become, you can still purchase
could ten years ago." Coffee has increased
In value, for the coffee plantations are
owned by very wealthy planters, most of
them foreigners; corn and flour have greatly
increased in value, for these articles are
governed as to prices In Mexico by prices
In the United States, and the decreasing
value OF Mexican money has more and more
added to the difficulty of wage earners in
Mexico securing even the barest necessities
of life. At least nine millions of the twelve
millions of MexicO's population are depen-
dent laborers and their families, they own
no homes, no farms, no tools, or stock, and
it is through robbery from these helpless
millions for the benefit of capitalists and
corporations that makes free silver Mexico
the home of the poorest paid labor and the
highest profits for capital of any civilized
nation on the globe.
| We would advise the advocates of free
silver In the United States to make no def
mite statements relative to the effects Of free
silver In Mexico In fact definite state
ments by them on any subject should con-
tinue to be avoided so long as abuse of
Mark Hanna is profitable subject. There
Is not single fact In connection with the
effects of free silver in Mexico which will
not serve to weaken the advocacy Of free
silver wherever those effects are kno wn as
they exist. Extravagent eulogy Of the age
of Mexican civilization. of its castles and
cathedrals, and its arbitrary military gov
eminent, may safely be INDUCED In, per-
haps, IL dovetailed with further abuse Of
Mark Hanna, In paragraphs MT too far
apart, but there Is no political profit for the
prophets Of free silver In any statements of
fact connected with their scheme, and they
should continue to avoid them.
Both Mr.. Parkill and Mr.. Powers are
right so far as their statements relate to
telegraph business. The statement made
by Mr.. Parkill relates to local business in
Mexico, very large per cent Of the lines
being owned bv the government or the diff
ferent states. Mr.. Powers refers to bust.
ness to Mexico and from Mexican points to
the United States. In the latter case all
lines are leased to the Western Union Co.,
which absolutely controls all business.