Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-02-17

or by mem bers Of their families. / was
informed that a majority of the mem
bers of the federal congress could un.
derstand speech delivered in our Ian
guage. The leading hotels and stores
have clerks who can speak English, SC
that travel and traffic are made easy.
Advances In Educational Affairs.
Eighth - Mexico is making substan-
tial progress in education. The public
schools are free and attendance is com.
pulsory. The president and those asso-
ciated with him in authority are put.
ting forth every possible effort to i'm
prove the system of instruction and tc
bring all the children under the inf1u-
ence of the schoolteacher. AS an illus
tration, in the state of Mexico the num-
ber of schools has increased more than
100 per cent within the last ten years,
and the number of pupils in attendance
shows an equal increase. The girls and
boys enter school upon an equal footing,
and the ambition OF the pupil is stimu-
lated by the offer of rewards for merit.
It was our good fortune to be invited
to witness the distribution of prizes
for the schools of the federal district.
Nothing impressed me more than the
scene here presented President Diaz
delivered the awards to several hundred
boys and girls The Indian and the
Spaniard, the rich and the poor, all
mingle together in the public schools
and vie with each other for the prizes.
The state not only furnishes instruction
in the elementary branches, but pro-
vides industrial training for both boys
and girls, normal schools for teachers
and professional schools for students of
law and medicine. President Diaz re-
Gently quoted remark made by Won
Moltke in praise Of the German school
teacher and also pointed out the neces-
sity for educated mothers He recog-
nizes, as did Jefferson, that popular edu-
cation is vital in a republic,' and large
ly through his efforts Mexico sees a
yearly increase in the number of those
who are capable of intelligent partici-
patton in government.
Ninth. THAT the free coinage of sill
yer is entirely satisfactory to the people
of Mexico. They have had chance to
test the system thoroughly and to COM
pare it with the systems of the United
States, England, France and Germany,
and found no disposition either among
the officials or among the people to IA
vor the gold standard. The federal gov
ernment pays about So, 900, 600 annual
ly on gold obligations, and while it is
compelled to collect over $12, 600, 600 in
silver to cover this interest account, it
has no difficulty in doing SO, because Of
the prosperous condition Of the nation s
industries. The government is not only
meeting its expenses, but has a surplus
In Mexico the producers of wealth have
not encountered the disastrous fall in
prices which has afflicted all the gold
standard countries since 1878. While
exchange has fuctuated, the fuctua-
tion has only affected foreign trade, and
that fuctuation, while Of small impor-
tance when compared with the great
advantage of maintaining the level of
prices, will entirely disappear when the
parity between gold and silver is re-
stored
found quite number of Mexicans
who went SO far as to express the hope
that the United States would continue
the gold standard because of the advan-
tage which Mexican manufacturers find
in a high rate of exchange, but the ma
jority of the people with whom talked
S>f
the United States in order that stability
in exchange may be added to stability
in prices.
No Desire to Abandon Silver.
The United States has had the gold
standard for % years, and the system
has proved SO unsatisfactory that at the
last election 6, 500, 600 voters expressed
a desire for independent bimetallism,
while 100000 cast their votes for
candidates pledged to international BIZ
metallism. The gold standard has been
SO disastrous that even a Republican ad-
ministration is asking foreign nations
to help US to get rid of it. The people
of Mexico could adopt the gold standard
if they desired to do SO, and yet no con-
siderable number of them wish to aban-
don silver.
Tenth. That Mexico is more pros
porous today than ever before Her in
dustries are increasing in number and
Importance. Near Orizaba is cotton
mill of immense proportions The COM
pany operates Is, 600 looms and 20, 900
spindles. The plant has earned more
than 16 per cent a year on the capital
stock during the last five years, has
been enlarged at the rate of more than
10 per cent per annum during that
time, and the. company is preparing to
add 500 looms and l2, coo spindles this
year. At San Luis Potosi found a cot
ton factory owned by an American.
The proprietor told me that he had
been enlarging his plant and found the
business profitable. | went through a
new cotton factory at Monterey and
learned of large mill now under con-
struction at Guadalajara. There are a
number Of cotton mills also in the
neighborhood of Pueblo.
The manufacture of woolen goods,
the manufacture of hats, the manufac-
ture of boots and shoes and the brewing
Of beer are all growing industries The
silk industry is in its infancy, but a
Frenchman has planted over 8, 900, 900
mulberry trees in the state of Guiana
juato within the last few years and is
much encouraged over the success thus
far achieved. l visited silk factory
which be had recently opened in the
suburbs Of the City of Mexico.
The premium on gold has acted as a
wall to keep out foreign competition
and at the same time has given a sub
stantial bounty upon exports. While l
was in Mexico the gold premium varied
from $1.O5 to $ll5, and shall there
fore take 81. 10 as an average. In 1878
the Mexican dollar commanded pre-
MUM of about 3 cents over our gold
dollar. At that time yard of cloth
worth dollar in the United States or
Europe, when imported by Mexico.
would be worth about 81 cents in Mex-
lean money plus transportation and
tariff Now. with cold at Il premium
OF SI.Iu, yard OF cloth worth dollar
in the United States or Europe is worth
s2 10 in Mexican money plus trans
portation and tariff. Where the gold
price has fallen one half the Mexican