Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-04-21

into a city. 1t is not, however, the
power of darkness, the forces Of evil,
which were employed by Aladdin, that
have wrought these changes, but the
power of light, the force of intelli-
gently directed industry, the influence
of morality and sobriety and decency
and the God-inspired energy and hon
est ambition of American citizenship
and Of Missouri pluck.
The name of the town has q rather
pleasant jingle to me. l sometime
ago had the pleasure OF a trip through
the great republic of Mexico, our
neighbor on the south, to whom we
are now bound not only by bands of
steele and great transportation lines
but by sentiments of mutual esteem,
similar forms of government and an
opposition to European oppression,
tyranny, monarchy and %plutocratic
injustice.
1 there saw the people busIly
engaged in some districts digging
from the earth that bright metal
which Gods people, all of the plain
people, have during all of the worlds
history used for money.
And I saw them separating it from
the rocks and soil and taking it to the
minis and having it coined into dimes
and half dimes and quarters and half
dollars and whole dollars free from all
restriction and free from all monopo-
listic financial legislation.
They were making money of it that
the spectators and usurers could not
corner and monopolize, bright, clean,
honest silver money, the money OF
every day use, the money of retail
transactions, and it passed current
among the people in exchange for all
things that 60 to make life happy.
And on every side and all around
saw evidences of progress and i'm
provement, of increasing intelligence
and civilization and a people, even OF
the humblest classes, more prosperous
than the humblest classes of the peo-
pie in the United States, and / was
pleased aud delighted with that coun-
try; therefore, the name Mexico has
for me music in it and when it is pro-
nounced in my hearing I think of
great snow-covered mountains, lux
uriantly fertile valleys, a kindly and
a courteous people, perpetual sun
shine, a popular government, beauti-
full senorItas and gallant caballeros
and the G~od-given right and boon of a
free and. unrestricted and unmonop-
olized medium of exchange between
the people.
They say that labor in Mexico il
degraded and that the Poems work for
40 or so cents a day because Mexico is a
free silver country. Well, they do
work for that price and the people are
humble and uneducated and only par
TALLY civilized. Their wants are few
and their habits are simple; their
climate is mild and they live simply
and cheaply, but they are happy and
contented.
You must remember that there are
n Mexico about 10000, 900 people,
z ,00O, 900 of whom belong to the Abor-
igines or Indian race and that of these
come the Mexican Poems or humble
laboring classes, an uneducated PEG.
pie. 1t must, also, be remembered
that for nearly a hundred years thai
country vas dominated and controlled
by religions intolerance and the
dwarfing and whitening power of thu
clergical influence in full control o
the power of the state. All the riches
mines, the fertile valleys, the greai
and profitable industries belonged tt
the clergy and they absorbed all tn,
surplus revenues and the people were
in a condition of religious and fanati.
cal servitude.
No man respects and esteems relig'
ious influence, when properl,
directed, more than 1 do, but God die
not intend that any people or stat,
should be dominated by any creed o.
religious organization and one of thu
greatest reasons that the Unitet
States is great and progressive ant
admired and beloved by people Il
that Thomas Jefferson, the father o
the Democratic party, forced into tn
constitution of the United States
clause to the effect that "Congres
shall pass M law respecting the estab
lishment of any religion or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof" and we cal
all go to heaven in this country b,
whatever route we may select.
1t is said that wages of all labor il
Mexico r lower than they are in tn
United States. In respect to skille'
labor that is not true. Mechanics
skilled labor ia better paid there thai
in the United States, despite the fac
that the benefits of labor organization
have never been extended into tina
country. II we had no labor oganiza
tions in the United States wages woul
60 down, down, down, until a lowe
level than that TO- prevailing il
European countries would be estab
lished.
Now, let's investigate the PROPOSE
ton about the low wages of unskille
labor in Mexico. The Mexican Poor
or common labor, receives, SO 1t
said, not to exceed so cents a day an
to earn this he labors on the haciends
or plantations, IN the mines and in a
kinds of employment, and it is sal
that he receives his pay in silver coli
Admitting the truth of these state
ments, one is shocked at such a stat
of affairs and that labor, any kind
labor, should be forced to accept sue
, beggarly compensation. We symps
thize with these laborers. They are III
educated, ignorant Indians, usuallypo
sessed of no skill and but little enere
! or ambition, and they appear in tn
tropical climate to be able to Ii,
rather contentedly and even happil
Man, humble man.
;, / am delighted to see that the 10y
and confidence of the people in Dem
cratic principles is growing. The r,
apIfo of tho roropf pnnnicfnoI olocfio,