The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1900-10-12

Mr.. Bryan's theories of finance he made
a trip into Mexico in order to study the
financial conditions of that country,
which has the free and unlimited coinage
of silver. Mr.. Bryan found the republic
of Mexico fairly prosperous in spite of
the disadvantages OF free silver, and
dollars worth forty-eight cents He
found that Mexico's great and unde-
veloped resources were being exploited,
not by Mexicans who had made fortunes
in their own flee silver country, but bv
foreigners-Americans Englishmen, Ger
mans-who were changing one gold
standard dollar into two Mexican dol
lars and using the money to develop the
kind of Industries that sold their Output
in gold standard countries He found,
il he looked carefully about him, that
the employers of labor in Mexico we're
paying that labor in Ascent dollars and
selling their products in gold standard
countries for dollars worth one hundred
cents.
That is a good thing for the manu-
facturer-the capitalist-but how does it
operate to the benefit Of the people?
The late Mr.. Romero, Mexico's am
bassador to the United States, printed
the following in book, in 1898:
Day labOrers in the country (Mexico)
get from 10 to so cents a day. In some
instances ten to fifteen cents a day is al
lowed to cover the cost of meals. The
average laborer will live well and in
good strength on from ten to fifteen
cents q day, and will support his family
on from ten to twenty cents a day. OF
course he will have his little patch of
corn, beans, and chiles planted near his
but, which is the largest part of his bill
OF fare three times a day, and for 365
days in the year. Five or ten dollars
per year will clothe him, except, per-
haps his hat, and for that he will, if he
can get the money, pay from five to
twenty dollars"
The above quotations are Mexican
money, of which dollar is worth fortv-
eight cents. 1t will be seen that the la
bOrer actually gets from 8 to "a cents a
day for his labor, that he supports his
family on from five to ten cents a day,
and that two and half to five dollars a
year buys all his clothes.
Brakemen on trains in free silver Mex
leo get from $35 to SIS a month; brick
layers get 81 to $3.50 day; street-car
conductors get so cents to 81 day; la
bOrers in large cities get from 80 to 65
cents q day, and in the country cOnsid-
erably less; labOrers in factories working
eleven hours get from so cents to 81 a
day; skilled miners get 81 to 81 so, and
unskiled miners so to 80 cents a day;
policeman are paid $50 to $50 a month;
stone masons get 81 to $3.50 q day;
tailors get 81 to $50 Il day, and print
ers 81 and So q week
All the above prices for labor are in
Mexican money, are taken from official
sources of q kind not to be disputed
These prices should be compared to the
wages paid in the United States. The
agricultural labOrer who speaks of the
beneticent blessings of free silver should
pause to consider the position of the
agricultural laborer in Mexico W 10 gets
from s to "a cents a day-and htshould
| think, at the same time, of the aE"fand
for harvest hands in westernalse5 ties
where two, three and even four llPv lars
per day in gold are not infre tuently
paid. The American miner, Farming
from $50 to 500 a day, IN gold,
should think of the miners in free silver
Mexico, that get from so cents to $3.50
day in Mexican money, or q cents to
rs cents a day in the good money that
is paid to labor in the United States by
virtue of the success of the principles OF
sound money, and the republican party.
In view of the fact that Mr.. Bryan has
said free silver would increase wages
| while cheapening the cost of living, it
| would be we'll to compare the prices paid
Tor necessaries in Mexico in Mexican
money, with prices prevailing in the
| United States in gold standard money.
At Ell Paso, Texas, the American
laborer buys bacon at II cents and ham
at Is cents pound, while across the
line in Mexico the Mexican pays 80 cents
a pound for bacon and 35 cents pound
for ham. Ia Ell Paso salt sells for little
more than l cent pound, IN
| Mexico for a little less than Z cents
MoIasses sell at Ell Paso for 55 cents a
gallon, and in Mexico for So a gallon
Candles sell for $500 a hundred in FL
| PasO and $500 a hundred in Mexico
| Sugar selling for 6 cents pound at FL
PasO sells for 10 cents a pound across
the line in Mexico. In FL Paso flour is
bought at 81 Is hundred pounds, and
in Mexico at $500 a hundred. Con
densed milk is 50 so case in Ell PasC
and $1,000 case in Mexico. Canned
| tomatoes are 50 90 case in FL PasC
and $500 in Mexico. Crackers are Z
cents pound in Ell Paso and 20 cents
| \ n