The Bemidji pioneer., 1900-11-01
FINANCIALLY
INTERESTED
WHY r. ID. o'BRTEN AND G. d.
O,BRrEN FAvoR THE ELEC-
TION OF BRYAN
AND LIND.
THEY OWN A SILVER Mine
Hocatcd In Mexico, and Want to
Coin the Metal Into
u. s. Dollars.

r. ID. O'Brien, Minnesota member Of
the Democratic national committee,
and his brother, c. d. O'Brien, are
Joint owners of valuable silver mine
lin Mexico. They have owned 1t for the
past three years and their interest in
advocating the election of Bryan and
lind and the free coinage OF silver Is
therefore apparent.
This mine Is situated in the noun
tatnous district Of Mexico, three miles
from a railroad station by the name OF
Ocattan This information came, In
che FIRST place, from a prominent and
wealthy business man OF st. Paul, VINO
visited Mexico last year on a COM
bined visit of business and pleasure.
While stopping in q town in the silver
xafning district Of Mexico he was sur
prised to receive visit from Chris
sO'Brien, Jr., son Of G. D. O'Brien and
nephew Of Thomas D. O'Brien.
Young O'Brien stcted that he repre-
scented his father and uncle in man
aging silver mine In that region
owned jointly by them. He said that
ptlle industry was very profitable, even
;af the present price OF silver, but would
sof course be Immensely more profitable
Tf the doctrine of free coinage, FOR
which his father and uncle were work
ting SO zealcusly in the United States,
SHOULD finally prevail He stated that
they had q rich mine; that they en-
'ployed Mexican Indians at wages OF
from 20 to so cents day--which wages
they paid in Mexican silver worth less
than half it's face in United States
coin They shipped their product TO the
United States and sold it for gold at
market prices. Thus they made large
profits, which profits would be more
than doubled II Bryan could be elected
president.
The O'Briens were thus shown to be
engaged In an enterprise WHICH comes
in direct competition with American
labor. They employ this labor at one
NTH to one-tenth the wages paid in the
United States for similar work and pay
for 1t In forty -eight-cent dollars.
" free coinage should be adopted
they would continue to bring their
product into the United States. thus
,aaiadling upon the national government
the produce not only Of our own mines
but those Of Mexico and other silver
producing countries.
with this plain statement of facts In,
mind a newspaper representative called
upon the firm Of c. D. and T.. D.
O'Brien, at their law office In the Globe
building recently, to verify some Of
ehe details OF their operations in Mexi-
can silver mining. T. D. O'Brien was
.out OF the city on speech-making tour
OF the southern part OF the state, but
&C. d. OsBrien was seen. The latter was
asked:
Can you tell me. Mr. O'Brien.
whether you pay your silver miners in
Mexico I'm Mexican or United States
money!
After a moments hesitation the reply
came readily enough: I'VE pay them
*Iu the currency of the country, Of
+, course"
.-How much do they get?" ne was
again asked.
Oh said he, IT can't tell you that.
e am mot familiar with the circum-1
sstances. The men work on the contract
system"
Something like the coal miners in
Pennsylvania"
'sWell. / can't say. because I am not
could tell you all about that. He spends
Y .asi his time there and manages the
work for u.s."
s'He has been there some timer"
Eyes, about three years. The men he
employs are Indians, and pay in that
country is nothing like what 1t Is here.
Their wants are few. They work pretty
regularly though, and my son says that
To- Hn SHrna ~ q
as much work as white man. He has
studied the business In the mines of
Che West and he knows enough to CON-
pare them" <'s s-.
<'I suppose he speaks the Spanish Ian
sguage?" E
-.of course he has to. The Indians
.aia speak Spanish and they understand
no English. He learned the language
che FIRST year he was there"
IL any person thinks that the Bryan
managers have abandoned silver and
are taking up the cry of Imperialism in
dead earnest these facts ought to dis
prove that to the most incredulous,
Here is the leading exponent of Bryan
fsn in the State Of Minnesota. and
manager of John Lind's campaign. the
nan who first announced himself a sill
yer man shortly before the nomination
of Bryan in 1896, with direction of the
Bryan and Lind campaign in Mime
sofa, and not saying a word about sill
YER But ne has not sold his silver
Wnines yet. .a r... ....... .t-.-..
T ID. O'Brien. silver mine owner. ad-
vpcating the election Of man COM
-ritted to the free coinage of silver. can
ak about the paramount issues till
the heavens fall, but only one issue is
dominant in the o'Brien mind and that
Is a price Of s1.2s an ounce for silver
bullion, Instead Of the ruling market
price OF 622 cents.
The reason Is plain. He sells It.
Vote for three railroad commission
nru-fxryo FOR the IonP term of four