The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-11-01
FINANCIALLY
INTERESTED
WHY II. d. O'BRIEN AND c. D.
o'BRIEN FAVOR THE ELEC-
TIoN OF BRYAN
AND LIND.
THEY OWN A SILVER NINE
Located I'm Mexico, and Want to
Coin the Metal Into
y U. s. Dollars.

T. d. O'Brien, Minnesota member OF
the Democratic national committees
and his brother, c. D. OBrien, are
joint owners of valuable silver mine
in Mexico. They have owned 1T for the
past three years and their interest In
advocating the election of Bryan ana
Lind and the free coinage of silver Is
therefore apparent.
This mine is situated in the noun
famous district of Mexico, three miles
from a railroad station by the name OF
Ocattan This information came, In
the first place, from a prominent ana
wealthy business man of st. Paul, who
visited Mexico last year on COM
bined visit of business and pleasure.
While stopping in a town In the silver
mining district of Mexico he was sur
prised to receive a visit from Chris
O'Brien, Jr., son of C. d. O'Brien and
nephew of Thomas D. O'Brien.
Young O'Brien st:xed that he repre-
scented his fathe~ ~-1 uncle in man
aging a silver mine in that region
owned jointly by them. He said that
the industry was very profitable, even
at the present price of silver, but would
of course be immensely more profitable
If the doctrine of free coinage, for
which his father and uncle were work.
ing so zealously in the United States,
should finally prevail. He stated that
they had a rich mine; that they ern-
ployed Mexican Indians at wages OF
from 20 to so cents day-which wages
they paid in Mexican silver worth less
than half its face in United States
coin Thew shipped their product to the
United States srd sold it for gold at
market prices. Thus they made large
profits which profits would be more
than doubled if Bryan could be elected
president.
\ The O'Briens We're thus shown to be
engaged in an enterprise which com ss
in direct competition with American
labor. They employ this labor at one
fifth to one-tenth the wages paid in the
| United States for similar work and pay
for 1t in forty eight-cent dollars.
If free coinage should be adopted
they would continue to bring their
product into the United States, thus
saddling upon the national government
the, produce not only of our own mines
but those of Mexico and other silver
producing countries.
With this nlain 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
the details of their operations in Mexi-
| can silver mining. T. D. O'Brien was
out of the city on a speech making tour
| of the southern part of the state, but
| = xxyaS w
| asked:
l,t"Can you tell me, Mr.. O'Brien.
whether you pay your silver miners in
Mexico. in Mexican or United States
money!"
~ After moments hesitation the reply
came readily enough: I'VE pay them
course ~
How much do they get?' he was
again asked.
"Oh," said he. 81 can't tell you that.
am not familiar with the circuun-
stances The men work on the contract
system"
Something like the coal miners in
Pennsylvania"
well, / can't say. because I am not
Informed If my son were here he
all his time there and manae les the
| work for u.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 it is here.
Their wants are few. They work pretty
regularly though. and my son says that
en Indian can do about three-fourths
| II q xxyf,f n q no q
studied the business in the mines of
mare them"
II suppose he speaks the Spanish lam
guage?'
"of course: he has to. The Indians
all sneak Spanish and they understand
no English He learned the language
the first year he wa there"
If any person thinks that the Bryan
managers have abandoned silver and
are ticking up the cry of imperialism in
dead earnest these facts ought to dis
rrove that to tie most increavlous.
Here is the leading exnorent of Bryan
ism In the state ot Minnesota. and a
manaeer of John LIND s canpai IGN the
nan who erst er~n~nced himself sill
yer man sho-+,v he*ore the nomina tinn
of Rryan in 1905 with direction ot tho
Rrvar end T.ira onmpaion In Minne-
sofa, and not sovine a word ahout sii-
ver Pvt he he's not sold his silver
mines yet.
T. n. O'Priep silver mine owner. ad-
yocating the eiactioo of man COM
mitted tn the Free cci-e re of silver CO n
talk about TIE narc r,o,'nt issues ti,l
the heavens foil hut on,v ore issua IL
dominant in tha o'Rrien mind and that
is price of 20 an ounce for silver
bullion. INSTEAD OF the ruling market
price OF 62a cents
The reason is plain. He sells It.
Vote for threa "a ilroad conpnisSion-,