THE BdtANTON TBITJTJNE- TTUDKESD AT MOHHTSTG, ATflGrUST 12, 1896.
HOW FREE SILVER
; WORKS IN MEXICO
Testiaoay of aa Anerlcaa Who Has
' lived There and Knows.
HIGH PRICES IN LAND OP SILVER
Free Coinage Below the Rio Graade
Make the Cost of Living a Burden.
Some Sample Quotations.
City of Mexico.Aug. 11. To the editor
of the Chicago Times-Herald: After
reading various papers published In the
eastern, middle and western parts of
the United States I am lost in amaze
ment at'the Ignorance and false state
ments made In each and all of them In
regard to Mexico and its so-called pros
perity under the free silver standard.
If some of these writers and free silver
politicians who indulge in such flights
of eloquence and oratory could live In
this state of prosperity (?) and attempt
to provide for the necessities and a very
few comforts of life with these silver
dollars they would soon long for a dol
lar that would buy a dollars' worth of
supplies.
In the first place, we will say, for the
Bake of comparison, that the salary re
ceived here for a given class ot work Is
the same as in the United States, and
we wlil suppose it $73.. Out of this a
man with a wife must live, dress, pay a
possible physician's or dentist's bill, and
provide for some other absolutely ne
cessary expenses. We will not even
consider pleasures. His house rent Is
perhaps the most important Item, and
for this $20 or $23 Is cheap, and that for
a house that Is not a house at all, but
only a succession of three or four con
necting rooms, built around nn open
court or "pntlo," which Is common lawn,
playground and back yard for six or
eight other families living under the
same roof. -
Then he liiist' furnish his house
somewhat at least, he thinks so when
he first arrives in this land with a sil
ver lining. The average Mexican knows
better. He does'not attempt to furnish.
He has a bed, to be sure, a table and
two chairs, and sometimes a wardrobe.
An ordinary three-quarters Iron bed,
painted blue, with here and there a
high light of gold paint, with a woven
wire mattress permanently clamped be
tween, the head and foot boards, has
cost him $18, and on this he has a mat
tress fend pillows stuffed with wool or
cotton which have cost him $1S more.
He sleeps between blankets for which
he has paid $6, or perhaps on one sheet
that has cost him at the rate of 62 cents
a "vara," with the blanket over him.
SHOUT COMFORTS.
The American does not consider this
comfort, 'but still he buys the same,
with the addition of extra sheets, and
then feels that he has spent more
than he can afford. The chairs, table
and wardrobe he will buy of Mexican
manufacture, the four pieces for pos
sibly $33. or, if second hand, a little
cheaper, but the cabinet-making will bo
most Indifferent, and the material pine
wood that has only been stained. He
will also buy a skeleton washstand,
that consists of a ring above for the
bowl to sink In, a bracket for soap dish
and a diminutive platform below for
the pitcher, and a toilet set of white
enameled Ironware, the whole The
very cheapest ocstlng $71.
All of the better grade furniture is
imported and prices sky-high.' In ev
ery one of your Sunday editions Is ad
vertised very pretty- three-piece oak
bedroom suits at from $15 to $30. That
same furniture Sells here for $150 to
$200, and, of course, Is considered very
choice. "
A carpet Is out of the question. Amer
ican Ingrain sells for $1.25 to $2, Brus
sels for $2.50 to $3, and this Is not a
yard, but a "vara," which is but thirty
three inches. Mexico, too manufactures
carpets of an Inferior grade, the cheap
est made being a kind of Ingrain for
$1 a "vara."
Can the average wage earner afford
this?
And now, the other side of the ques
tion. Does this depreciation of silver
protect the manufacturer, who can make
carpet that sells for $1 a "vara". To be
gin with, he imports all his looms and
machinery in order to start business,
paying nearly two of his silver dol
lars for every dollar on the cost mark
of the article purchased, and in addition
to this, a heavy freight bill and custom
duties, making a tremendous first cost.
Wool for his looms is raised here, but
Instead of being cheap, because Mexico
has plenty of cheap money, the price
Is- regulated by the price the "ran
chero" can get for It in gold-using coun
tries, and so the manufacturer pays two
for one, also for his raw material.
FOOD PRICES HIGH.
But carpets, and even wardrobes, are
luxuries we can do without with smil
ing countenances, provided we have
enough to eat and something to wear.
So we put aside ambn- t the same
time we put on our huui and go out to
supply our larder. We choose a small
"tlenda" on a side street, and with a
Mexican friend as lntenpreter, ask for
coffee but the price staggers us 60
cents a pound! Why the man Is crazy,
he is Imposing on us this is the land of
coffee and one of the chief products of
the country! We remonstrate, ask htm
"Why it is?" and he blandly tells us the
foreign market fixes the price. So we
take one pound with the reflection that
weak coffee Is certainly less harmful
for the nerves, and It will without doubt
last twice as long. We next price but
ter. -"The best?" "Yes, certainly."
Seventy-five cents, and the price never
varies. We decide the best is far too
expensive for our silver dollars, and in
quire for something good, but without
the superlative degree, In "centavos,"
and are finally provided with a pound
of unsalted butter for 66 cents, the
cheapest article in the market, with the
price ranging between CO and 60 cents
the year round.
Ham and bacon. We learn,' are for the
rich only, selling for 36 cents a pound,
and lard at 24 cents a pound. We ac
cordingly drop them from our bill of
fare. Bread costs 12 cents a loaf, and
the ordinary French roll 2 cents apiece.
The loaf is small and proves by future
experience to be insufficient for two peo
ple three times a. day, so that to keep
the bread limit at 12 cents we develop
a fondness for rolls. Milk is more rea
sonable and sells for 10 cents a quart, or
16 cents a quart. The 10-cent quality Is
water-and milk, that for 16 cents a quart
is milk and water the distinction Is not
made, ot course, but there Is milk and
milk here, Just as there is in all other
countries.
. We are discouraged, but are reminded
a we leave the store that night Is com
ing; on, and Mexico, with all its pros
perity, has not reached the point of gas
or electric light, except for the main
..business portions of the city and our
lamp must be filled. We go back, and
after much discussion, purchase a quart
glass bottle for 6 cents and have It filled
with etrollo1' for It cents,, and we later
discover this, to be quit the usual war
of buying coal oil. On passing the
meatshops we stop to Inquire prices,
and find rib beef and mutton worth 18
cents a pound; pork, 20 cents, and scrap
meat for soup, 10 to 12 cents. We will
certainly cultivate a soup diet.
' TWO PRICES FOR CLOTHNG.
With the conviction forced upon as
that In time we would surely be com
pelled to buy clothes, we went shop
ping one day, to find how much a sil
ver dollar would buy in that line. Of
course, all the imported materials, ana
by far the greater part of these stocks
are Imported, were a little more than
double the foreign price, with the duty
and transportation added; but even the
domestic manufactured goods were out
of all proportion to what the man earns
who must buy them. The least expen
sive cotton goods, that we could or
would wear, cost 27 cents a "vara,"
and from that on up to 40 cents. Mus
lin, for underwear, 18 cents a "vara" if
of narrow width, to 35 cents when
wider, and of better quality, such as
the ordinary Lonsdale muslin with us,
which Avould brlnff the simplest gar
ments up to a very respectable figure
for a $75 salary. One could not help
but wonder how the very poor are even
partly clad In the rags we find them In.
On going to the "plaza," or market,
where nil the "Deans" do their buying,
and where the cheapest of all things
are sold, the bottom price on cotton
goods was 9 cents a "vara" for an un
bleached muslin, so poor as o be scarce
ly worth making ui. The next grades
were 12 and 13 cents, which would be
much more economical In the end.
The cheapest calicoes were 13 cents a
"vara" and of the coarsest quality im
aginable. And again we wondered, how does
the day laborer, on 37 cents a day, keep
himself, wife and children covered with
either muslin or calico at these prices?
Of the vast army of household ser
vants the women receive $4 a month
and the men about $3. The street car
driver makes 75 cents a day, the con
ductor $1, and the average Mexlcun
clerk. In store or office, $35 to $55 a
month. A man on $100 salary has a
bonanza that he clings to for a lifetime.
If salaries and prices wore on any
thing like equal ratio, free coined sil
ver dollars would doubtless be as ac
ceptable as any other kind of exchange,
but after twelve months' experience
with them, on the most economical
basis, one finds there is very little left
for a rainy day. A. C.
THIEF SAYS HE WAS HYPNOTIZED.
Strange Defense Made by n Itobbcr iu
Court nt Kenosha. Wis.
Kenosha, Wis., Aug. 11 Josheph
Schinoaha, who was before Justice J.
C. Slater to-day on a charge of steal
ing the horse of Nick Thomas last
Monday, told the justice a strange
story about how he came to commit
the crime. It reads like a chapter In
hypnotism. Last Monday, he Fays, a
young man, a total stranger, ordered
him to go to a stable belonging to
Nicholas Thomas, four miles from
Kenosha, and get a horse and buggy.
Althoush conscious that he was com
mitting a crime, he pay he could not
resist the suggestion of the stranger,
and accordingly took from the stable
the best horse, harness and carriage!
ho could find. He and the stranger
then took the road to Fond du Lac, the
stranger committing thefts along the
way. In the town of Ashford, Fond
du Lac county, Schlnoaha's companion
entered the house of Orson Hull and
fitole a watch ami several other arti
cles and then decamped.
Schinoaha describes his partner ai a
man not much over 20 years of age,
about 5 feet 8 Inches tall, with sandy
hair and mustache. Schinoaha waived
preliminary examination and was
bound over to the circuit court. Ills
bonds were fixed at $700.
HAS FOURTEEN WIVES LIVINQ.
New York Man Taken to the Tombs
to Cogitate on His Condition.
New York, Aug., 11 George Meyers,
alias Miller, alias Muffler, alias Auer,
lias Schwartz, was released from the
penitentiary this morning and taken to
the Tombs, where he ,wlll await trial
on numerous charges of bigamy, which
have been brought against him. Here
is a list of his living and undlvorced
wives, all of this city:
Minnie Papke,
Lizzie Auer,'
Anna Flcken,
tinra Huber.
Kate Huber,
Mrs. Kamlttes,
Frieda Kelffer,
Josephine Krauss,
1'auline I'ollach,
Marie flehlller,
Mrs. Suhipperle,
iWllhelmlna Behaef
fer, Lena Schmidt,
Carrie Schwartz.
Meyer, who is about 60 years of age,
made a practice of marrying women
who had a little money. After robbing
them he would look for new victims.
TRAMPS MAY HAVE KILLED HER.
Wife of nn Illinois Editor Lost in a
Mysterious Manner.
Aurora, 111., Aug. 11. Frank Marley,
editor and proprietor of the Batavia,
111., Herald, Is completely prostrated by
the mysterious disapeparance of his
wife, who left her home Thursday morn
ing, and has not been seen since. Until
yesterday Mr. Marley supposed that she
was with her parents In Piano, as she
had Intended attending the harvest pic
nic in that city Thursday.
It has since been discovered that she
started toward Aurora on her wheel
Thursday morning, probably to take
the Piano train at Aurora. Her friends
fear she was overcome by the heat and
wandered off, or was foully dealt with.
An Art Connoisseur.
Madame goes with her maid to purchase
a still-life picture of her dining-room. She
selects at the picture-dealer's a painting
representing a bouquet of flowers, with a
pie cut Into, and a half-penny roll. She
paid G00 francs for the lot.
"Madame," whispered the bonne, "you
have made a bad bargain, let me tell you,
I saw a picture like that sold for 400
francs."
"And was It as good as this one?"
"Of course, it was; there was a lot more
pie!" Moniteur Oriental.
A Question of Environment
"Do you mean to assert," said the man
who gets excited over polities, "that your
candidate la a better man than mine?"
"It all depends on circumstances,' was
the cautious reply. "I'm willing to give
every man credit for some superiority. If
you get 'em side by side In an experience
meeting during a revival I guess mebbe
you'd have the best of it. But when It
comes to a primary caucus my man 'ud
'have you snowed under in no time,"
Washington Star.
The Other Side of It.
Father "To write on paper with a real
crest on it. to parade at S'te dinners
where sycophants are fed, to give money
to a man- whom you secretly loathe, but
have married because he Is a so-called no
bleman bah I Do you call that happi
ness?" Daughter "But think how unhappy 1
would be if I didn't get him." New York
Herald.
After the Battle.
He 'Well, I know one girl that is willing
to marry me."
She "Why. you'd make a good detec
tive." Uf
A' cold dollar weighs 25.8 grains, of which nine-tenths or 23.22 grains
are pure gold, the remainder alloy. A silver dollar weighs 412.5 grains,
of which nine-tenths or 371.25 grains) are pure silver, the remainder
alloy. The division ot the figure of weight of pure silver in a sliver
dollar by those of pure gold in a gold dollar gives 15.D8 practically 16
hence the ratio between the two metals for oo4ruage purposes; that is,
the weight of the silver exceeds the weight of thie gold in the respective
dollar coins by 16. The proposition for free and unlimited coinage com
prehends the right of any owner -of silver bullion to take the same to
the mint, receiving therefor, free of mintage cost, $1 for each 371.25
grains of sliver, wlikh dollar would be a lega.1 tender for all debts
publio and private.
On a basis of commodity price, measured In the terms of commercial
value of the great cIvlBzed nations of the earth, 371.25 grains of silver
bullion are worth today some 54 cents; 23.22 grain of gold have a bul
lion or commercial value of 100 cents, or $1. The present silver dollar
passes at par with gold today because the whole credit of the govern
ment is pledged to maintain each and every dollar as good aa any and
all Issued under its authority. The difficulty of such maintenance is
one of the main reasons for the heavy increase of bonded debt of the
country, gold! having to be obtained from abroad In order to uphold
the millions of silver coined since the so-called "crime of 1873" at a
parity with gold. While the government maintains such a parity, it Is
not a question of intrinsic value of the coin. The free and unlimited
coinage of silver proposes to abolish the existing gold Standard of
measurement of values, substituting therefor a new standard consist
ing of the 371.25 grains silver dollar, to be coined from any and all sil
ver mined in this or any country. In effect the- United States is called
upon to impart a monetary value to silver nearly twice as great as Us
commodity, commercial or bullion value.
Apart from Its use as money the silver dollar has no greater value
than that of the bullion contained in it, and the same Is true of the
gold dollar, but the gold coin is counted at par, or 100 cents, in every
commercial center of the world, save those of countries on a silver
basis, where it commands a premium. The silver dollar on its in
trinsic, or bullion, merits, commands but a few cents over 50. It la
proposed that legislation shall give by Hat an. almost double value,
meanwhile making It Circulate on equal terms with the go'.d dollar
in performing monetary use. Reliance is placed on the supposed effect
which the adoption of the silver standard will have on ths bullion value
of silver the world over. It Is assumed that as soon as the United
Slates government announces its readiness to piay a dollar for 371.25
grains of silver, the value of the latter must become a dollar In epite
of other nation
It Is argued that alone and unaided this government by flat can in
crease the actual value of the commodity known as sliver. As this
country will stand ready to coin all silver presented, no matter whare
it was mined, the contention Is that the monetary value thereby Im
ported will become the commodity value, and the world will have to
follow. A new value or standard of moirey will be made, Just as If it
were possible by fiat of one government to change the pound to twelve
ounces, or the yard measure to thirty Inches ngrainst all others, who
insist on the accepted standards in general use. Of course, If a man
had bought goods at sixteen ounces to the pound or thirty-six inches
to the yard, he might benefit by selling them at the new standards for
the same money. In effect this Is Just what the free coinage of silver
would accomplish the complete aggrandizement of a favored class
against the great body of the people, to say nothing of the Inevitable
confusion and disruption of trade.
The main contention of the advocates of the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the 16 to 1 ratio, 13 that silver is defined as a money
metal by the constitution, and thait It enjoyed freo coinage prior to 1S73,
when they claimed It was demonetized. Now, e a fact, the value of
the metal silver before the eo-cnlled "crime of 1873" was greater than
the coinage value; that Is, the 371.25 grains specified as the pure bul
lion In the silver dollar was worth more as merchandise or as a com
modity than $1. As the silver was worth a few cents above $1, the coins
went abroad. Their number was few. No silver-onvner cared to sell
BRYAN AS A RINGMASTER,
From the Times-Herald.
Lincoln, Neb., July 26. The enthusi
astic glee with which Mr. Bryan has
exploited his nomination is a good deal
like the noisy vociferation of the small
boy with a new tor. The manner in
which the youngest man who was ever
nominated for president has conduct
ed himself since his return home has
Impressed upon his neighbors certain
characteristics which were not so con
spicuous before the melodramatic feat
In Chicago. For six or seven years the
people who have known Mr. Bryan
have recognized in him a consummate
actor. His star engagement of one day
unsettled him, and now for a couple of
weeks he haB been exposed to view in
his true light. In all the hubbub and
hurry since the singular gathering in
Chicago Mr. Bryan has not thought of
rehearsing. Ho has been too excited' to
think of hiding himself under the cloak
of art. He has appeared as he is.
Mr. Bryan in his new role, realism
itself, Is Interesting and to a certain ex
tent attractive. Youthful enthusiasm
and vigor when exhibited in any whole
some form are always attractive. It is
a pleasure to witness the small boy toot
for the first time his new horn, or hold
at arm's length In admiring contempla
tion his new top, gaudy with color. One
of the first things the boy does when he
gets a new horn or a new top Is to call
In his friends or go out and find them
and tell them all about how he got tne
bauble and what a fine thing it Is and
what he is going to do with it, and this
Is pleasant to witness also, for there is
youthfullness and ingeniousness in tho
spectacle. But Mr. Bryan In showing
his youth has shown his bald Immatur
icy. His immaturity as exhibited in the
iaut two weeks is deep and expansive.
If he is the youngest man ever nominat
ed for president he Is also the most Im
pulsive, restless, freakish, uncertain,
undignified man ever named for the
high of lice -of president by a great po
litical party. All of the boyish traits
and fidgety instincts of youth unformed
are retained in this candidate, who in
law, reached man's estate fifteen years
ago. There is one element which great
men possess In common that of re
pose. Mr. Bryan is singularly lacking
in this quality. He does not Impress
people with the Idea that there Is re
serve force back of his nervous energy.
He seems to be a man of little self-restraint.
He decides, but does not de
liberate. The fleeting thought o' the
moment Is his rule of action. His brain
is active and the product is released at
once for gratuitous distribution. Mr
Bryan has been praised without stint,
but it has never been said that he is
cautious or conservative.
Not many months ago some society
people In Omaha gave an amateur cir
cus performance in the great Coliseum
In that city. Mr. Bryan was asked to
take the showy part of ringmaster, and
he consented. For two nights he ap
peared before the wealth and beauty of
Omaha in the traditional top boots and
high hat of the master of the ring, and
he cracked his whip In a way that made
teamsters on the back seats salute him.
He was an excellent ringmaster. Be
sides standing on a platform and crack
ing his whip hq, made Jokes, and he
cracked his Jokes with the same facility
that ho cracked his whip.. People said
Mr. Bryan alone was worth the price
of admission. Ho wns happy then, and
all smiles, and when the people ap
plauded his sallies he wns almost as
pleased as he is now when the crowds
cheer him. He entered into the circus
project in the same headlong manner
that he hns started In the race for the
presidency. He cared nothing for dig
nity or the fitness of things then. He
cares nothing for these now. His ob
ject was to create an effect then. Thnt
is his object now. Close observers can
not see that there is much dlferenee Iri
the way he conducted- the circus and
1 lice li i
By E.S. Crandon, Editor
the way In which he is conducting his
campoJgn. It may be that his circus
experience in. Omaha is what caused
him to request that the ceremony of
notification be held in Madison Square
Garden, New York, instead of at his
home in this city.
Mr. Bryan is honest, and his friends
admire him for that and for his great
gifts, but they have been surprised at
the light manner with which he Is play
ing with what seems. In his hnnds, a
mere bauble, a nomination for the
presidency of the United States. His
picturesque trip from Salem to Lincoln,
his repeated speeches, and continued
publicity In advance of the official noti
fication of the nomination, his boyish
and Ill-considered phrases, nil mark him
as an excited youth rather than an
earnest man in training for the highest
office in the gift of a great nation. There
are other little things, not Important
In themselves, that detract from the
dignity and poise which should distin
guish a man in Mr. Bryan's position.
He is feverish In his haste. He is nerv
ous and excitable. He is unable to stay
In one place any length of time or con
tinue at one task. He wants to be up
and going to and fro. He wants to have
a hand In all that Is doing. When he
came home he was first man to appear
on the platform of the car, and on the
way from Salem to Lincoln he was gen
erally out on the platform, hat In hand,
and ready to speak at the little towns
before the wheels had stopped turning.
The next day after his arrival In this
city he divested himself of his coat and
vest and spent most of the time. In his
negligee attire, in front of his house or
around the neighborhood. When vis
itors arrive from out of the city, Instead
of receiving them quietly at bis resi
dence, he makes a hurried trip down
town, carrylnpr his wife with him, and
holds a reception In a hotel.
All of these things are, perhaps. In
significant, and In no way affect the
purity of his character, but Mr. Bryan's
bearing Is not what we have learned to
expect in the presidential candidates of
great parties. The people here like Mr.
Bryan, but he fails to command serious
respect. Observing the traits which
have been markedly prominent since he
was made the nominee In Chicago, one
seems to be forced to the conclusion
that his personal qualities, admirable
though they may be, are not such as to
specially fit him for the discharge of the
duties of chief executive of a nation of
70,000,000 of people. Youth is a fine
thing, and it Is pood that youth hns so
large a share in the government of this
country. But In this nation, where po
sitions of . Importance are given to
young men, It is expected that they will
exhibit a sobriety of thought and con
duct. The late William K. Kursell was
a young man, a. very young man when
he was first elected governor of Massa
chusetts, but he was always looked
upen as a safe man. The public had
confidence In his Judgment. There was
no fear Of rash steps. Mr. Bryan In his
private life is Just as exemplary ns was
Mr. Russell. He has never- been ac
cused of a dishonest act No taint or
stain of reproach has ever attached to
his reputation as a man. But In tem
perament the boy orator Is exact!" the
opposite of the boy governor. He Is
lacking in those, qualities that made
Russell a leader in the Democratic par
ty while he was a boy In years. Itus
sell was brave and daring and he had
enthusiasm, hut he wns not Fnasmomc
or fidgety. He had slf-polse, dignity
and a certain amount of mental and
physical reserve. He won -his laurels
by the possession of many qualities of
strength. Mr. Bryan wns nominated
for president as the result of a few
minutes of impassioned nnd reckless
eloquence. Nebraskam
flenntoriatl Courtesies.
First Senator "I am always strongest In
opposition."
Second Senator "Yes, your" greatest
speeches have teen against time.' Tratn.
i
fin ii
of thd Boston Transcript.
to the government for $1 what ho could get more for elsewhere. Con
sequently the so-called demonetization was but the legal dropping ot a
privilege which for years had possessed no value, and which at that
' time appeared as unnecessary and likely so to continue. Up to 1873 only
83,000.000 sliver dollars were coined. Since the "crime of 1873" the total
of coinage of silver dollars under the Sherman act has reached $423.
000,000, beside 35,000,000 trade dollars. With the enormous increase in
the production of silver In the- lost score of years, and particularly in
the last half-dozen years, the value of the commodity has shrunk,
reading nations were compelled to cla-e their mints to its coinage, and
this country, in self-protection, had to repeal the Sherman law. The
strain of maintaining a parity between gold and the immensely in
creased product of silver on the old-time ratio was too great, and has
brought the country to its' present unsatisfactory evils of depressed
buslnesa Tho free coinage of the metal was a dead letter long before
1S73. The demand for its revival comes from the debtor class, which,
by paying debts in a depreciated currency, would reap the reward from
the creditors. As well provide by flat of government that contracts to
sell wheat at sixty pounds to the bushel be fulfilled by payment of
thlrty-pouid bushels. In each of the last three years tho total product
of silver has been three times greater than the 1S73 product. Silver has
depreciated, ottvlng to increased supply. Three hundred and seventy
one and twenty-five one-hundredths grains of it are worth, say, 64
cents today, Instead of $1.03 in 1873, and yet the proposition la made to
force the same amount of the metal to do a dollar's duty to bo the
standard of value. This Is not bimetallism la the least degree; It Is
silver monometallism, pure and simple, and that is Just what free and
unllmiitd coinage of silver at 16 to 1 literally means,
It Is admitted, even by the most ardent of the silver advocates, that
free coinage would send gold to a premium. Our gold would' leave iw,
and In settlement of International bulnnoea the more precious metal
would have to be purchased at whatever premium the times demanded.
The mere proposition has resulted in this state of things, that, while
we exported In the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896, $102,800,000 more mer
chandise than we "imported, yet we exported also $80,500,000 more gold
than we Imported. The heavy liquidation by foreign holders of Amer
ican securities by reason of our currency disorders and the threat of
our going on a silver Imsis was responsible In great measure for. this
anomaly. To ray no more of the effects of disturbing the vast, fabric
of foreign trade, amounting in tho fiscal year Just ended to no less
than $1,602,000,000, the total of values of our exports and imports, let
. it be considered what the effect of the silver basis will be on the great
est creditor class in the country the savings-bank depositors."
Tho hundreds of millions of dollars In the savings bajiks of the
country represent 100-cent dollars, deposited in good faith as such by
the very bono and sinew of the country those who labor. These are
the creditors who must suffer from a dishonest dollar the men and
women whose thrift has enabled them to put by their savings in order
to cam a small Interest, which savings are loaned to borrowers on
mortgages, in many cases making creditors of the depositors. It is the
savings-bank depositor, the government pensioner, the great army of
tho Insured, the very people, who really constitute the creditor class,
and who must suffer most of all from a policy of dishonest finance, of
repudiation, of inflation and assured panic. To a large extent the rail
way securities of the country are held by small Investors of compara
tively small means, whose few thousand dollars . invested in bonds or
stocks represents their all.
As to the effort on wages, It Is quite plain that the adoption of the
flat value standard would bring inflation In prices of commodities. The
farmer might got $1 for his wheat, and other products, of course, would
rise, as would prices of the necessaries of life generally. But exper
ience has proved, nnd this Is a fundamental principle in political econo
my, that wages rise Inst and decline first. The Idea that because he
will get more wages he can afford to pay more may appeal to some
worklngmen, but It requires little reflection to show that the unsettle
nient Inseparable from tho process of readjustnwnt would be sure to
affect him most of all. And in the Inevitable panlo which would follow
such a period of Inflation the laboring man would be ground between
the upper and the nether millstone.
THE DAY OF SILVER
HAS GONE FAR BY
So Says One of the Most Careful ol
American Economists.
THE REASONS FOR SILVER'S DISUSE
Hcnd of the Political Science Depart
mcnt in Columbia College Says That
Gold Must Be the Standard of All
Money.
New York, Aug. 11. ProfesTW r John
W. Burgess, dean of the school of po
litical science at Columbia college, now
at his summer residence at Montpeller,
Vt., has written nn able and concise
statement of the silver question to Solo
mon M. Strouk, of 62 and 64 William
street. In reply to a letter arklng for
light. The statement Is the result of
careful and studious consideration of
the subject, and will be read with Inter
est. It Is as follows:
"Bimetallism, In the sense of tho full
and equal legal tender power of two
metals. Is Impossible, nnd only the
"federation ot the world" upon that
subject can ninko It possible. In the
present condition of the world, you must
choose between tho gold or the silver
standard. You cannot have both. We
have been a gold standard nation for
more than half n century. The act of
1873 only records In tho statue book
what has existed ns a fact for nearly
fqrty years.
"The change from a gold to a silver
standard now would. In my opinion, be
one of the greatest disasters that has
ever befallen this country. I think the
first effect of It, nt the ratio proposed,
would be a prompt and tremendous con
traction of the currency. The whoio
$600,000,000 of gold would disappear, and
It would be a physical Impossibility to
replace It, even nominally, with silver
in ten years.
rKR.IL FOR THE NATION.
"t the Democrats or Populists win
the control of the government nej:t No
vember they can pass no law until a
year later, unless summoned to extra
session of congress, nnd that cannot be
done for five months. That is, our for
eign creditors will have from five
months' to n year's notice to collect
their debts In gold. Before the end of
that period there would not be a gold
dollar left In the country; and when the
sllveritts should take up the reins they
would find themselves confronted by
this enormous contraction ot the circu
lating medium, and would, without
doubt, try to meet It by printing green
backs, pure flat money.
"Such a change would make tho mid
dle nnd lower classes suffer for the
benefit of the rich. The rich man holds
property: Is, on the whole, a seiler and
a debtor. The poor man holds little or
no property: Is, on the whole, a buyer
and a creditor. With flat money, in
part or in full, propeity rises, products
become dearer, and the debtor pays in
cheaper money. The mistake usually
made in reasoning on this subject is in
considering the poor to be debtors, e
cause the poor man holds little or no
property he i -rded as a debtor.
This is a great . '
in
"I also object to the phrase 'free sil
ver,' or the 'free coinage. of silver.' This
word 'free' hypnotizes the American
mind and leads it anywhere. The state
ment of the present proposition should
be 'the unlimited coinage of 53 cents'
worth of silver into $1, on private ac
count SILVER'S DAY HAS PASSED.
"Neither am I of the opinion that bi
metallism is the coming plan. I think
the day of silver as full legal tender
money has passed. Thirty thousand
dollars worth of silver, 16 to 1, weighs
about a ton. At Its real value It weighs
nearly two tons. It is Impossible to use
such a metal in the present volume and
activity of the world's commerce, even
by International agreement, without
great loss. When commerce was unde
veloped and every family produced, in
kind, very nearly everything it con
sumed, shells, tobacco, beaver skins,
etc., would answer for currency. When
It increased to a considerable degree
then these things had to be laid aside,
nnd copper, and then silver, put In their
places. When It assumed its mammoth
proportions of today a much more valu
able metal became necessary.
"No, my young friend, the future of
sliver as money Is as a subsidiary coin.
Gold must be the statldard of all money,
and gold must be the money of the
world's commerce. To my mind there
Is but one way for the patriot and the
wise man at the next election, and that
is to vote the Republican ticket, both
for president and members of congress."
BIMETALLISM EXPLAINED.
Ths Ileal Thing An Distinguished
from the liogus.
"At tho very outset, I want you to un
derstand precisely what is propof-cd. You
will hear a neat deal of talk about bi
metallism. Tho system which is proposed
by the Chicago convention is not bimetal
lism. Bimetallism is an entirely different
nffair. What Is the objnet of bimetallism?
The object of It is to give to the currency
greater stability by spreading it over
more surface.
"A very common Illustration of It Is
this: If you have a lake anywhere and it
is subject to all the peculiar Incidents of
the res Ion In which it is the rainfall may
lift it, droucht may lower it. Now, If you
want a perfectly stable surface you have
i;ot to get It by some appliance outside of
the lake,
"Suppose you can Join It to another
lake In a different climate which Is dif
ferently affected. If you Join them per
fectly together then there will be the
fame level In both lakes and the disturb
ances In one hike will bo counterbalanced
by the disturbances In the other lake and
the tendency will be to have a steadier
level. That will all be perfectly true pro
vHed your two lakes do balance, and you
get a more stable currency.
"Now there Is some reason and sense
in the Idea that the whole world. If they
ook cold ond silver at a proper ratio.
could preserve a greater level of prices.
n firmer rnd more stable level of prices.
This no single country could do." Tom
Heed at Portland.
WOUKIKti ANoITTdoDKE.
'An old mnn that I tif?d to know used
to toll his shirt front constantly In tho
cotirso of five or six wef k (laughter)
and then he wore, in old-fashioned days,
a dickey, nrd when the old man put that
on you knew that the shirt below was not
clean, Our democratic friends have
soiled In four years the fronts of their
shirts with frw trade, with Ihe repeal of
the tloiirlne of reciprocity, end now they
are trying to cover it up with a free silver
dickey." Congressman W. E. Mason.
HE HAD ENOUGH
OF FREE SILVER
.... . .
The Sad Experience of a Bostoa Mai ii
GaatefliaU.
CAUGHT BY A Bid WAQES BAIT
Seeking Home ia a Sick aaa Desti
tute ConditionFailed to Fiaa
Land of Milk aaa Honey '
Washington. Aug. 11. An emaciated,
tallow-looking man. with straggling
beard and wearing a ragged Spanish
costume, including red leather boots,
laced up In front, tottered into tho of
fice of the sanitary officer at polio
headquarters yesterday. He said he
was a white man, although the fierce -sun
of Central America had browned
him to the color of a mullatto. He pro
duced his passport from a port In Gua
temala, Which showed that he was Wil
liam Russell, twenty- six years of age.
pal thought he appeared to be forty, and
xnat ne was a native of Boston.
He told a story of terrible suffering
whllo in Guatemala, and was trying to
reach his Boston home, and received
assistance from the sanitary officer.
Russell was sick and destitnte. and he
attributed his sad plight to a life of
one year In the free silver country of
Guatemalla, saying his experience
should sound a warning note, to the IS
to 1 advocates In this country.
ATTRACTED BY TUB WAGES.
Russell said he wns a carpenter. On
May 10, 1X95, he was working at his
trade in New Orleans. At that time
tho agents of the Panzos railroad, then
being constructed In Guatemala, wero
In New Orleans, engaging mechanics
nnd laborers to work on the road. They
offered $ per day for the services of
mechanics, and stated that the cost of
living In Guatemala was much lower
than in the United States, and that
Guatemala was a free sliver country,
with plenty of money In circulation.
Attracted by the wagea of $7 per day
nnd the statements about the low cost
of living and the plentttude of money,
Russell shipped as a carpenter orf May
10, 1895. He was under the Impression
that he was going to a land of milk and
honey. After one year's experience In
the land of free silver he found that hla
dream had been rudely and sadly dis
pelled. "I will tell you tho sort of cheap liv
ing we found In that free silver country
of Central America," said Russell. "Tho
mechanical squad of which I was
member was compelled to pay $1.25 for
each scant meal of which It partook.
This amount had to be forked over in
advance at the gate of the dinner tent.
The shibboleth was 'no money, no food,'
and those who were unfortunate enough
to be without cash went hungry. Th
dinner consisted of fat pork or barreled
corned beef, bread, Mexican beans and
coffee. Such a meal aa could be pro
cured here for 5 or 10 cents. Canned
goods were extra.
PAPER AND SILVER MONEY.
"Now," continued Russell, "take
three meals a day, at $1.23 each, front
our daily pay of seven Guatemalan dol
lars, and you can realise what the com
mencement was In that land of milk and
honey. Guatemala has for many years'
been a glaring example of what free sil
ver would do for a country. Paper
money was put In circulation, with a
sliver reserve and on a sliver basis, but
it Is a well known fact that there are
seven paper dollars to every silver one
In reserve. The paper dollars there are
not worth the paper they are printed
on. You cannot purchase food from the
Guatemalan natives with the paper cur
rency. They would rather give you
something to eat than accept the stuff
backed by the alleged silver reserve.
"In order to prevent the Americana
employed on railroads and In other in
dustries from bringing the Guatemalan
silver dollars to this country the gov
ernment stamps a mataeo (6-cent
piece) across their faces. Thus stamped
they would be regarded by American
bankers as mutilated coin. This la
done to force the Americans to ex
change with Guatemalan money brok
ers, who charge 10 per cent, in good
money for the exchange.
"That brings the Guatemalan silver
dollar down to 35 cents in value. Then
the redemption Is In American silver,
which they rate as gold."
A r?ONORAULE TRADE.
Borrowing nnd Lending Both All
Right If Honestly Done.
Don't let U9 confuse this business of
borrowing and lending by our little pri
vate prejudices. I like to have the grocer
furnish me with suitable food because I
want to keep my present weight and fine
ness. (Aplause.) Hut I don't have any
feeling or personal satisfaction when I
pay the bill. I like to have my tailor
clothe me, and yet I hesitate a little bit,
not Termanently, but I hesitate a little
bit, about paying. Nevertheless I shall go
on, and you will, buying food and clothing,
and really It is just as much for my ad
vantage as K Is for the advantage of the
grocer and tailor. Hence we keep up
pleasant relations, but the bills are really
never pleasant.
"Now, If I want money, nobody comes
to take me by the throat and forces It
on me. You have noticed that. (Ap
plnuse.) They never do. You have to
atrree to terms that ore suitable to them
It you want their money. Thnt Is perfect
ly natural, because money is pretty valu
able. "If you have a thousand dollars that
thousand dollars has the potentlnllty of
a house, the potentiality of so many bush
els nf wheat, the potentiality of so many
pounds of beef, tho potentiality of every
thing in the world. 1'Njr, m Carlisle says:
'When a man has sixpence, the world is
his slnvc to the extent of six-pne.'
"Rut when you have used your 11,000
and bought a house with it, the potential
ity Is gone. You have got to wait until a
mnn comes round thnt wants, not only
a house, but Just thnt houso at your price,
else you can't have the $1,000 hack again.
"Hem-e a mnn Is not gorn to let you
have money, unless he thinks ho is going
to get it back." Tom Reed at Portland.
IIEN-IIEADED VOTERS.
"I remember to hove spoken here four
years aso and I remember the difference
between that meeting and thW. Everybody
was nro'perou an-1 everybody was will
ing to stay at home nnd let somebody else
do the political work. The result was
you know it without my telling you. Our
Democratic frleflds came up here nnd
told the farmers that you were poor, down
trodden. God-forsaken people, nnd thai
you sold your wheat too cheap. Then they
came down Into this town and into Chica
go and told us we were awfully unfor
tunate, that we were down-trodden, and
that we paid too much for things you sold
too cheap. (Lauehter and applause.) And
we believed It. We were Just hen-headed
enough to believe It. (Laughter.) I say
a mnn Is hen-headed when you can fool
him twice with the same trick." Con
gressman W. B. Mason.
An American Hostler
"Senator Erlce is a great society man
and l!on hunter. Isn't he?"
"I should sny so. If we were to go to
war, he would have all the enemy's gen
erals to dinner the first day that fcoslllt
ties brake out." Truth.