Have Tried Silver

Did you over live in a country where the free and unlimited coinage of silver has beert test cd? If not, read what throe vrell-Unown citizens of the United States say about their experiences in three countries which have the kind of currency you are now asked to adopt. The three men who thus present their experiencea are Hon. Luther F. McKinney, United States minister to Colombia; Hou. R. P. Campbell, mayor of El Paso, Tex., and the third a well-known railroad engineer now employed in Guatemala. These three men have seen the practical effects of a silver Currency, and as they are all patriotio Americana, who have the good of their country and the happiness of its oiti.ens at heart, they have taken the trouble to put upon paper their experiences and views, with a desire to thus speak to as mauy of their feïlow citizens as possible. These three gentlemen represent both the great politica! parlies and at the same time appeal lo you from the standpoint of the èoTernment official, the distinguished citizen who has been honored by the people of his own city and the intelligent workingmen who appeal to his fellow workmen. A Lossoii froin Mexico. The followiug communication bas been nddressed to the voters of the United States by the mayor of El Paso, Tex., Hon. R. F. Campbell, who takes the preeaution to 'print it in the form of an afiidavit. EI Paso, it should be understood, is loeated on the north bank of the Rio Grande, a stones throw frora Mexiean soil, while Juárez, where he fiuotes the prices of connnodities in Mexiean silver, is on the Mexiean side, direetly opposile El Paso. Mr. Campbell's statement, it: will be seen, shows that the Mexicana pay in Juárez from 100 to 200 per cent. higher in their own money for the articles which they Buy, while the wages also paid in their own money are very low. Read it and see if you want to try the free silver experiment in the United States. I, R. F. Campbell, mayor of the city of El Paso, Tex.. hereby eertify that I have made carefnl and thorough inquiry into the Wholesale price of some common articles of merehandise in the city of El Paso, Tex., and the city of Juárez, just aeross the Rio Grande, in Mexico, and that at tliis date, August 7th, 1890, the pricea of the following articles in the two cities are as follows: those on this side of the riTCr beinir reekoned in United States money, and those on the other side in Mexiean silver. _ [ 8 Breakfnst bacon (American), per 11) $.11% í .32 Ham (American), per Ib... .111! .32 Matches, per cross .60 1.20 Plckles, in B gal. kegs.... 2.25 6.50 Vlnegar, in 5 gal. kegs. ... .60 1.40 soda, per doz 1.00 2.40 Kalt. In 2 lb. sneks 40 .90 Macaroni, per lb .10 .25 Roya] baking powder, per doz 4.00 0.00 Moliisses, per gal .75 1.69 Candles, per box 5.00 11.75 rntsup, per doz 2.75 fi.00 Jelly, por doz 2.00 5.00 Drled plums, per lb .11 .25 Dried npples and pcaches, per Ib 11 .25 Drled prunes, per lb .10 .20 Oorri srarch, per doz 1.06 1.00 I.cmon extract, per doz... 1.00 1.90 Vanllla extract, per doz.. 2.25 3.00 Arbuekles' coffee, per lb. . .20 .42 Soap, per box 3.75 5.00 Tea, por Ib 35-1.00 70-1.50 Deviled ham. per doz 2.90 6.50 Sngar, per sack 100 lbs... 5.M) 10.75 Rice, per Ib .05 .11Í4 Oondensed milk. per casp. 8.00 21.50 ('anned tomatops.per case 2.25 7 90 Oanned peas, per case 2.40 8.50 Crackers, per lb .07% .21 The Mexiean prices are the prioes which prevail in the Free Zone. on which there is small duty; of course in the interior, they would be much hijfher. I also find, and do hereby eertify, that Mexiean labor in Mexico, in the large cities, is paid from 75 cents to $ 1.50 per day in Mexiean silver. .The highest price for the very best and nrost skilied labor is $2 per day in the same kind of money. In the interior of Mexico, in the country, and smaller cities the wages paid are from 20 to 30 cents lower than that given above. Witness my hand and official seal of office Aug. 10, 189G. R. F. Campbell, Mayor of El Paso, Tei. A Worklngman to Workingmen. The following is an. extract from a letter written from Nicaragua by an engineer upon one of the railroads there, intended as earnest advice to his fellow workmen of the United States. It waa written after a practical experience with the silver currency of that country: Teil my frienda to do all in their power to defeat silver. If a country is placed on a silver basis it is ruined. We have a fair example here of free silver. This country is run on a free silver basis. I wish to teil my friends in the United States of the wages paid here and the cost of living with a country on a silver basis. While the average engineer in the United States makes $4 a day, we are paid $7.30 per day. When I go to exchange Guatemala silver for United States money to send to my family I am compelled to pay from $2 to -14 for evel'y United States dollar that comes into my possession. This is on account of silver. Taking these facts into consideration, coupled with the cost of living, we are making about $3 a day, while the engineers of the United States now make $4 for the same work An ordinary wool hat that can be purchased in the United States, Chattanooga, for instance, for 90 cents or $1 costs $4 here. I can purchase a botter pair of pants in Chattanooga for $2 50 than can be purchased here for $10 or $12. One of the best cvidences of the condition of a silver country is the board paid. Here ordinary board costs us $40, while we caja live for $16 in Chattanooga per month. This country is in a terrible condition, and an effort is coustantly being made to reduce wages I wish to say to all my friends in Ch'aitanooga and the United States not to vote for free silver unless they want ditresa. Silver 'Sill certainly cause it. An Employer of Labor in India Teil tne Wagos Paid There. The following letter from Hon. I. L Haüser, au American who haa regided in' India and employed m.my people ii hs business there. shows the 'prices of labor there, the iall in the purchasing power of the silver currency and the disastrous effect of the adoption of the silver policy for that country by the English in 1853: Ohicago, Aug. 1!), 1896.- India has' been a silver country since 1853 when Lord Dalhousie demonetized gold by forbidding its receipt at the government treasunes. Cawnpore is the Lowell of India with ernment boot and shoo and harness factori(;s and various industries couducted by Europeans. It is the great wheat mart of northern India. Near this city the monthly wages of an able-bodied Indian agricultural !aborer ras in: 1871 ïl.81 1881 1.58 1891 1.48 1 Of a masón, carpentcr or blacksmith in: 1871 $3.57 1881 2.í)9 1801 3.71 Montliy Wagen in a Cotton Mili. Blowiiig and card room: ChilMra. Women. dren. PJ $2.50 $2.31 $1.02 1891 2.31 2.40 1.11 Mulé room: Men. Chllilren. 1SS1 $l.SS $1.02 1891 2.40 .92 Throstltí room: Men. Chllclren. 1881 n.6Ï $0.82 1891 1.85 1.11 Weavinji room: Men. Clilldren. 18S1 $2.15 $1.12 iy;il 2.40 i.:;,s The montlily wages of hou&ehold servr ants at Cawnpore range from $1 to $3. A chief cuok. and an excellent oue, can be liad for ?;'. auil a hcad servant for the house for S2, a head gardener í'or $1.50. AJÍ India servants board themsolvos. If these are the prices now, what could they Öave been before tho silver era to have so greatly rison? Thirty-five years ago, when residing orcr 1000 miles froin Caloutta, I ernployed ruany carpenters, masons and laborera during somc years. That w:is a golden age for the pgeple, though with a sílver enrreucy the rupee was worth twice what il is at present, and there were no raüwaya to rob the poople of their food by exporting it. I can now get the same elass of workmen for tin same nmnber of rupees per inonths that I Uien pakl. though the rupee hus lost half ita purchasing power as measured with wheat. There arp millions of laborors eonnected with the tea plantationa. They are paid the same wages in nutnber of rupees that they received forty years aso, though the rupee bas lost so much of its purchasing power. The rupee in India has no guaranteed value. nor eau its worth be fixed by law. The silver pnces of all imported and exported goods vary according to the 11lion value of the rup'e, because the rea Tftlue of these articles is somewherc based on gold, sin, -e it would be utterl.i irapossible för commerce to be conductec with a changeable currency. Though wages are still paid in the same numbei of rupees at hall' their j'ormer value. the nativo, lor whatever little nf imported stuff he needs or of articlés that eau be exported, as wheat, rice, cotton, bas to pay gold prices. He is alwnys between the devil and the deep sea. The condition of the laborer in India is the most pitiable of any elass of people on earth. It is estimated that of all the population not GO out of jOO get enough to eat, not of gráin food or fruit, but of weeds, stuff to lili UL anl keep the wriukles out of their sloniaehs. And their present debasement began. when Lord Dalhonsie banished L120,000,000 of gold eoin from eireulation and comiielled the already impoverished and overcrowded people to compete with the all-powerful gold nations with an inferior, debased silver currency. I. L. Hauser. As a Minister to Colomljia Seei It. The fpHowing letter from United States minister to Colombia, Luther F. MeKinney, was written as a warning to the people of this country against adopting the system which he has seen practically tested in the country where he now resides: Bogotá. June 17, 1890.- To the People of the United States: As the money questiou seems to be tlie important question in the present politieal contest in the United States, I thought it might be of interest to the voters of the United States to know what effect silver legislation has had upon the people of Colombia. Twenty years ago, in 1876, gold and silver were cqined in the mints of Colombia, both being a legal tender for all debts, and at that time, owing to the scarcity óf the wfiite metal, silver was at a premium over gold of about 3 per About 1SS0 gold was at a prornium, because the importa exceeded the exports, and as the balance had to be paid in gold it required a small premium to Eet the gold for the purpose. Up to 1885 the government continued to coin gold and silver, and at that time gold was at a premium over silver of about 20 per cent. In 18S5 Congress passed a law that made paper money a legal tender for all debts, the paper to be payable in gold or silver at the option of the government; this being an attempt to make silver at a par with gold. This was an impossibility, for at once the gold all went out of the country, and the government was on a sitver basis in spite of its efforfs by legislation to keep gold and silver at a parity. From that time to this there has been no gold in circulation. The effect of this was to raise the premium on gold from 20 per cent. in 1885 to 190 per cent. in 1895. In 1885, when gold was at a premium of 20 per cent., wagês of workingmen on the plains of Bogotá were 40 cents a day, and in the hot country 60 cents a day. At the present time wages are 60 and 90 cents respectively, an advance of 50 per cent. All provisions have increased in cost about 200 per cent. Meats at the time were selling from 12 to 15 cents per pound; at the present time they eü for 40 and 50 cents. House mits have increased from 100 to 200 per cent. Small tenements, such aa poor people occupy, could be had in 1895 for $3 a month; now Wie same tenements bring $8. In 1884 and 1885 the Protestant minister of Bogotá occupied a house, for which he paid $50 a month; at the present time the same house brings $200 a month. In 1885 table board could be had at the best hotels for $1 per day; now it is ?2 a day, and the proprietors all ay there is much less money in the business than when they received $1. It seems to me that if the workingmen of tbs United States will study this object lessou, they will readily see that what they want is an honest dollar that will buy as much in the markets abroad as the dollar of any other nation. If silver is coined in the United States at the rate of 16 to 1, while the gold in a gold dollar is worth 100 cents in tmy country in the world, and the silver in a silver dollar is only worth 5Q cents, is it not plain that the experience of Colombia, and in fact of all South American countries wliera it has been tried, will be our experience. The gold will all leave the country, and it will require two dollar of silver to buy one dollars' worth of goods in the markets of the world whcre gold is the Standard. The next question is, will the wages of labor be increased in proportion to the mcrease of the cost of living? The price of labor will always be governed by the law of supply and demand, whilO the cost of living will be governed by the value of the dollar that tb. laborer receives for his toil. Silver legislation in every country where an offort has been made to make a silver dollar equal to a gold dollar has resuHed in poverty to the man who labors, and the attempt in the United States can give but the same resulta. Three years in this country has given me some practical knowledge of the effect of a silver and paper currenoy, and I send you the above facts, as they are well known to the people here.