''" 1 jif'- f jo
rA
The Wealth Makers and Lincoln Independent Consolidated.
VOL. VIII.
LINCOLN, NEBR., THURSDAY, Aug. 6, 1896.
NO. 9.
V
f
J'
.1
T,.
r V
I -J
"f,
V
GOVERNMET
RAILROADS
The
Experience of the
Empire.
German
BISMAEK FIEST PEOPOSED IT.
The Populist Idea has Been Tried
and Proved to be Good.
Government Must Never Surrender the
. ' Control of its Hignwayn. "r" - '
The railroad problem enters largely
into the campaign! It is treated in both
the democratic and populist platforms.
It will be well for all voters as far as pos
sible to inform themselves upon it. The
following excellent article was written by
Mr. Fred Hedde of Grand Island, Neb.:
The propositions for an organization
of the bankrupted Pacific railroads, the
Union Pacific and Central Pacific, con
sits almost exclusively of plans for the
re-establishment of' private companies,
The same corporations which wrecked
these roads, or similiar ones, are again
to be favored by lone extensions of time,
and bv immense new donations in the
form of reductions of the debts owed by
the old roads to the government. There
is not the least reason for the demand
that private companies which allowed
their roads to be ruined and their direc
tors to become multi-millionaries be re
warded with new favors and that the
people of the United States should be
subjected to the arbitrary rule of these
private companies, which are damaging
the material developement and under
mining the political liberties of these
states. It is time that these roads are
reorganized in such a way that they can
rnn in the interest and for the benefit of
the people who paid for them. This can
not be done by again turning over these
roads to the tender mercies of private
corporations.
Monopolists have said tnat govern
ments are not able to administer the
affairs of railroads. They try to make
the people believe that the plan of gov
ernment roads is a production of the im
agination of socialistic and populistic
dreamers, while in reality the system of
government administration is a stub
born fact and railroads of this character
have been operated for decades with
greatest financial success.
Pruspia was the first country to intro
duce the government railroad system, to
the extent of excluding nearly all private
railroads, and its influence has induced a
large number of other states to adopt
the same system.
After the Prussian constitution of
1850 had closed the revolutionary per
iod of 1848 to 1850, the Prussian gov
ernment directed its attention to the
material interests of the people and com
menced the government construction of
roads in those provinces which were neg
lected by the private companies. This
was not for the purpose of making mon
ey, but to develop the agricultural,
commercial and industrial interests of
these sections. One of the main roads
thus constructed by the government and
run under governmental administration
was the great eastern road, connecting
Berlin and Koenigsburg. This action of
the government made all classes of the
people familiar with the system of gov
ernment roads and naturally led to the
idea that all roads should be owned and
managed by the government. No actual
progress in converting the Prussian pri
vate roads into government roads was
made however, until the new parliament
Of the young German empire appointed
i 1873 a commission for the investiga
tion of this railroad question. This
commission, after a thorough investiga
tion of all circumstances, decided in
favor of the system of government roads
.- and this system was recommended for
adoption by the whole German empire.
In consequence, Bismarck proposed in
1876 a governmental railroad project
for the empire, offering to sell the Prus
sian state railroads to the empire; but
the other German states, especially the
so-called "middle states," those of med
ium size, the kingdoms of Saxony, Bav
aria and Wurtemberg opposed and de
feated this plan, because they were jeal
ous of the growing power of the empire
and preferred to control their own
railroads.
Not discouraged by Bismarck's failure
in this matter the Prussian government
began in 1879 the work of introducing
the system of government roads. The
acquisition of private roads by the gov
ernment was accomplished by voluntary
sale and purchase. In purchasing rail
roads from private companies the gov
ernment acted with great liberality, giv
ing near the face value of the shares in
3 percent interest-bearing bonds which
had a higher market value than had the
shares. This made the shareholders very
willing to agree to the transaction. All
the railroad officials were also taken
care of, their rights being renewed and
the most of them being appointed as
officials in the state railroad service.
The
directors of the private roads, if
V they were entitled to certain percentages
I of the profits made by the roads, were
indemnified. In this way the relative
'. proportion between government and
L nrivata roads was in the course of four-
1 - -
17 teen fears thoroughly changed, and the
f miW, fof railroad were considerably aug
mented by the construction of new roads.
On April 1, 1879, the day of the last
statement before the law of 1879, there
existed in Prusia.
Kilometer.
Government railroad.,... 5,255
Private rallroads,iiiaiiaged by irovernment S,52
Private rallroada.managedby private com
panies...... ...... 9,430
Total 18.537
J)n April 1, 1893, ProMia bad: (
verameat road and private roads man-1
aired by goveremeat........ 24,486
Private road managed, ttj private oompa-
Die, sot more than..
1.716
Total - 2M5
Thi' shows clearly the progress of the
system of government roads. April 1,
1893, the government roads bad also
95,670 officials appointed for life and
191,679 other employes, besides those
who keep the roads in repair. About
one-third of all the employes are ap
pointed for life and are considerably
more independent than any of the offi
cials of private roads. Prussia's exam
ple was followed by other German states.
Germany had in 1874:
KUomoten,
Government road..... 10,812
Private road managed by government 2,838
Private road managed by private com
panies ............ .. 11,737
, Total..;...v...A:.... ... ,...25.487
" Germany had in 1894:
Government road , 80,153
Private roads managed by government 671
Private roads managed by private compa
nies -3.776
Total ..... ............................48,500
The mileage is equal to about 26,000
English miles or three times as much
government road as it had in 1874. ,
The Prussian finances, of course, were
burdened with great debt for the pur
chase of the old and the construction of
the new railroads, and some people who
considered themselves wise predicted
great finaccial difficulties. The follow
ing table of the income and expense of
the Prussian government railroads from
1882-83 to 1894-95 is comprehensive,
the figures given indicating million
marks:
Paymftv Net
Total Total
Income expnses
Gn
'iff 1
188.K 5
oi eur
intrst plus
8
1882-83..
..433.1
295.1
188.
95.7 42.4
1S84-85...
1886- 87...
1887- 88 ...
1S88-89...
,..585.4
,.683.2
,7.79'w"
,..865.9
399.4
461.0
186.0
225.1
140.6 45.5
157.6 67,
.......109.0
494.6
644.4
576.4
607.4
686.3
600.4
567.5
296.8
321.5
311.4
313,9
836.2
338.3
666.3
163.7
183.1
1889-90....
165.5
195.9
212.6
215.2
2118
210.0
156.0
115.5
1S90-91 887.8
1891- 92 921,3
1892- 93 922.5
101.8
120.0
1893- 94 938.7
1894- 95 968.8
126.4
157.6
i Estiraated.
This table shows that the net surplus
in the years mentioned amounts to 1,
173,000,000 marks, and that the whole
railroad debt can be paid on in tbirty
or forty years if the net surplus of the
railroad income is used for paying the
principal of the railroad debt. Even
now the acquisition of the railroads by
the government proves to be an excel
lent investment, and when the whole
railroad debt shall be paid off the state
will have from its railroads a clear in
come of from 350,000,000 to 4,000,000
marks, and. perhaps by. that time this
net surplus may have been increased to
such an amount that all direct taxes
may be abolished
In Prussia, and afterward in the whole
of the German empire, uniform trans
portation rates for passengers and goods
were introduced. This equalizing of
rates was of great advantage to the
whole people, and especially to the com
mercial classes to which the arbitrary
changes of rates are very disastrous.
The rates on the Prussian government
roads are lower than they formerly were
on private roads, and ' as soon as the
railroad debt is paid a great reduction
of all transportation charges may be
made. The established "normal rate"
fixed by government statute, with the
consent of the Prussian landtag, cannot
be raised even by the government with
out the consent of the popular branch of
the government. Reductions can be
made and they sometimes are made for
the benefit of certain goods which can
not stand the regular rate, but such re
ductions are not made before the mat
ters are considered by popular railroad
councils established by law.
Accidents on our private railroads are
more frequent than in Germany. In
1888-9 there were 5,823 persons killed
and 26,309 injured on United States
railroads. For the same time in Ger
many there were 588 persons killed and
1,380 injured. In the United States one
person was killed on -railroads out of 1,
525,319 travelers and in Germany one
person was killed out of 11,111,111 pas
sengers. In the United States one per
son was injured out of 220,025 travelers,
while in Germany one person was injured
out of 2,770,000 travelers.
- Since Prussia iutruduced the eyateui of
government roads, seventeen years ago,
this system has gained the admiration
of other countries in nearly all parts of
the world. Not only the other German
governments but most of the European
governments have adopted this system.
It has also been successfully introduced
in the British dependencies of India and
Australia and may come back to En
gland from these places. The Australian
colonies, though under British protec
tion, are actually republics and destroy
that deceptive argument that govern
ment railroads are not fit for republican
states. There has never been logical
force in this assertion, because an addi
tion to the weaker power of republican
governments is not so dangerous as an
addition to royal and imperial power.
The establishment of government roads
in place of the private monopolies would,
on the contrary, be in our country a
powerful protection of the people's lib
erty and independence, which are greatly
endangered by our railroad monopolies.
If for the next fiity years the power of
these monopolies should grow at the
same always-increasing rate at which it
has been growing for the last thirty
years our state and national govern
ments will be crushed out of existance
and our so-called republic will befullv
subject to a railroad aristocracy. For
this reason alone wo ought to abolish
the private-monopoly system of rail
roads which already has destroyed our
liberty to a great extent. 1
In clubs of ten or more campaign
subscriptions lOo each. No com
mission allowed.
Two Score More.
Forty vigorous republicans of Central
city and vicinity, not ready to swear al
legiance to Queen Tic, have joined the
democratic party. Gentlemen, we en
joy these trades. Central City Democrat.
BISHOP NEWMAN'S SCREED.
A Faithful Old Methodist Makes a
Reply.
Shall Bishop be Classed with Money
Changers and Extortioners,
Lincoln, Aug. 2, 1896. ;
Editor Independent: From the fact
of our having been a member of . the
Methodist Episcopal church over fifty
years and an official in the church more
than four-fifths of that time we claim
right to speak for the church and to the
churches as the spirit may prompt. We
have just read Bishop Newman's pro-
nunciamento to the preachers of his
bishopric and were grieved at the half
truths he uttered. No Catholic bishop
in America has ever been half as politi
cal in his domination and yet we have
the A. P. A.
The bishop is mistaken when he Bays
"we are passing through a crisis, for we
are passing out. When the devils went
out of the man, it wrenched him worse
than when they went in. The devils are
being driven out by the common peo
ple. According to thbe Bistiop s notion,
to be for the gold standard and for Mc
Kinley is to be a patriot and a hero, but
to be for silver as well as lor gold ana
for Bryan was to be apartisan and dem
agogue. Bishop Newman has the repu
tation of being the most intense parti
san of all the Methodist bishops. We
have that opinion of him that if McKin-
ley stood on a republican platform and
that platform read for free silver still
the bishop would be for McKinley.
It seems the bishop would place
premium upon the act when a million
aire steals from the poor taxpayer, but
it is an awful crime for the poor man to
demand the return of his stolen property,
All the free silver men ask is to place
coinage back where Washington and
Lincoln left it. The sermon on the
mount does not justify the taking of a
bond or a mortgage, payable in dollars,
and then going into congress and chang
ing the dollar standard. No christian
minister ought to sanction such a crime,
no christian will, the bishop has no
more right, nor half as much to class
populists with anarchists communists
and thieves than we have to class bish
ops with money changers, extortioners
and robbers. ,
-The bishop tells Us that "the pulpit
was a powerful agent in freeing the
slaves." Not at first for I have beard
Methodist preachers, high up in author
ity, preach that slavery was ordained
of God. But when the common people
rose in their might, as they are rising
now, the preachers flopped. We pray
for such a flop now. It does not sap the
credit of our government to pay just as
the bonds read. They read "payable in
United States coin of the standard value
of 1870." The silver dollar was coin
then as much as the eagle. It is strange
that the bishop Bhou'd see "delusion" in
the common people but not a whit
among the millionaires. The word "cus
sedness" perhaps would better apply to
them.
We would not have to coin the silver
into dollars before we could have an in
crease of money. Silver certificates could
be issued while the silver is yet in bullion,
just as they have been. The bishop is
awfully afraid of silver plutocrats but
gold plutocrats do not move him a bit
The farmer may have to pay double
for what he buys if he gets double for
what he sells, but he will not have to
pay his debts in double dollars nor his
taxes, neither will the goverpinent pay
in big dollars but in small ones of 1870.
If everything else doubles, the wages of
common men will double, but where he
will gain most will be in having more to
do. It is no experiment, no new thing
that we ask, it has been tried for hun
dreds of years and worked well.
11. W. Hardy.
WILL KILL BRYAN IF ELECTED.
So Says tne Advance Ag sat cf the Dis
patch.
Will rule or ruin, is the motto of gold
standard advocates. Let us organize to
elect him and we will be organized to
seat him and by the eternal we will be
organized to protect him. '
"We will kill W. J. Bryan if elected, we
will beat you " for vice-president and we
win have the president after all," so
said H. W. Russell agent for the St. Paul
Dispatch, to W. G. Lutz, in the city of
Chadron July 29th 1896.
No bolder declaration could have been
made after thenomination of that grand
old man Abraham Lincoln.
The slave power carried out their
threat. Will the money power dare to
carry out this damnable threat.
Never was there a time in the history
of this government that we needed men
and women with the courage of their
convictions as now.
"Dare to do right though the heavens
fall."
The pops have been accused of being
anarchist. In fact everything but what
would constitute a good American citi
zen. When in the history of , populism
has there ever been a press reporter, re
gardless of the Bize of the paper he rep
resented, that would make such an an
archistic declaration?
It is to he presumed that II. W. Rus
sell voiced the sentiment of the paper be
represented, the St. Paul Dispatch. Has
the St. Paul Dispatch turned anarchist?
Get your dictionary and see what anar
chy means, then analyze the above say
iig. If any man would allow such a sheet
to enter his house and remain there, he
is not worthy of being called an Ameri
can citizen, heshould be classed as a sus
picious character, a traitor to the coun
try from which he gets his living.
There is no doubt of the dark and
damnable plot of the money power
against the great mass of the working
people. It has been known by many
for this long time. He further said that
monied men of this country would not
permit a man like Bryan with bis prin
ciples to be president, that tbey . would
kill him, that they would withdraw their
gold and make times worse. If this be
true, should we lay down to this monied
power? May God forgive that we should
dare to vote our honest convictions! If
the voice of the people say they want W.
J. Bryan for president, I for one will help
seat him.
. Where are the old veterans of from 61
to 65; Your country calls you. You have
another Lincoln to elect, and you may
have another .Lincoln to seat; Will you
help to do it? Which side are you on?
. . - I. N. Habbaugh.
Chadbon, July 81, 1896.
State of Nebraska, )
Dawes Countv.
W. G. Lutz leing duly sworn on oath
depose and sav that I am a resident citi
zen of Chadron, Nebraska, ana tne neaa
of a familv and am now engaged in bus
Iness in said city, and that I had read to
me in mv presence and hearing tne ar
ticle written hv I. N. Harbaugh of this
city, entitled, towit: "WiU'kill W. J. Bry
an if elected," and that portion giving
the declaration made by one a. w. Kus-
sell (whose name I did not then know)
but I did know that an agent of the St.
Paul Dispatch in my place of business on
the day mentioned made use oi tne lan
guage therein mentioned, and even more,
and further l sav not. W. u. lutz.
Subscribed in ray presence and sworn
before me this 31st day ot July jbwo
I. N. Habbaugh, ,
, Notary Public
SPURN ENGLISH REPUBLICANISM
Three Members and Chairman of the Re
- publican Central Committee
'. Resign.
Editob Independent: Garfield coun
tv. this state, was the home of the first
silver league ever organized in Nebraska,
and from present indications it is likely
to keep op its patriotic record.
Last week's "Eye," the fearless advo
cate of the people, edited by Randal
Miller at Burwell. contained an article
entitled "Good Bye, Old Party, Good
Bye," which shows that tbe most influ
enti .Jr.iembers of the republican party
in that county have repudiated the gold
bug party and are working with the
people for free silver and American
homes. ; .
Three members of the republican cen
tral committee, including their chair
man have resigned. (
Hon. T. J. Day, once state senator,
and last year" republican candidate for
countv attorney, and a member of the
republican county central committee
from Calamus precinct, is out for Bryan
and free silver.
- James Barr, an old soldier and a
prominent republican, who has attended
all state conventions of his party of re-
cen t years, went before the central com
mittee last Saturday and informed them
that he had no use for the English re
publican party, and would no longer act
as committeeman from Rockford pre
cinct,- - . . ., . "
Hon. Morgan Crane, once a member of
the state legislature, lor several years
deputy internal revenue collector for this
district, a man who never asked for any
thing from the republicans but what he
got it. an old soldier, a fluent speaker,
and thoroughly posted, has left- the
sinking ship and will help the cause of
the common people, for free silver, by
voice and vote.
Charles H. Jones, a veteran of the late
war, a life-long republican, one ot tne
ablest men in this part of the state, in
an able letter to the members(?) of the
Garfield county republican central com
mittee, resigned his position as their
chairman and will work for free silver
and the cause of humanity. "Old Char
ley" is a man who commands the respect
of all who know him. He is one of the
keenest political fighters is the state.
He accompanied his lotter of resignation
with a communication giving his (am
ple) reasons for this move, and sent a
copy of same to the local republican pa
per, which refused to publish it. They
dare not. :
Rah for the people! Job.
Brvan's home and familv m-ono pho
tos for sale at the new tent, 14th & 6 St.
Bryan on Banks of Issue.
In his speech before the trans-Missis
sippi conference at St. Louis Mr. Bryan
said:
"I believe you once had a man in this
state who nndertook at times the col
lecting of the fares on the railroads
came along some times and stopped the
train and collected the fares. I suppose
he thought he could do it better than
the conductor could. And, my friends, I
want to impress upon you the fact that
the underlying purpose that actuated
Jesse James is the same purpose that
actuates the demand for a bank of issue.
(Cheers and applause.) Now, when I
say that, I do not mean to compare a
banker to Jesse James. (Laughter.)
What purpose actuated Jesse James? It
was the desire for money. What is the
purpose of the bank that desires to issue
paper money? It is the desire foi the
profit, that is all. It is the love of mon
ey, lue love oi money, we are told, is
the root of all evil, and it is the duty of
government to lessen the evil as much as
it can. Jesse James sought money in
violation of law; the bank of issue seeks
money through the aid of friendly legis
lation."
Will Take the Stump,
n. E. Taubeneck, ex-national chair
man, has closed
He will take the
once.
up affairs in St. Lonis.
stump in Illinois at
INSOLENCE
REBUKED
A Great English Economist Utters a
Warning.
LET THE OPPRESSORS HALT.
If War is the Only Excuse for an In
crease of Money They
Have War.
can
Whole Groups ot States Goaded to
Desperation.
The following article from the pen of
the great English economist, Morton
Frewen recently appeared in the London
Times: , . ' " ' .
Is it just, or even politic, that the En
glish press should describe the prospec
tive change of standard in America as
"repudiation?" We are fastening a
charge of dishonesty upon entire states,
and after March next it is quite probable
that our diplomatic relations ' may re
quire to be conducted with the very
statesmen who are being denounced here
as rogues and socialists. And is there
any clear justification for such languge?
What Mr. Bryan contemplates is at
most a change of standard from gold to
silver. Were the whig governments de
nounced in similiar terms when in the
early years of this country they replaced
"honest money" in England by Inconver
tible paper? In our own time France al
so suspended specie payments. Germany
substituted for silver a gold currency
which ipso lacto appreciated a spolia
tion not of the creditor but of the debtor
class. In India we ourselves altered the
standard in 1893, when we demonetized
silver. ' - .
And with what justice can the republi
can party which in the sixties suspended
specie payments, in. order to - inflate the
currency up to the hilt with greenbacks,
now pretend to denounce the democratic
platform of 1896? It will probably be
replied that when bngland repudiated
and when the northern states repudiated
they bad no alternative. But the only
possible alternatives today in the United
States are either silver or paper. The
country is visibly bleeding to death;
fifty-five millions sterling of debt have
been contracted in two years during a
time of profound peace, in order to
maintain, if possible, a gold currency,
and another gold loan is now seen to be
inevitable before the year closes. Does
any one suppose that the McKinley nos
trum, high protection, is going to enable
the greatest debtor nation on earth to
pay her foreign debts without shipping
gold, when her staple, exports, .wheat,
cotton, copper and silver, are selling as
today at half price?
The present depreciation of the curren
cies of nine-tenths of the world, in stimu
lating the exports of all those countries,
has destroyed the balance of trade for
America. A great rise in the price of sil
ver would certainly reduce the gold
premium in Asia, in Russia and South
America, thereby restoring to the United
States that balance of exports over im
ports without which she must continue
to be insolvent. It is not a question of
restoring her credit her ability merely
to borrow more; it is a question of re
storing the prices of what she sells in the
European markets.
May I add. la conclusion, that to any
student of American politics it is impos
sible to contemplate without dismay the
attitude of our press, when considering
that price catastrophe which has sub
merged .the industries of oar largest
debtor, and which is goading to desper
ation whole groups of states to west
ward of the Alleghanies? The events of
the next four months are destined to in
fluence profoundly, for good or for evil.
the future relations of England and the
United States. The party of "honest
money'- ia nnenty boasting that it will
win the day by the most reckless and
dishonest means. In the political jargon
of America, the biggest "barrel" ever
known will be so filled as to buy up dem
ocrats by the wholesale at the primaries.
If the nation's will is to be thwarted in
this way by the lavish employment of
what the provincial American press al
ways earmarks as "British gold," then
no present settlement of the Venezuela
question will long delay war. If nothing
but the stress and strain of war is held
by financial purists to justify a suspen
sion of specie payment, wo may rely on
it that in the present temper of millions
of American citizents a pretext for war
will be discovered. A western democrat
wrote to me recently, "We cannot shell
the userers out of wall street, but pos
sibly we can bring British gunboats to
do the work we cannot do!"
Can any man in his senses fail to notice
in such a tone and temper as that dis
played at Chicago, coming as it does
from the heart of a nation not less law
abiding than ourselves,' the conditions
of a desperate disease? I have known
Mr. Bryan for some years; he is a young
man of roost attractive presence and
brilliant qualities; he feels what young
America feels and resents that the pros
perity, the dignity and the credit of the
United States have suffered with every
act of Mr. Cleveland's administration.
Indeed the entire American nation
through four years of crisis, ha? been
looking for a cause adequate tit such
widespread disaster. May they f not be
right? May it not be in the unpreced
ented cheapness ot silver? Surely cheap
silver fog 800,000,000 in the east must
cheapen' men and women in the west;
ana .we nave seen tnat the coiianse or tnn
prairie states since 1893 has gone hand
in band with the collapse of the silver ex
changes. Is it any wonder, then, that
the west and south today read this as
the lesson of our currency experiment in
India, and that they have come to rec
ognize in the carefully prepared failure of
the Brussels monetary conference the
profound policy of the "great creditor
nation?"
. MEXICO AND SILVER.
Effects of Free Coinage on the Neighbor
ing Republic.
Discussion of the effect ot free coinage
of silver upon wages and upon the pur
chasing power of the dollar seems im
possible without a reference to Mexico,
probably because of ber continguity,
and of the ease with which assertions.
for or against the free coinage of silver,
can be verified. As bearing upon this
Important subject we copy the following
from a letter written by the manager of
the Mexican Central Railway to a friend
in Kansas City. From the ' position he
occupies heshould know whereof he
speaks. He says: I would like to call
your attention to these facts: That bus
iness failures In Mexico are almost un
known. We have no strikes such as are
constantly disturbing commerce in the
United States. Such a thing as Coxey'e
army is never dreamed of. There is
work for every one who wants it at
wages to enable them to supply all ne
cessary wants. Our banks are paying
from 14 to 17 per cent, dividends per
annum. Manufacturing enterprises
whose profits are known are paying from
10 to 20 per cent., and private concerns
who do not publish the per cent, of their
profits are known to be prosperous.
I think as a rule land owners here are
of a more intelligentclass than the farm-,
ers ot the United States. As a rule the
laborers are of less intelligence, except
where Americans employ ignorant for
eigners, in which case the Mexican la
borer is of a better class and higher in
telligence. ,
Passenger conductors are paid a sal
ary off 160 per month. Freight con
ductors are paid by the mile and their sal
aries run to $200 per month. Engineers
are also paid by the mile and are paid from
9175 to $200 per month, in a few cases
a little more. Firemen are paid about
9100 per month. The salaries of depot
agents vary greatly ranging from 50 to
9250 per month. Telegraph operators
receive from 90 to 9125 per - month.
Clerks in the general offices receive from
925 to 9250. The smaller salaries are
paid to boys and the largest to the chief
clerks. Division superintendents receive
9350 per month, division train masters
9175. . Carpenters and joiners from 91
to 94 per day. Brick masons from 91 to
93 per day. Street car conductors 91
and drivers 75 cents per day. The wages
indicated above are given to both native
and foreign artisans. The less exper
ienced receiving the lowest figures, the
largest amounts being paid to the
skilled workmen.
Wheat is worth 911 per 850 pounds
(or $1,85 per bushel.) Cotton is 18 cents
per pound; wool from 96 to 97 a arroba
or 25 pounds, or 25 cents to 35 cents
per pound. Hay is not used. In its
stead we utilize green fodder mixed with
wheat and barley straw. Corn 11.80
per 100 pounds. The normal price of
corn is about 1 cent per pound, but ow
ing to droughts in various parts of the
country the present price is unusually
high.
White sugar. 12 cents per pound.
native brown about 4 cents. Butter. 75
cents per pound, eggs 25 cents per dozen,
bacon, imported, about 60 cents, per
pouus, .native, 30 cents, beefsteak. 18
cents per pound.
Beef cattle from about 930 to 935 per
head. Beef cattle are not sold by the
pound. Hogs, the price is regulated by
the Kansas City price.
Horses, line carriage horses, are worth
boat 91.000 or 9900 to 91.300. Com
mon horses about 9150 per pair. Com
mon mules from 940 to 960 per head.
vows, imported mucn cows, from f 150
to 9250. Good native milch cows from
imported stock from 960 to 990, and or
dinary range cows 916.
e arm laborers receive from 35 cents
to 45 cents per day and found. On the
large haciendas (farms or ranches) of
the country it is customary to give each
laborer a email tract of land tor his own ''
use. No charge is made for this. Owing
to the fact that land is held in large
tracts, the owner can well afford to do
this, as it enables him to secure his labor '
at a less figure and renders it certain
that they will not leave the place. Ow
ing to climatic conditions from 96 to 910
a year will supply all the wants of the or
dinary farm laborer in the way of cloth
ing, bats and shoes. As the food ration
is largely made up of fruits and veget
ables, and due to the fact that meats
are detrimental to the health in this
climate, the expense of living is greatly
reduced.
Those who speak scornfully in relation
to the condition of the Mexican laboring
class do so in exemplification of their
own gross ignorance. There is no coun
try on the face of the earth where energy,
ability and capital will produce as great
results as in Mexico, and her prosperity
is to a very great extent due to the fact
that we are on a silver basis.
We Give Them Half.
Every Nebraska farmer who ships a
bushel of corn to Chicago must pay the
price of a bushel to the railroads. In
other words, Nebraska farmers contrib
ute one-half their grain crop annually to
the railroads. No wonder the farmers
ask a voice in regulation of freight rates.
But busb, they call an editor an anar
chist in Nebraska when he suggests that
tne railroads snouid auow itbe farmer to
retain more than half his' own crop of
