The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-14


st. Louis provided himself with q large sup
ply Of pennies and announced his ability Il
pay out pennies to oil who wanted them Al
the same time a number of trades people
grocerymen, etc, announc ed in the papers
their willingness to take pennies and made q
small reduction in prices ct the same time
Matches, which formerly sold at s cents
were offered q; O pound Of soda crackers
for instead 10 Of cents; yeast, cents paper
instead OF B. The Manufacturers' Association,
including the heads OF some of the largest
establishments in the city, at once establish
ed the practice of paying out certain pro-
portion of pennies in settling with their en-
| ployes
| THUS the work was done. The poorer
classes were provided with this new currency,
and the tradespeople agreed to take it and
give goods ut cheaper rates. OF course, the
people at once appreciated the advantage Of
this smaller DIN, which saved them from Is
to 40 per cent In small purchases, and, accord
ingly, bought only at those places taking
pennies, thus forcing the obstinate store
keepers who held out against this newcomer
to give in.
The reporters of the st. Louis papers
have been interviewing people in st.
Louis on that subject, and find all pleased
with the penny. Tho tradespeople declare
that 1t makes but little difference in their re-
ceipts and are well satisfied with the change,
while the mechanic and laborer find 1t a great
economy.
Only two classes complain of the new
regime and these complaints are humorous
proofs of tho necessity and advantages
of the cent. The first are tho pie and
cake men. These say that their heaviest
customers are the children; upon the business
Of the children, with their inordinate appetite
for heavy cake they principally depend. The
money with which the children purchase these
indigestible commodities Is mostly obtained
from mamma or papa" by plaintive ap-
peals for 'iive cents for cake appeals that,
1t is needless to say, are almost aways effec-
tive. The introduction of the penny 1t Is |
charged. has changed all this.
The child makes the old appeal, and the
yielding parent. as of old, puts his hand in
his pocket and pulls out--a penny. The child |
is either unaware of the difference In the
coins or, II aware, has to be satisfied with the
currency of tho lowest denomination. Thus
1t Is, cry the piemen, that the pocket money |
Of the children is only one-tifth Of what 1t was
in the picayune days of old, and thus it Is
that they suffer correspondingly.
The other complainants are the street car
men. These have flooded st. Louis as New
Orleans was once flooded with greasy street
car tickets, and have almost banished the
nickel from the future great city" The
street car companies find that these rotten
Ear tickets, not sixty per cent of which are
aver returned for redemption, pay a hand
some dividend, and are, Of course, 10th to
part with them. These tickets are used as
in st. Louis almost wholly in plana
VI nickels. The car ticket has baniSned the
nickel, and now the cent will 20 a great ex-
ont cripple the use of the car ticket and the
dividends of street car companies.
Thus, 1t will be seen that New Orleans
s better prepared to welcome the cent than
It. Louis. 1t has larger number of small
ealers and will not have this fight against
az tickets to make at the sane time. We
ave called attention several times ready
o the advantages and practicability Of intro
ucing the cent here.
Memphis and Mobile have resolved to imi-
ate st. Louis as soon as a sufficient amount
L this subsidiary coinage can be obtained to
egin an earnest anti-nickel crusade There
) no reason why, If the campaign be begun
ensibly and properly, as it was begun In St.
,ouis, the cent should not be put in circula-
on, to the great advantage of all the poorer
lasses, and to the cheapening Of all kinds
cheap articles. Let us have cents.