Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-06-29
CONTEMPT FOR CHANGE.

just now there is curious mosaic Of
customs in California with respect to
change. In early times no miner or bus
mess man expected to give or take the
exact change. Anything less than a
quarter was too Insignificant for any CAL
ifornian to recognize. A New York
newspaper was sold at two bits. A quar-
ter Of a dollar was recognized as change.
Finally dime came to be recognized as
small change, although it was very hard
for the '49-eT to come down. lie was will
ing TO sleep in his blankets and do his
own cooking, but to recognize small
change was too much for him. In time
the five cent piece made its appearance.
1t was an honest silver coin, and was
gaining ground rapidly. But after a
while five cent nickel made its appear
ance- base, bastard coin, well calcula-
ted to excite contempt. There are now
two usages in this State, one Of which is
of pioneer times and the other Of more
modern date. One discards any sum less
than a dime, ana on all small transac
tions will take fifty per cent. additional
rather than make the exact change. The
other recognizes the fact that tunes have
changed that an article sold for dime
is not fifteen cents, and that it is not hon
est to take-it.
There is nothing in the condition Of
California to-day which warrants any
further contempt for all change. Money
is money. And economy suggests that
for daily use, dollar ought TO admit Of
the smallest divisible parts. The TWEEN
tieth part Of a dollar ought to be recog-
nized as an honest coin, and a sum poor
people cannot afford to lose in the innu-
Laboring men find it hard to make both
ends meet. Why should they be forced
to submit to the swindle Of five per cent.
Of their income when making purchases
of daily necessities Why should the
thirty third part of dollar be regarded
with contempt, the honest three cent
piece ? Are the people all SO rich is ev-
erybody so flush, that the fractional parts
of dollar are to be thrown away ? Ac-
cordng to the current phrase, we have
come down to the bed rock in prices here
Well, in what respect are we so much
better off than Eastern communities
which adhere 10 the honorable custom of
making exact change Probably tuo-
thirds of the retail business of this city
and suburban towns, is now transacted
with a full recognition that FIVE cents
shall be employed in the payment and
receipt Of money. The other third is
carried on in contempt Of any such
usage.
The old Californian who still sleeps in
his blankets, the '49er who will never
have done talking about the flush times
when slugs " were current, don't want
to come down to small coin. "Great
heavens, have we come TO this ?" is the
expression Of the man with blankets and
patches on the seat of his pantaloons.
Yet we have come to this, to days Of
honest change, days when the twentieth
part Of n dollar is of some consequence
days when a great many people are, or
have been recently disheartened for lack
Of the means Of living. The sign of in
dependence in this affected contempt for
small change, might as well disappear
The dollar is visible into twenty parts.
Itis further diyisible into thirty-three
parts and further into one hundred
parts. And there are thousands of peo-
pie in California to-day, whose necessi-
ties compel them to make that dollar go
ms far as possible Ecchonge.