The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-11-14

w. ADVOCATE TnR HALr-CRNr.--We are
sorry that tho Honorable John sherman Is al
lowing his short term Secretary OF the Treasury to
draw to close without taking up our gratuitous and
well-meant suggestion about haf-cent coinage. lie
needs to link his name with purely original
form In our finances. What he has done hitherto is
TO execute laws already made and carry out second
hand Ideas. lie has done this entirely In accord
with the wishes Of the banker and broker clique In
New York and Philadelphia that he has won their
most earnest applause, hut warn him that the voice
OF rosthumous famc which know he IL working
for solely, Is something entirely different lie must
make concession to the people. We know he win
not render them any happier richer, that would be
too much to expect from hm so that the hest he
do Is to give them appliances suited to their poverty,
and apt to make It little mcic convenient and toer
able. The half-cent here again will display Its emf
nent eligibility True, haf-ccnts have been struck
before, seems exactly to know when or why;
but what we propose Is entirely new, their recogn-
ton by law and extensive coinage integral part
of currency. children would then 10 taught to
reclte their money tables TINS:
''Two half cents make. :. .one cent.
Two cents and half. ..make.. .one quarter er-dlmc,"
and 50 or-thus combining first lessons In vulgar frac-
tlons with tho estimation OF the currency OF their
country--bcg pardon, Nation. We might be content
with merely throwing out this hint, confident OF Its
reception In the capacions mind OF the great Secre-
tary but we will subjoin sketch OF the advantages
likely to accrue Tho half-cent Is needed That Is
our thesis Children cry for it-that is they cry for
what they call In their Ignorant way "apenny,"
and could be Just easily put on with haf-cent,
and half the usual amount Of stomach ache, as with
whole one. This would he advantage number one.
Under the same head might bc classed tho demands
OF apple-women, tramps organ-grnders, and every
thing In fact, but tho plato In church. Mono but
miser would pcrvert OF the coins to that
Il
cmphatically In demand for making change We have
got past the point where buyer and seller
lessly waive the advantage Of the fraction every
transaction. These halves amount to considerable
whole In tho course OF tho year. In the old days
shrewd Yankee traders said to have made good
thing by never 'havlng any pennies, ~ when there
was advantage TO that extent on their side;
but now customers Will haggle over who Is to
enjoy the benefit Of the discrepancy. This dsagree-
mcnt would be removed by having the coin ready at
hand to settle 1t. We observe that In place called
Wall street tho merchants deal almost entirely by
halves well other fractions, and It must be o
great annoyance 10 the poor fellows not to have the
Of the handy drudge Of commerce propose, In
order to make the exact change In their little dckers
The moral effect OH the people would be beneficial
leading to economy and nice calculation OF ways
and MEANS Our basic unit is too large, larger than
that Of any other country. Look at the French sou
and the English farthing! Who can say how much
the Of Americans are due to dealing
from their earliest youth with the inflated and demOr
alizng cent Let Secretary Sherman think Of all this
and urge The adoption OF the halfcent upon Congress,
where there many statesmen Just competent tc
deal with 1t. We know he yearns for nothing Sc
much as Immortality in tho grateful regards OF hi:
countrymen. He has nothing else to think about Just
low He has lost his lien on the In coming admlnls-
ratlon, since that has confessed judgment to Conk-
ling, Grant Co. He need not look forward to 1884
there looms the Empire. which has for snch NJ
he. Let him embrace present suggestion. and w
| know he will hereafter thank with the whol,
| warmth of his frank eifusive disposition.