Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-05-10
A STATE WITHOUT A CENT.
Prentice MulfOrd Writes of tho Expan-
sive Methods of Trade in California.
ISna,;ol C,rrae,n,la,,aI

Prentice MuIford Writes of tho Expan-
sive Methods of Trade in California.
Especial Correspondence
SAN Francisco, May 3.-California
still refuses to take coppers. They turn
up their noses at cents. Nothing goes
under nickel. When incidentally and
accidentally / have offered here some
pennies brought from the east have felt
humiliated at the lofty air which accom-
panied their rejection. 1t said as plainly
as words: Here is q narrow, stingy,
picayunish easterner, fresh from the con-
strained, one horse pastures Of Connecti-
cut, and not at all up to our broad, breezy,
expansive way of doing business"
sThe Californians, you know, don't
bother with that sort of change" was
the remark made at one Of these re-
fusals.
"How long have You been in Califor-
MAI" asked.
Eight years"
meditated. came to this state in
1856 and remained until 1870. ! saw
the state in her flush days. Here was q
man eight years in California looking
down at me from his lofty perch of ex-
perience. "He Californian" said
Scorn. "Yes, Californian" said Com
mon Sense-"as good rs you are. What
though you were out here in the early
days and saw it all? Is it any credit to
you? Are You any better for it than he
is? Only you're angry because he won't
take you're contemplate little coppers."
So carried at last my coppers to the
postoffice and hunbly exchanged them
for two cent stamps, and felt somewhat
relieved because the general government
was not above taking its own money in
California.
But California today wants money as
much as Connecticut. California with
all her immense resources is in some re-
spects poorer than Connecticut. Cali
fornia prices provisions, clothing, etc,
are as low as eastern prices. California
today is not the California Of 1855, when
the miner was singing his buckskin full;
of gold dust wildly about, paying for|
lpoor whisky fifty and twenty y-fve cents a
drink, and foolishly imagining that be-
Icause the place had given him few
thousands in gold it was inexhaustible.
california is u land of wonderful posi-
'bilities and immense resources. She
should be the richest state in the Union
She will be in time. But she needs the
cent in her daily currency as much as
does the opulent city of New York.
You may here in the course of day
want half dozen small items, which in
the east can be bought for a cent or two.
When here you shovel out your nickel
every time; you find it great factor in
melting away your daily pocket allow
ance. Result, it checks trade. People
do not buy as they do in eastern cities.
II you want "a sheet Of paper or a sin
gle envelope you must plank down your
five cents for it. If you buy matches you
must buy five cents worth and pack a
cord about with you. You must buy
five cents worth Of candy or none at all
The cent stick Of candy, the cent or two
cent apple, the cent cake, tart or roll at
the bakers, the cent or two cent or three
cent anything are here impossibilities.
Inotice that In the worlds great CEN
tiers of commerce like London, Paris and
New York do you find the smallest sub
divisions Of circulating currency.
Now, as TO some results. In New
York city the Italians fruit stand is
seen on almost every other block. In
San Francisco 1t Is hardly seen at all.
Ard California = the fruit paradise Of