The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-12-27
HAIL TO H~ALFPENNiESi
Organ-Grindcr and BcEgars Must
Work or StarNc.

III tIitliilitii III INV lIiiiiil- 'tiiI' W
the West Il few years ago was the dime
ana il was held To be such an insignili-
can coin that Il miner who was given
Il dime in change felt ipsultcd.
In the Mississippi Valley the smallest
coin in general use was the flve-cent
piece. The price of the cheapest trihe
sold in the shops was five cents. West
ern citizens who came To New York
State We're amazed to see Eastern peo-
pie 20 into the shops and buy a cen
worth of yeast. They were also sur
priScd to learn that Il great number
and great variety of things might b."
bought for Il cent. They found the old
fashioned ~cartwhecl American penny
to be Il nimblc and active DIN east of
the Alleghenies.
Probably there are few people living
except coin collectors who have ever
seen a half-ccnt. In the early days of
the republic there WAS such a coin,
and eighty years ago thrifty Yankees
used To 20 to the shop and buy Il half
cents worth of candy for the children.
or a half-ccnt's worth of tea or Il half
cents worth of tobacco.
OF course almost everything was
much cheaper than it is in these days,
ana half a cent would buy about as
much as We cents will uoW The pur-
chasing power of money at the time
of the American revolution is said to
have been follr and onc-SiXth times as
great as il is nj present. If the rate of
pay in the army kept pace with the de
cline in the purchasing power of
money. the soldier who got Sl3 a
month for carrying "A muskct during
the war of Il century ago ought now
to receive So n month.
Hard times have taken the Amcri-
can penny by the hand and travelled
with il across the continent. 1t enter
ed the WcStcrn towns aS Il shy stranger
but is 10Y much at home in them. In
deed. it is more in evidence than the
round and diGuified silver dollar. while
that formerly exclusive ari>tocrat, til"
thou>and-dollar bill, is hardly ever
seen.
1t has lately been proposed to r"yiv"
the half-penny and make it a member
of the lively family of American
coins. The statesmen ut Washington
are considering the subject. and il is
not improbable that the half-ccnt will
be iin"ling on the counters of New
York by Christmas.
Some people oppose the introduc-
ti,, - ,l., hale ..,,, 80, ,I. .,.,,,l
that it will make the penny feel too
proud. As soon as the half-ccnt makes
its appearance the penny will 20 strut
ing about with inSulferable pride ana
vanity. ana will entertain a p%atroniz-
ing air for the half-ccnt.
All the street musicians and all the
professional beggarS are strongly op-
posed to The Introduction of the half
penny. They a,r going to petition Con
grcSs not to cola ii. They feel that il
will be Il great injury To their profcs-
Sion.
Where it now takes Il cent to get a
hand-organ Ia move on it would TAX"
only Il half-ctnt in the future. and a
tale Of woe that will now draw Il penny
from the Golfers of Il Russell Sage Will
ere long be rewarded with only Il
hali-ccnt. The hund-organ mcn and
others who follow h"ggary as Il chosen
profession say that the new coin will
reduce their receipts - per cent.
If they coin the half-cent be@=ing
Will no longer be one of the learned
professions" said Il tattercd. hut in
di@nant man, who s~olicitS aims.
Th" street musicians say that the
half-cent will reduce the hand-organ
men to be@gary. The begGars say that
it Will compel them either To work or
Starvc.
The ministers and plate-bcarcrS are
logically ana intelligently opposed To
it, because il will diminish the church
collections. People who have been
accustomed to put 4 penny on the
plate for carrying on the missionary
movement will give only half a cent.
Half the missionaries in India and
China must come home.
The business of the little confcction-
cries will fall off. Where the oyn
iii happier days. sold Il cents worth of
peanuts or Il cents worth OF candy
he will sell only half Il cents worth.
And then the children will van a lit
tie chrome with I'll" half-ceut pur-
chase. The receipts of the coufection-
cries will br likely To fall off 80 Der
cent. for though they win have more
customers with the new half-cent
trade their aggregate sales will be
smaller.
Saloons which now sell one drink for
IL cents and TWO for Il quarter will
sell drinks 1T l2la cents apiece. Eff
teen-cent cigars will be sold for l2la
cents each.
The half-ccnt will destroy the dnci-