The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-21
WHAT A PENNY WILL DO.
Of Thousands Of Them Now
in Circulation in Savannah.

THE Street Car War Has Caused Their
distribution Among All Glasses of
Pgople-All Two for a Quarter Arti-
oles Except Drinks Now Going at 8
Cents Eaoh-The Penny Has Been
Given More Dignity and Now Every
body Asks for the Change.
The introdu elton of the penny marks
new period, so to speak, in the financial
history of Savannah. A little observa-
zion and a little reflection will make the
results of its introduction obvious at
once.
Before the street car war began sthe
nrogress of the penny in its push for
prestige was slow indeed, but the precipi-
tation of hostilities between the street
railway systems gave it ready impetus
and now the once neglected copper is in
circulation everywhere.
II has been given a value, a purchasing
mower here that formerly was almost I'M
known and unthought of. The fact that
It will buy a street car ride makes it of
more value in other purchases-not in
trinsically, because it is always worth
cent, but it is given more dignity, and is
looked upon wi tn greater respect than it
ever was before.
At the time when street cars were first
introduced they were luxury and the
usual fare was ten cents. That was
time when not only the penny was totally
ignored, but the nickel did not stand in
high favor except among the poorer
classes. The conductor was in luck with
the keep the change" man who thought
little of the value of a few cents He
would hand the conductor quarter if he
had not the right change by him, and in
many instances would refuse to accept
the change.
THE COPPER GETTING DIGNIFIED.
Those times soon passed, and the nickel
came into higher favor as the people of
all classes learned the value of it. Like
the nickel, the penny is now advancing to
the front rank, and the quicker the people
learn the value of little things in money
as we'll as other lines the better it will be
for them financially. This is not to en-
courage stinginess, but economy, which is
one of the few roads to wealth.
Before the enactment of the law by the
legislature few years ago requiring the
railroads to give their customers the
exact change when tickets were pur-
chased the penny was little known in
Georgia This law gave the copper its
first lift and since then its progress has
been slow but sure.
The introduction of the penny in large
numbers among the people of Savannah
will no doubt be of great benefit in the
aggregate. Both the street railroad COM
panies have procured them in large num-
bers, and their use on the car lines has
put them in wide circulation.
100000 PENNIES.
1 IA, ~.
railway alone has bought up nearly
81 500 worth of pennies. Twelve hundred
and fifty dollars worth have been i'm
ported from the subtreasury in New
York, and about all the stock that the
banks had here has been bought by the
two companies. 1t is estimated that be-
tween the two street railroads no less
than 200, 600 pennies have been put in cir
culation.
A little observation will show Just
what this means. When an article is
valued at two for quarter one can now
be bought for ID cents instead of Is cents
which has been the customary charge.
Odd cents will come in very handy in this
way in the purchase of articles where
formerly no change less than cents was
accepted. The wo-for-a-quarter bar
keeper however, has not yet been edu-
Gated up to the l3cent schedule.
THE VALUE OF CENT.
People will begin to learn the value of
the cent now that in small amounts it
has become legal tender. Savings of
the poorer classes will no doubt increase
as they have not done heretofore. and it
will not be surprising in time to see evi-
dences of thrift where before it was not
apparent. A man without penny in
change in his pocket can now scarcely be
found on the streets. One man said the
other day that when the fares were first
cut ne began giving the odd change to his
children He soon found, he said, that
the children had more money than he
did, and had to stop it. 1t was all a Joke,
but it goes to show how the money accu-
mulates. And so it goes. The penny
may not be much on size, but get few of
them together and there will soon be
evidences of increased and steady
growth
In speaking of the circulation of the
penny, man said yesterday, that in New
Orleans some years ago when the penny
had secured a fairly good foothold, the
Italians seeing in it a menace to their
business, formed a combination and
bought up all the pennies in the city.
They Immediately shipped them away so
that nothing could be bought from them
for less than a nickel. This, however,
could be only temporary, as the penny,
In being introduced throughout the south,
would soon find its way back there.