Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-02-02
PENNIES AS TRAVELLERS.
Few Parts of the Country Now Re-
main Where They Are Not Used.

Is Butte going to be a one cent town: |
There are some indications that Butte |
is drifting that way, and there are |
some business men of Butte who proph- |
esy that within a year the copper
penny will be in general circulation in
the city of Butte.
II wasn't so many years ago that the
two-bit t25-cenD piece was the small
est coin that circulated in this neck of
the woods. and Butte got along very
prosperously as town in which there
was no circulating medium of less
denomination than % cents. Gradual
~ nickles and dimes came into circu-
lation, and now there is strong prob
ability that before long the copper
cents will be juggling in the pockets of
Butte's citizens and will be given over
the counters of Butte business houses
in change.
What makes the innovation probable
is the fact that several of Butte's bus
mess houses in the past year or two
have inaugurated the scheme OF sell
ing goods with an odd price-that is
to say, they have inaugurated the 9S
and As cent method of catching trade
from those who look close at bargain.
Now when one of these Butte business
houses sells a certain article for 40
cents. and receives half dollar in
pay for it, the house does not give the
customer a copper cent. but instead
gives the customer little envelope,
which on being opened is found to CON
tain one-cent postage stamp. In case
two cents in change is coming 10 the
customer an envelope is given con-
tanning a tWo-cent postage stamp. and
so on. SO far as known no business
house has yet inaugurated the plan of
| giving pennies. Yet it is manifestly
more convenient to handle pennies
than to handle the postage stamps.
Another indication that the penny
| is soon to be here are found in the
| fact that pennies are more and more
| frequently rendered at the poStoffiCe in
exchange for postage stamps. Probab-
| ~ the customers know that the gov
| eminent cannot refuse to accept any
| coin of the realm, even though it be
| of copper. while it would prove diff
| ficult matter to have the coppers ac
| cepted anywhere else. 1t is the custom
| of the poStOttiCe. too, when ii has any
| of these copperS on hand, to give them
| out in change instead of giving an odd
1-cent stamp when necessary to make
| the requisite change.
| The banks of the city frequently get
| the copper pennies in one way and an
| other. but it has not thus far been
! their policy to ever give out pennies
| in change. The banks now, as always
| throw off the odd cent or the odd two
| cents, and charge up as five cents the
| odd three or four cents. When pen
| MES get into the bank they are placed
| in the vault and allowed to accumu-
| late. If the banks of Butte. put into
circulation all the copper pennies they
| have accumulated there would be quite
Il sprinkling of copper pennies in
| Butte, without the necessity of the i'm
portation of a car load or two of them.
| Every visitor to Butte from the East
| and almost every Butte man returning
| from a trip East. brings back in his
pocket one or more copper pennies, and
| these add to the total of copperS now
| on hand in the city ready to be put in
to active circulation as soon as some
merchant advertises that he will give
pennies out in change at his store.
There will be general regret when the
| copper cent gains its foothold in Butte.
but il is bound to come, and when here
| it can never be eradicated But it is
| bound to come. 1t is more persistent
| than the Russian thistle. The copper
penny has nearly completed the con-
| quest of the great West. From Chi
| cago it travelled to Omaha and St Paul.
| Firmly intrenched in st. Paul as a
| basis Of operations il has been slowly
| but surely conquering its way toward
| Montana. 1t flooded Western Montana
| and then penetrated the Dakotas. In
| formation is that it has gained a foot
| hold in. eastern Montana, and can be
seen occasionally as far into Montana
as Billings and Livingston. Further
| more. the copper penny jumped from
| the East clear to the Western coast
| and can be found in several of the coast
| towns. Thus the small remaining ter
ritory in which the copper penny is
still unknown is threatened by inva-
| sion from both the East and the West
Butte Will have to make up its mind
| to accept it later. if not sooner-Ana-
conda (Mont) Standard.