Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-29
MAKES FRENCH
NICKEL POPULAR
INGENIOUS POLITICIAN WORKS
SUCCESSFUL TRICK
Coin is Now In Demand-once Re-
fused by Tradesmen, 25 centlme
Piece Now Eagerly Asked
for in Change
Special Cable to The Herald.

Special Cable to The Herald.
PARIS, April 2S-M. Poincarre, the
minister of finance in the new cabinet,
has already given striking proof of his
resourcefulness. When he assumed Of
flee he found that the new twenty-five
centime nickel coin, which corresponds
exactly to the American nickel" was
exceedingly unpopular. 1t was, in faet,
so unpopular that there was serious
talk of calling it in again, for the small
trades people refused to accept 1t, and
there was a general feeling among
the lower classes that it would become
valueless some day and be as difficult
to get rid of as foreign coppers. Var
ious methods were discussed for push
ing the circulation of the coin which
had aroused such unreasonable preJu-
dice.
| 1t was gravely proposed that a
pamphlet should be published for
gratuitous distribution calling atten-
! ton to its advantages, citing its DEM
onstrated utility in the United States,
and appealing to the patriotism of the
French public to support 1t. Just
leave the matter in my hands" said M,
Poncarre, after these suggestions had
been laid before him, land I'll guarantee
that within a few weeks the nickel
coin will be the most popular coin in
Paris"
Had M. Poincarre laid his scheme be-
| fore his colleagues they would prob
ably have rejected it as undignified,
unprecedented and contrary to all the
red tape rules and regulations so dear
| to the official mind. He said nothing to
them, however, about the plan he had
| in view. Nobody knew who started the
rumor or the means that were adopted
to spread it, but one day all Paris was
Whispering that in the issue of these
coins were five on which the magic
word "Rothschild" had been engraved
| in tiny letters. And everywhere the story
was told that the first person who took
| one of these coins to the Rothschilds
bank in the Rue Lafitte would receive
| $4,000 for it; that for the second nickel
similarly inscribed $4,000 would be paid;
for the third and fourth $1,000, and $40C
for the last of the five. 1t was said that
Rotschild had large stock of nickels
on hand which he wanted to get TIC
| of to the government and had devised
this sort of gratuitous lottery scheme
| in order to create such demand fol-
! the nickel coins as would force the
government to buy the metal of him.
| The credulous French folk, who dear
| ly love anything that appeals to theiI
gambling instincts, readily swallowed
the story.
Small tradesmen who had previously
fought shy of the new coin were eager
| to obtain it. The lower classes insisted
in getting nickels with her change. lr
a few days the nickel twenty-five
centime was the most popular coin IL
Paris and the demand exceeded thu
supply. Needless to say, no one has ye
got hold of a coin in which even 10y
the aid of a microscope, the name
"Rothschild' can be discovered. Blu
there are still thousands of people II
Paris who are convinced that with good
luck they may obtain $4,000 for five
cents.
1t must not be inferred from this that
NJ. Poincarre belongs to the mountebanh
type of politician. He is one of the ablest
lawyers in France. His practice chief
| " lies in financial affairs of the first
magnitude and brings him an enormous
| income. He is one of the hardest ano
most conscientious workers at the bar
But in his younger days he was q
Journalist. In that capacity he learned
how easy it is to fool the people. Ano
he believes that in a good cause foolins
the people is justifiabe.