Year: 1878




Just now there il curious mosaic OF
customs in California with respect to
change. In carly times no miner or bnsi-
ness man expected to give or take change.
Anything less than quarter was too in
significant for any Cali fornian to rccog-
nize. A New York newspaper was sold for
two bits. quarter Of dollar was rccog-
nized as change. Finally q dime came to
be recognized as small change, although it
was very hard for the '49er to come down.
He was willing to sleep in his blankets and
do his own cooking, but to recognize small
change was too much for him. In time
the fve-cent piece made its appearance. II
was an honest silver coin, and was gain
ing ground rapidly. But after a while
fve-cent nickel made its appearance-a
base, bastard coin, we'll calculated to ex-
cite contempt. There now two usages in
this State-one Of which IL OF pioneer
times and the other Of modern date. One
discards any sum less than dime. and ON
all small transactions will take 80 per cent.
additional rather than make the exact
change. Tho other recognizes the fact
that times have changed: that an article
sold for dime is not Is cents, and that
ii is not honest to take it.


There is nothing in the condition Of Cal
ifornia to-day which warrants any further
contempt for small change. Money il
money. And economy suggests that for
daily use q dollar ought 10 admit OF the
smallest diyisable parts. The twentieth
part OF a do lar ought TO be recognized as
an honest coin. and sum which poor poo-
pie cannot afford to lose in the innumer-
able transactions Of business. Laboriig
men find 1t hard 10 make both ends meet.
Why should they be forced to submit to the
swindle Of five per cent. OF their income
when making purchases Of daily necessi-
ties Why should the thirty-tliird part OF
n dollar be regarded with eontempt-the
honest thrcc-cent picce-are people all SO
rich, il everybody so flush that the frac-
tional parts Of dollar are to be thrown
awayg According 10 the current phrase,
we have come down to the bedrock in
prices here. Well, In what respect are we
40 much better off than Eastern commune
ties which adhere To the honorable custom
Of making exact change2 Probably two
thirds Of the retail business Of this city and
suburban towns, is now transacted with
full recognition that five cents shall be en-
ployed in the payment and receipt of money.
The other third Is carried on in contempt
Of any such usage.


The old Californian who still sIeepr in
his blankets. the iaer who will never have
done talking about the flush " times
when slugs were current dom want to
come down to small coin. g Great heavens,
have we come to this ?" is the expression
of the man with blankets and patches on
the seat Of his pantaloons. Yet we have
come TO this--to days Of honest change,
Gays when the twentieth part OF the dollar
is Of some consequence, days when great
many people are, or have been recently,
dsheartened for the lack Of the means OF
living. The sign Of Independence in this
affected contempt for small change. might
Ms we'll disappear. The dollar is divisable
into 30 parts. II Is further divisablc into
5s parts and further into 100 parts. And
there are thousands Of people in California
to-day whose necessities compel them to
make that dollar go as far as possible.