The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-22
AND BUTTONS.
Emblems by the Million
Sold and offered for Sale
by Faklrs.
An Industry That Flourishes To-
Day, To- Morrow Gives Way to
Something Elise.
some Of the New Styles and Designs In
Popular DemRnd-Millions In
= Novelty.

TOp0leH manu- -mIlll00o IA
= Novelty.
Far and wide campaign badges are now
Upon the street for sale, and takirs are
abroad TO reap a rich harvest feeding the
Enthusiasm Of both political parties. writes
, New York correspondent OF the st. Louis
Globe Democrat.
The manufacture OF presidential badges
has become = great industry. Thousands
Of hands are employed in designing. max
ing and selling them. About the time that
nominating conventions are arranging
their programmes the badge makers COM
mence to lay their plans and feel tho public
pulse as to the most seductive dssign to
catch its ever tickle and varying fancy.
There is big money in y taking design.
"This 10 going to be q button campaign"
said a dealer to me. "lhe best selling but
tons of four years ago were made of woven
silk. These we're the emblem of the Amer
loan flag. Millions of them were sold all
over the country at 10 cents apiece. Mil
lions more were sent out until the supply
exceeded the demand and the buttons were
retailed at one cent each"
"What new designs are there9" l asked.
"The newest design in a button ia a hat
grandfather's hat-stnmE ed out of white
metal. 1t is MADE of tn 90 parts--the hat
or face proper, the shank and the back.
These ERE made by a jswelsr in Maiden
lane, who manufactured 10000 az an ex-
pertinent. should they catch the popular
fancy then 5000. 900 will! be made if neces-
sary.
Another new idea il a black silk button
with the union flag In the center and the
names Of Harrison and Reed at the top and
bottom. A new button prepared for tile
republican party has this inscription:
Protection. reciprocity and honest
money. One dollar in a hundred cents.'
'"Ihis button is made of American tin.
In the center of the face is a finely engraved
map Of the states. also the army and navy
flags.
Zone button Is of white silk, with the
WOVEN monogram of Il. and Il. in red silk
in the center, round which is q Wreut OF red,
white and blu silk.
'"Ihere is the Cleveland horseshoe but
ton made of red woven silk, with a blue
horseshoe in the enter. The name Cleve-
land is woven across the face with white
silk.
lutE0 are low I1ODOu DHUke6 IOf tnlH
campaign" continued my informant.
gibbons do not take with the general pub
lie; they are used more by clubs in parades
or at meetings. ! had some made in Pat
erson, N. j., of woven silk. with a woven
photograph of Cleveland and a white silk
eagle with two flags. Underneath was II
picture of the White house. l sent 20, 600
OF these to Chicago ahead of the convention
and I got kilograms to send more, but TAX
ing the season through ribbon badges are
not a success.
IT have a new badge here called the trick
badge, or Who's your candidateY This ia
a p esidential chair in stamped brass with
oxidized seat. BY touching A spring at the
bottom the seat Up lnps up and reveals the
candidate of the owners choice. These sell
for % cents each.
"All these buttons and emblems can be
made at the rate of %. 600 a day. Every
thing is ready for the demand. In the cam
raign of 1888 | sold 100000 0 of buttons at
from one cent to % cents each. and 1 ex-
poet that this year will be better thar four
years ago.
From a business standpoint l say it
would have been better for the cam paipu
badge trade had Blaine been nominated, as
then new designs would nave been put upon
the market. Now old designs will be
thrown before the public, old stock will be
again offered. The American tin button
was gotten up for Blaine; they were made
by the thousand. Upon the face was
stamped james G. Blaine. Our Choice
sent twenty-fv men to Minneapolis with
various kinds of badges. and of this Amer
loan tin badge my men sold 5000.
This same tin badge is now changed to
read: b. Harrison. Our Choice"
The republican league of the United
States. which had its convention at Roch-
ester. adopted a button of their own. It is
made of brass and white enamel, on the
face of which ia an American flag and the
letters "R. L. U. s." These retail for rs
cents, and are made in = factory at Bridge
port, Conn.
If a design once put on the market does
but if. instead, it should prove a success, il
Ia sold at the standard price Of 10 cents.
The hat button ia selling at Is cents. A
horseshoe-shaped button with Clevelsnd's
photograph is selling at Is cents.
Manufacturer are glad to avail them
selves of the enterprise of the street fakir
to put their goods on the street, as it keeps
them before the public and sometimes
crowds other buttons out of the market.
This season tho factories at Montclair, N.
j., and Plattsville.. Conn. are competing
with the CITY factories. The profit on but
per cent and the jobbsr % per cent. A great
many iobbers had buttons left over from
the last campaign. These will reap a
harvest from them if they are "a co.
On tuesday night, June 81, the button
campaign really began. At the Carnegie
music hall twenty-five peddlers were selling
buttons in order to ascertain which would
be the best selling button. But few OF anv
kind were sold.
City button factories az a rule are not OK
perimenting this season with the woven
silk buttons. This is owing to the delay of
the silk weavers in filling orders. 1t usually
took four weeks and sometimes more to de-
liver an order. ! am told that in the cam
paiRn Of 1888 it was not until the middle of
September that the silk supply was deliv-
cred. n by that time, the factory men
tell me. the business had fallen fiat and the
stock lay upon their hands.
A large concern in this city lost last year
by the weavers' delay. This year they have
devoted their energies TO a new metal de-
sign OF their own. This consists of three
sizes of buttons. uniform in pattern, of
stamped brass oxidixed. The design ia a
Greek CROSS, with stars between the poipts.
In the center is a medallion of Cleveland
or Harrison.
"There is not much money for the manu-
faoturer," said the manager to me; - but it
serves to keep our regular help at work.
cannot tell what the demand will be, but
think IL will be large. Ordera coma in