The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-15
STORY OF A CAMPAIGN BADGE.
How the GOId-Bug Came to BE Sold
the Street.
From the New York Post

From the New York Post.
The campaign badge known as the gold
bug" which was sold so widely on the
day of the great business mems Mckinley
parade, during the last Presidential cam
paign, and which is remembered if it Las
not been preserved by many political en-
thusiasts, was supplied to the street fax
irs by F. r. Sanders, son and successor to
Nat Sanders who was known as the King
of Fakirs. The story of how it came to
be made and how it nearly missed being
sold at all is that of a series of incidents
which illustrate the hazardous nature OF
the fakir's enterprises. AS Sanders ex-
presses it, he held bluff hand and Won
out by playing it to the limit"
About two weeks before the day set for
the parade" he says, "a man, whom l
knew at once for a mechanic, stroled into
my place with a gold bug hammered cut
of solid brass. I was on the sharp look
out for just such novelty at that time.
1t struck me as a good seller, and l tried
to bargain for a large quantity. For some
reason or other-it became plain TO me
Iater-he refused to give me his name 3nd
address, and hung fire in the bargaining
until. used to quick dealing as | am,
gave him up. However, 1 invited him TO
lunch with me on the chance that ne
might be more plable afterward
''After lunch we lounged into the care
The stranger had been drinking good
deal. and was even more mysterious IN
his~talk. Finally he offered to make me
1000 of the bugs at price that would
hermit their sale on, the street at % cents
This I refused, and he Immediately IelI
me. He had given me the sample Iortu-
nately, and l was examining 1t l1r ne II.
tieth time when a man whom oiu not
know approached and sad:
Quite novelty, isn't it? 1t was mace
in NV town, Bristol Conn.,, wasn't IL
..IJe,,a was valuable bit of information.
A better selling campaign novelty couioiI
he found. 1 was sure of that Perhaps
the mechanic 1 had seen had nothlhS 10
do with it's manufacture. Couid nle -,
principal l might close zeal anu nave
tba hpgs turned out Immediately
"r ota that afternoon l arrived in Brls-
60, had no means of knowing whom
wanted to see; but after having questioIi
ed several men from whom learned
nothing. I CHANGED upon one from whom
I learned all.
Yes he said, a foreman III .he .or1-
works makes them. He does the work
o,1 the slv in a shanty near the factory
You won't give him away, Will you
~ fonnd the foreman, and stated MS
,,osition nlainly to him. He was ready TO
fon in with any suggestion l might make.
!" Now. I said, wen have talk with
the proprietor of the works to-nlorrow.
I'll make propositioh' am I,, -.
4 IF YOU help along, you'll keep your
position, a.. ,,o,,t morn
,Do II was the slack season with him.
he said. and he was Wiling 10 MAKE
nontract II was eleven days before the
narade when 1 must have every last pug
I could sell if my profit was to amount
TO anything. 80, os,,
ed.
:" Five cents each
" eyvbatp said l. There was money IN |
them AT that, l knew; they could be sofa
on the street for ten cents.
give cents each
".Donel How many can you turn out !
a day. zo,, o,d ,,,,,bt
Ten thousand, working day ana hlBh''
When can you startE
".C,ive me five days to make the dies |
and get the material here
sDonev said again. and the bargain |
was made. H.. .,o
Two days before the parade day the |
Fret lot arrived There were 5OCO OF them.
had hard work 10 stow lhem away III |
nv Mace and / knew that they would be
railowAd bv thousands more every day.
rTbav had to be sold. Every fakir had l |
to,ded with them at seven cents eacn, |
With instructions to sell them at ten. Ihen
I waited as quietly as could for results.
If they sold well, the fakirs would be
III, soon. il the fakirs didn't return |
o,,icklv-I was in for a big loss. Noon
eeols without the temperance Of a sin
Gle fakir. l couldn't wait patiently any
Pc So. en- I went out to see for myself. !
This is what 1 learned: That the fakirs /
we're selling the badges at p cents. l
went back to my place ana waited. very
soon they came back for second load.
".rhis time said I, the gold bugs will
cost you g a dozen
YOU can sell them yourself, them said
TWO dollars or no gold bugs said /.
THAT'S where the bluff began. If the
Bristol man was as good as ms WORD
-,.o,,fJ have about 6gO00 gold bugs on my
bends on the morning Of the parade, and
I'd have to pay for them whether sold
them or not. But there was no way to