The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-13
Story of a Campaign BADGE.

The campaign badge known as the .'gold
Dug, which was sold so widely on the
day OF the great business mems Mckinley
parade, in New York City, during the last
presidential campaign. and which is re-
membered, If il has not been preserved
by many political enthusiasts. was sup
piled to the street fakirs by F. R. San
ders, son and successor of Nat. SanGs-s.
who was known as the King OF Fakirs
The story Of how 1t 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 expresses
IT. he held a bluff hand and Won out by
playing 1t 70 the limit"
About two weeks before the day set
for the parade" he says. "a man. whom
knew at once for mechanic. strolled
into my place with a gold-bug hammered
out of solid brass. I was on the sharp
lookout for just such a novelty at that
time II struck me as a good seller. and
| tried 20 bargain for a large quantity.
For some reason or other--it became plain
to me later-he refused TO give me his
name and address. and hung fire in the
bargaining until, used TO quick dealing IS
l am. I gave him up. However. invited
him TO lunch with me on the chance that
he might be more pliable afterward.
After lunch we lounged into the cafe.
The stranger had been drinking a good
deal and was even more mysterious in
his talk. Finally he offered 10 make me
1000 OF the bugs at a price that would
permit their sale on the street a; twenty
five cents. This l refused. and he imme-
diately left me, He had given me the
sample. fortunately and 1 was examin-
ing 1t for the fftieth time when a man
whom l did not know approached and
said:
quite novelty. isn't il? It was made
in my town, Bristol. Conn. wasn't it?'
Here was valuable bit OF information.
A better selling campaign novelty couldn't
be found. I was sure of that. Perhaps
the mechanic had seen had nothing to
do with its manufacture. Could 1 meet
a principal I might close deal and have
the bugs turned out Immediately.
Late that afternoon / arrived in Bris-
toll. 1 had no means of knowing whom
wanted TO see; but after having question
ed several men, from whom / learned
nothing. 1 CHANGED upon one from whom
learned all.
Yes he said, a foreman in the -
works makes them. He does the work on
the sly in shanty near the factory. You
won't give him away, will your
Il found the foreman and stated his po-
sition plainly to him. He was ready to
fall in with any suggestion 1 might make.
Now said. wen have a talk with
the proprietor of the works tomorrow. I'll
make proposition. and he'll accept II.
If you help along. you'll have your posi-
ton.
We met the proprietor the next morn
ing. It was the slack season with him.
he said and q willing IN rnaEa
contract 1t was eleven days before the
parade when I must have every last bug
I could sell if my profit was to amount
to anything.
what can you make them at?' I
asked.
Five cents each
Whatr said I. There was money in
them at that, l knew. they could be sold
on the street for ten cents.
Five cents each
Done! How many can you turn out
a day?'
Ten thousand. working day and
night
. When can you start?
Give me five days to make the dies
and get the material here
Done" said l again; and the bargain
was made.
w OdyS btlOlc the pti dbt Aict1 the III ~
OF arrived. There were five thousand of
hem. I had hard work to stow them
away in my place. and knew that they
would be followed by thousands more ev-
cry day. They had to be sold. Every IA
dr / had l loaded with them at seven
,ents each, with instructions to sell them
1t ten. Then l waited as quietly as I
,ould for results. If they sold well, the
akirs would be back soon; If the fakirs
lidn't return quickly was in for big
oss. Noon came without the re-appear-
lnce of a single fakir. I couldn't wait
any longer; so l went out 1e~see
or myself. This is what learned: That
he fakirs were selling the badges at %
,ents. I went back to my place and wait
d. Very soon they came back for sec
md load.
&" This time. said I. the gold bugs will
ost you 50 a dozen
" You can sell them yourself, then
aid they.
" Two dollars, or no gold bugs said. I.
That's where the bluff began. If the /
Bristol man was as good as his word I /
would have about 50. 900 gold bugs on my
lands on the morning of the parade, and /
d have TO pay for them whether / sold /
hem or not. But there was no way to /
ell them. except through the fakirs, ev- !
ry last man OF whom, knowing the hole /
was in. refused to take them at my !
rice 1 determined to fight them out. /
vim or lose the game. II / had backed 4
own then. might as well have given up 4
usness.
First. made arrangements to stow
he gold bugs as they arrived. Then ! /
locked one of the fakir's moves. I had .
lot Of pearl flags on hand that might .
- % &
be parade This the fakirs knew. and
hey were depending upon selling them for
he money there always IS IN such a big
az When sold them 10 the dealers
5 I did on the kerry next day-it startled
ne fellows a little. but they didn't crawl.
Jay after day they hung off-every day
like a year at a time like that. The
old bugs kept coming in, case after case
f them, and packed them all away
ithout a sign Of weakening. Sink OF
vim, said 1, they will pay ne g a dozen
: nothing.
Finally. the day before the parade ar
we'd l had 1000 gold bugs or hand.
when opened up at O'Clock the next
corning, the fakirs were III line at the
oor-the whole two hundred OF them.
hey had 10 come down. they couldn't
ISIS the days profits. and they had moth
g to sell but my gold bugs \!
"a They will cost you s. q dozen said. |
The men paid IT. and they made well /
: the BARGAIN Before three o'clock that
'ternon I was sold out. Why. the public
-irly ate those golG bugs Up. Il seemed
; though Wa couldn't get them on the
rect fast enough. When ths last one [
q the shop. I went home 70 sleep. Yes. /
was a biuT hand. but played il well"