The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-11-11
Those Pesky Buttons.


been convulsed of late, venerable sena-
torial boards have been set wagging,
smooth politicians eyes have glowed,
cabinet builders and cabinet destroyers
have been made to lead strenuous
life, and all on account of an innocent
button, bearing the portraits of Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Shaw.
The buttons were secured by citi-
zens of the Secretary's little home
town we are informed and their pro-
duction is said to be equal to a formal
announcement of Leslie NJ. Shaw as a
vice, presidential candidate.
The true tale of the button is a sor-
rowful one, tshas brought tears to the
eyes and a feeling of rash goneness to
the purses OF at least three of Deuison 5
business men.
Before the time of the Presidents
expected visit thesesgentlemen thought
they saw & pot of money in the button
business. They saw in their magma
tion heavily laden excursion trains
leaving Denison after the Presidents
speech, aud upon the proud bosom Of
every excursioner they saw the beauti-
full souvenir of the day purchased of
the aforesaid business men for the
modest sum Of Il quarter.
We all know the history of street fair
week-none know it better than the
wouldbe button millionaires. There
was rain and rain and then the an
nouncemeat that the President would
not come This latter knocked the
bottom out of buttons. The fall of
values on Black Friday in Wall Street
was nothing to the way the price fell
on buttons Whereas on Tuesday they
proudly sold for 25c., on Wednesday
they went at Is and 10 cents. on Thurs
day they we're cents each and since
that time strenuous effort has been
made to give them away, which last has
met with fair success.
Up to this time Denison did not know
the button was loaded. The portrait Of
Shaw whispering state secrets into the
them than, that if the President had
come, and had been driven about town
and the Secretary had been seated next
him in the imported landau, he would
have leaned ovcn aud whispered u him
in confidence, strictly in confidence
that that was where so and so lived
and this the home of the Mayor and
this of the Congressman and this his
own humble abode, and hayes gotten
His Ezcellency p look the other way
when he passed the court house.
1t was only when the button escaped
from Denison that it began to have a
deep political significance.
| At the close of the street fair the
three button men found themselves
possessed of some valuable experience,
a life sized imitation of some men who
went broke and 2.673 buttons bearing
the portraits of His Excellency the
| President and his valued and trusted
cabinet minister. The assessed valu
alton of the buttons in their then CON
dition was about 30 sen (Chnese).
| One of the committee the, conceived
the idea of gliding over the printed
mottos concerning the Denison street
fair and dispo=ing Of the buttons to the
outside world What would be more
appropriate for wear during Mr.. Shaw S
Iowa campaign trip? a bargain was
made accordingly and then for days
the home of one of the button vendors
and we know very distinctly which
one-tecame cross between a Paris
ian atelier and a celuloid collar factory
Fair fingers deftly applied gilt without
end to buttons without mum Der, and
finally thousand or so were FASTENED
to the scene of their future triumphs
1t was then that Leon Brown, a wise"
boy who works for Des Moines news
papers and is the Sherlock Holmes of
the reporters club, saw in the button
deep political significance. The
Shaw vice presidential boom had been
started, and the Brown detective
agency has been drawing large divi-
dends for sensational button dispatches
ever since. The story has row been
officially denied by Secretary Shaw,
President Roosevelt, W. j. Bryan, the
Prince OF Siam. the Register and
Leader and others. The effect of the
Shaw button on the tariff will be the
subject of learned article IN the next
number of "The Forum by Senator
Lodge of Massachusetts.
| The New York World contains full
page illustration of the Hon, John P.
Nestlebush in his famous monologue
EVERY body wear badge"
In conclusion we wish to say that the
price of buttons has gone up. We know
IN bara wa ran law Dl,r hands IN 1913 of