Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29
BUTTONS AND SONGS
They Have Played a Small
Part in the Campaign.
NO CALL FOR EITHER
FAKIRs HAVE GONE BACK TO
THEIR STOCK ARTICLES.
Appeals to the Chairmen of the Ma
tional Committees-Con With
the Stirring Days Of '96.
NO CALL FOR EITHER

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
NEW YORK, October %, 1904
Hang this apathy"
1t wasn't the cheerful Tom Taggart or
the silent Cortelyou who made the remark,
| but man who has invested a good many
| thousands In manufacturing campaign but
| tons and other devices. and is In fair
| way to be on the wrong side of the market
when the campaign is over.
| i've been in this business forty years -
| he went on, land never saw worse year
| for my business. The people just simply
| don't care and they won't warm up at all.
| There Is little excitement now inasmuch
as the campaign is closing, but nobody is
deeply concerned and few people outside of
| boys and girls are buying anything in my
! line"
| The chairmen of both of the great parties
| are disposed to sympathize with the but
| ton and campaign device man. His bust
| ness view agrees with their political judg-
| ment that there has not been in many years
| so dead a campaign far as outward
show and excitement are concerned. But
tons and devices are seen in shop windows
where such things are sold, but the retail
men agree that there is practically no
business in that line. Men, boys and girls
occasionally drop in and purchase some
| thing that strikes them. but there is ap-
parently no partisan zeal or enthusiasm
in their acts. Here and there man passes
along Broadway, or mingles with the peo-
pie around headquarters, with button
displayed in his coat or one of the new
tangled baggage fobs hanging from his
waistcoat or trousers pocket.
Fakirs Give Up Campaign Devices.
The trinket and toy peddlers along 23d
street earnestly, yea, fervently, join the but
ton jobber in agreeing that the people are
unconcerned this year and don't care wheth-
er they wear button, fob or any other
old thing The toy fakr has a stock Of
campaign devices on hand that he has
been forced to leave at home and displays
his usual stock of rubber and other trick
games that he may make living.
Others say that 1t is not apathy after
all, but simply a failure of the public to
respond to the attempts of manufacturers
to make certain devices fashionable this
year. This is not a button year. they
claim. and fads of that kind have passed
out of style for the present. They may be
something new. This is shown, it Is point
ed out. by the fact that about the only
thing that is catching on in the campaign
is the baggage fob. Everybody remembers
it, because it reminds one of his trips away
from home and his experiences with the
baggage man. This device is not eXclu-
sve to either party and the partisan is
able to buy fob that will check him TO
either Parker Roosevelt and show just
whom he is supporting this time. There
are no end of buttons and other devices
but they are not being sold. The buttons
differ little from those In past campaigns
showing neither originality nor artistic
work. They simply contain the faces of
the democratic or republican nominees
Sometimes the faces of Parker and Davis
or of Roosevelt and Fairbanks are on the
same button. Again the face of Parker
or of Roosevelt takes up the entire button.
Flooded With Sample Buttons.
At the beginning of the campaign demo-
cratic and republican headquarters were
flooded with sample buttons and devices.
1--WE respectfully submit the inclosed sam
pie of campaign button. We consider it
the best that has ever been turned out.
1t ought to prove winner for your party
this year" That is about the style of the
letters received at both headquarters, and
each wound up with request that the
button be given the official Endorsement OF
the committee. Taggart had something
more important to think about and Cor
telyou considered such things impertinent
and trifiing. Neither party, therefore, has
adopted a campaign button this year. and
the manufacturers put their own designs
on the market If they felt disposed to take
the risk. Many a design. however, has
never gone beyond the initial stage. Lack
of money to invest in manufacture, and
lack of confidence to push the scheme have
hidden the creations of much ante-election
brainwork
About the most attractive device of the
year is not on the market at all. The
man who patented 1t sold it to a big BUSH
ness concern that is placing 1t among
friends and customers without charge. 1t
is worth something, too. being about the
most expensive of the campaign novelties.
This souvenir is a gun metal watch, well
made and a fairly good time-keeper. In
the rear of the watch is a small opening
or face. Into this face, with every tick of
oh ha n ia yJG
republicans or democrats, according to the
politics of the man who receives the pres
ent Lincoln, Grant, Mckinley and Roose-
Welt are the four faces that appear in turn
in the opening with each tick of the watch.
The democratic faces are Jefferson, jack
SON. Cleveland and Parker. The machin-
cry is made to turn the photos every time
a second is registered.
Height of the Button Fad.
Whether it is apathy or lack of fashion
that causes the campaign catch-penny to
go begging this year. 1t is a matter of his
tory that the great campaign of 1896 saw
the height of the button fad. That year
was the beginning of prosperity SO far as
BIN" and the other button men were
concerned. The other part of the industrial
world began to make money later. but
the button men reaped harvest that year,
and they attribute 1t to the fact that the
people were intensely worked up, full of
notions of patriotism and rescue of the
country, and deeply DESTROYS of displaying
their intentions. The silver men, at that
time firmly convinced of the accuracy and
righteousness of their position, indicated
the courage of their convictions by wear
ing buttons of many styles, being espe-
cially fond of a button containing Bryan's
celebrated remark: mo cross of gold no
crown of thorns" This expression adorned
| the button and in the center was cross
of gold.
The buttons I'm 1896 were interesting even
before the nominations for President were
made The contest for the republican
nomination was somewhat spirited, and the
partisans of Mckinley Reed and others
wore buttons in their coats. One Of the
Reed buttons that year contained the face
Of the Maine statesman, with the words.
II am for Reed. Are your The McKin-
| ley buttons bore some reference to protec-
| ton, with which the Ohioan was so init
| mately associated. There was one also
| with this printed upon it, there being no
| portrait: Hes all right! Who? McKin-
| ley"
| After the two parties had made nomina-
lions, buttons were everywhere. Among