Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-23

SIDE 10 40 TINS, or, In fact, even to get
the cartoons passed upon at ALL at least
half the time. The result was a ten weeks
spell OF heart disease for the committee
enploye. Not being able often to get offi-
c.a CA. sanction for the cartoons. he had to
put them out on his own Judgment, only to
nnd after they were out, in many in
stances, that some member of the commit
tee objected to the subject chosen or its
OF the cartoons that some one didn't con-
denim as sure to "Burchardixe" the cam
palgn SO serious did the situation be-
come before election day that the unfortu-
nate empioye had visions in his dreams
every night of political cartoons that either
missed the point were positively detri-
mental to the cause. and Of an outraged
executive committee wreaking vengeance
upon him for letting the Objectionable
drawings go forth to the papers.
Inspiration and Income.
POSSIBLY 1T Is not right to classify cam
paign songs as political gimracks either.
pue this particular committee employe. who
had to listen to hundreds of them that cam
paaen. would certainly put them in that
category. Before the active campaign was
fortnight old 1t seemed to him that every
man. woman and child in the country had
written, or was about to write or at least
Ieit able to write campaign song Appar-
entiy every member OF the committee and
every state committee chairman from the
Atlantic to the Pacific had hosts of song
wri.ing friends Anyway they all sent
SoHsS 10 the committee, by every mail
seemingly, ard this particular unfortunate
empioye had to try the most Of them out.
AZ nfst when he took bundle of manu-
s Zip, songs and music home at night and
sAeu MS VIE to play the airs on the piano
ana ms daughter to sing the words thew
were quite delighted with the novelty of it.
PUT PUT when, on one never-to- be forgotten
sunday morning, he asked both of them to
nhtpro
WIN elghty-seven differ ent pieces of no
nt.cai ooggerei and eighty-seven new pieces
VI lnharmonlous, unmelodous scores, they
reVolted gently, to be sure but with a do
gree of firmness that left no room foS az.
gument They both declared that they had
sung the praises of the presidential candi-
GATE ne was working for until they were
completely tired out; moreover under the
strain or trying the songs they had lost
sympathy with the party he represented
ana from that time on till election day they
devoted good deal of attention to arguing
with him in favor of the opposition party
and Its candidates.
Not all the songs came to executive head
quarters by mail. Many of them were
some of these people insisted on singing
tne1r productions to the employee, to whom
most or the campaign gimcracks were re-
ferred for investigation. Long before the
close OF the campaign ne was as sick of
campaign songs his family had BEEN
and even now he sometimes dreams of cam
pa1gn songs and their diabolcal concoctors
Told Of the Buttons.
OF campaign gimcracks proper an al
most infinite variety is offered to every ex-
ecutive committee, small portraits in the
form of medalions buttons and badges
leading, of course. When Blaine was the
candidate plumes and pompons, from his
sobriquet, "The Plumed Knight" were put
forward in many forms In 1896 the Nc
kinley gimcrack makers scored a hit with
gigantic leaden beetles washed in bronze
paint which were sold as gold bugs" Lit
tie vest pocket handbooks. giving a we'll
selected lot of economic facts, accompanied
with political deductions, are almost always
sent out by the million. One year an ex-
ecutive committee ordered four millions of
little cardboard flags printed in five colors,
ecutive committee ordered four millions of
sound political doctrtne-as that commit
tee understood political soundness-was
crowded into little space.
Political puzzles. too. are often offered
though not often accepted-and little statu-
ettes-no end of wrinkles, in fact, and 1t
would be shrewd executive committee in
deed, which could get along without vast
Ing some thousands upon badly designed
campaign gimcracks.
Often the gimcrack makers do not ask
the executive committee to buy their goods,
but only to indorse them, depending for
their sales upon the state and minor local
committees and sometimes preferring to go
to the public direct But this is only when
the gimcrack in hand is especially novel
and taking.