The National tribune., 1909-07-01

like, the people of the District conclud-
ed to have a button day. and raise
money for Fairgrounds. One day was
enough. if you please. The money was
raised. but second day of it would
have put the people of the District in
the insane asylum Lots of people
bought buttons simply to save their
lives The buttons had various values
all hcutious, for the button it
self could be bought for about five for
cent. They carried very poor pic
ture of President Taft, with his now
famous utterance, Il am for play
grounds" circling the button. The blue
button was 10 cents, the red one was a
| dollar. the green one was so cents and
the silver" one SIS, while the gold
one was $40. They all looked alike 10
me 1t seemed as tho all the school
children in the District were selling
those buttons. They jumped on and off
the street cars with impunity-and {,
good deal of impudence at times-pretty
girls pleadingly implored you to puy a
button; old ladies said, Buy button,
it's your Christian duty" when you
weren't feeling a bit like a Christian:
elderly men severely suggested that a
man owed it to the morale of the city
to help provide Fairgrounds for his
children. and it wouldn't have done a
DIT OF good to argue with him that you
had no children with which to improve
the morale of the city. Transfers sold
buttons, and street sweepers and
preachers; bankers turned their coun-
ters into button shelves, and SO it went
Until you sot button on you your life
was not safe from the mob. One young
lady pinned on her dress from her
throat to her toes two rows of buttons
which represented an outlay of $40.
ArnsN ta0r l.
cuffs, her belt and the front of her
shirtwaist with buttons which cost SIS
each, and so it went. Some $4,000 was
raised in the days raid.
Nobody denies that it was a good
thing to do, providing the Fairgrounds.
They are the breathing places for the
poor little kids who never get beyond
the asphalt and stone walls of the great
city
But nobody approves the methods of
raising the money. 1t is straight hold
up. and there can be no two opinions
of that. 1t would not be a serious mat
ter if only grown-up people were doing
the holding up. but little children did
ii. And If you did not buy they roasted
you right well. 1t is teaching children
to be forward, impudent and aggressive
ly insistent and persistent They for
get to reverence old age or to regard
youth. They are instructed to sell but
tons, and to do so without regard. and
they do. 1t must always be doubtful
II the end justifies the means under such
circumstances. This rude thrusting of
children of tender age into the rude
hustle for money must brush some of
the freshness of childhood away and
makes the little ones almost repellant
in their rudeness, which is yet rude
ness. tho ii be laid to a desire to sue
ceed.
= ir- 70 r.
give us paftry $4,000 next time, since
it really comes out of the pockets of
the taxpayers of the District anyhow.
In Paris it is the proper thing for all
society TO attend the races and other
sports on Sunday. President Faliieres
always invites our Embasador, Mr.
White. 10 accompany him, and Embas-
sador \ hite as regularly declines to at
tend. He says that the American peo-
pie do not like the CONTINENTAL idea
of going TO races or bull fights or any,
thing of that kind on Sunday. and he
as their representative cannot afford to
offend their idea of the proprieties by
attending
He tells intimate friends that he has
no conscientious scruples about witness
ing races on Sunday or any other day,
but he considers that his presence at
the course on Sunday might be con-
strued as an official act of the American
ambassador, and so give offense to his
country.
1t is an evidence of the warmth Of
regard President Fallieres feels for
ambassador White and of the strength
of his official position that President
Faiiieres does not hesitate to say he
understands the American Embassa-
doris position thoroly and sympathizes
with him in the uncomfortable light his
enforced refusal of the Presidents re-
peated invitations places him.
1t is great to keep the enthusiasm of
a boy away long into the shadow throw
ing ties" and good many members
of Congress are quite able to do it. Last
Wednesday. one of the bIisteringist hot
DAYS of the Summer, a big automobile
skinned away into the country for
run to Baltimore. The 10y riders"
were going over to see a baseball game
between the Orioles and Montreal. The
people in that automobile will none of
them see so again, and most of them
would be glad to say they hoped to
welcome SO, while two at least We're
on the shadow side of that tie" Two
of them were "formerlies'' of Congress.
ex-Representative Watson, of Indiana,
and ex-Representative Fisher, of New
York The other members of the party
were Representative Tener. of Pennsyl-
% "A
sons pitching mainstays before he "re-
formed and came to Congress; Repre-
sentative Serene Payne, of New York;
Cole. of Ohio: Townsend. of Michigan;
Butler. of Pennsylvania: Gaines, of
West Virginia, and Byrns, of Tennes
see.
"Fiddling Bob" Taylor is the little
joker of the Senate, and he can break
up the general crouch quicker than
anybody who has a right to speak In
that body. He lit into the oratorical
contest the other day in a perfectly
TaylOrish" fashion. Everybody laughed
and felt better when it was over.
The vulture of protection" said the
Tennessee Senator. has scared from
the Dingley minimum to the blue ceru-
lean Of the Aldrich-Payne maximum,
with the American farmer hanging by
the seat of his pants in its talons.
II Will touch only the high places in
this tariff discussion. There are no low
places except here and there in raw
material
There is as much difference between
the Republican platform and this bill
as between the plan of salvation and
Shermans march to the sea. and God
knows when Congress will adjourn"
Senator Hepburn, of Idaho, was once
upon time a cowboy, and he is proud
of it. They were talking about hides in
the United States Senate the other day.
and Senator Hepburn told the members
of that body that he knew how costly