New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-14
"EEEP DEE TILE GRASS."

KEEP OFF THE GRASS"
Young Mr.. BRYAN during his brief sojourn In
Washington does not appear to have learned
clearly what the duties of the President are, or
II he has. he Is playing with the childlike ig-
| norance of followers and promising them what
ever moons and sugar-pums they may take
notion TO cry for. Whether through ignorance
or design he exhibits the infants notion Of an
official as a great parsonage. who Will order
| little boys' heads cut off II they offend him ana
| shower upon them marvellous wealth II he Is
pIeased Probably all youngsters have that
| exalted notion OF the first constable, Mayor or
Sheriff who comes within the range OF their
knowledge. Young Mr. Bryan has the same
dazzling view Of what 1t means to be President
The other day in Chicago Mr.. Bryan stood
| I'm on n balcony TO talk to the crowd that had
been stampeded by his secondhand speech Into
giving him n Presidential nomination. Hear
| ing among the shouters the voice OF one OF the
tramps who moved on Washington In the spring
Of 1894 with the idea that this Government
was responsible to the demands OF mob, ana
that public property was for the private use
of the individual citizen, and that his enjoyment
of II was not subject to regulation, Mr.. Bryan
pronounced these words rs his first campaign
slogan: There will be no sign up to keep or
the grass when l am President"
Now the signs on the Capitol lawns and other
public grounds Of the District Of Columbia are
put there, as they are put In other parks
| Throughout the world to protect them from
| destruction by selfish and irresponsible persons
and preserve them for the common good in ac-
cordance with the we-known law Of all civil
| lid society which restricts one mans liberty
| TO those activities which do not Interfere with
the similarly bounded liberty Of others. The
| President Is not an Oriental despot nor fairy
prince, who holds police court In Washington
saws who may be drunk and dsorderly ana
who may not, where bicycles may co. what
streets shall have cablecars and what grass
plots may be trod down by tramps. The city
government of Washington makes police ordi-
nnnces and enfOrces them. The President Is
supposed to live there like gentleman ana
| himself obey those ordinances II Mr.. Bryan
| thinks that to be President means to be mon
arch of Washington. Commissioner OF Parks,
Chief Of Police and general distributor OF every
thing from silver dollars to park privileges he
has still much to learn about the American
| Constitution
But perhaps Mr.. Bryan was speaking figur-
atively, after the manner Of emotional orators
The grass Is symbolic of good things, wished
for things, things carefully nurtnred by the
thrifty and guarded from vandals and loungers
The Industrious farmer has green fields that he
keeps the small boys and village vagaDonds
| from trnmping down. The shftless loafer mas
n ragged bare plot Of unlOvely earth around
| his lodging And he always wants to wear out
the grass Of his neighbor or tax him for daring
to have a trim field Of beautiful green When
| Mr. Bryan said There will be no sign up to
keep off the grass when am President, prob
ably he meant to signify In poetic phrase that
the bars in general are to be thrown down. ana
that the green fields and ripened grain OF him
that hath are to be enjoyed and walked over
and cut up by him that hath not. Taking
down the Keep on the Grass" sign Is the In
vltatIon to trample the sod the notice OF free
dom of pillage No man shall keep anything OF
| beauty or value that he has brought to perfec-
| ton with toll and pains except on condition
| that another nav share it on demand and de-
stroy II I'm the use II he will. To keep of the
grass" il to respect the right Of property and
| however much he may delude himself with talk
of money power and poor mems dues. the right
Of property is the dragon Of the nightmare that
accompanies young Mr.. Bryan's growing pains
| But there are other fields than the trim lawns
about the Capitol and rich mems houses over
| which keep or the Grass Is written. There
are meadows soping toward Ontario and the 81
| Lawrence with their rich hay crops, there are
rolling hills of Ohio where sheep feed, garden
plots in New,Jersey where melons grow. black
| earth Of Virginia which nourshes the tobacco
plant, swamps Of Carolina sprouting with rice.
| Georgia uplands white with cotton, Louisiana
| plantations where the cane Is full OF sugar,
| Kansas plains ristlIng with corn, DakOta's ex-
panses Of yellowing wheat, Callforna's vine
yards Of heavy clustered grapes. They are all
| good and pleasant places. which those who
work them keep to themselves, and must keep
| II they are to be made 10 yield their fruits.
| But the field, the meadow. the garden the
| vineyard. the great ranch. the little homestead,
the laborer's garden patch, are all an offence to
| the tramp. When the Western rancher sees
a drover making n track toward his land with
| a tonguc-lolling herd frantic for water, he gets
| his gun and tells the invader to keep OF his
grass. Though the herd be thirsty and he
pties them, he will not let them destroy the
country Some men are doubtless weary and
would like to sleep In the parks: others are
hungry and would like to tear their neighbor's
peach trees In haste to get fruit. But to do one
is dsorderly and to do the other, stealing And
1t will DE so in spite Of the cry OF the tramps.
In spite Of Mr. Bryan the farmer will grow
wheat and hay and oats and corn and barley.
and all invaders Of his acres will be warned
to keep of the grass"
|