New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-07
BEAUTIFULLY SYMBOLIC BANNER
AND FREEDOM. AND OTHER
THINGS ON IT.

There is political banner strung across Park
Row which has deal OF meaning crowded into a
small space 1t bears portraits OF Messrs. Bryan
and Stevenson, and under them are the words. we
wish to remain free people" This is manly
sentiment, and doubt these mems wish to re-
main free will be respected as long as their per-
sonal characters remain far above reproach as
they at present But there are more and bet
ter pictures the banner.
The most important one is that OF a tall man
dressed in black, with silk hat and white spats,
shaking hands with man in red shirt waist and
a workman's cap, with a hammer in his hand. 1t
suggests the lines in that old song of Edward Har-
rigans, The Babies Our Block:
It's Good mornin' to yez. landlord
As Pathrck Murphy. esquire.
Comes down the alleyway
The man with the hammer in his hand no doubt
stands for labor in general, and he seems TO pre-
tend to be a blacksmith in particular. for there is
an anvil by his side. but he does not know his
business. for he has his anvil placed in the middle
of a considerable space Of open country, with no
forge and no fire anywhere in sight There are
some fires in the factories in the distance. but
those shall be spoken of presently. 1t is difficult
to say what the In the tall hat is supposed
10 represent. He may be a capitalist but he can
be a good capitalist who truly recognizes that
the interest of capital and labor are Identical He
may be trying to make the poor laborer believe
that he is OF that opinion but he is sincere In
It, No good man-not even good as capital
lists go-ever wore spats like those. Everybody
who is accustomed TO theatres knows that spats
like those only by villains.
He looks more like the president OF a trust, and
II is likely enough that he is saying: If you will
swear that you are unable to support your family
1 will sell you clans of this river which own
(there is a river behind him in picture) for five
cents bushel. instead of $40 bushe which is the
price I charge 10 men who have enough money so
that there would be danger OF their wasting it on
their families If 1 did not take il away from them"
Every honest land a IN with a hammer
is always as honest man with hoe is dam
gerous) should beware OF spats. No true friend OF
labor could ever keep white spats clean 1t has
been said that there is river in the picture II
flows into some larger body of water where there
ships. typical no doubt. of the interest that
that Mr. Bryan is going to take in shipping when
he is President. On the shore the river Is an
anchor. with so little iron and so much wood about
it that 1t would surely float il IL were thrown
overheard. The significance of this is plain The
anchor is the emblem of hope. and il means that
Mr.. Bryan hopes to catch the floating voters and
the anchor also typites the steadfastness and
trustworthiness Of these same floating voters
In the background the factories burning soft
COAL to the detriment of the public health. Be
hind the factories is sunset sky. This taken in
connection with the smoking chimneys means
either that when Mr.. Bryan is President the fac
tories will have TO work overtime or else that the
eight-hour law will be disregarded-possibly both
Behind the man with the spats is a shield which
II the half OF IL which cannot be seen is like the
half which can. has nine stripes and nine stars
probably typical OF the States which Mr. BRYAN
hopes 70 carry. On another part OF the banner are
two fags. one of them having twenty-three stripes
and the other nineteen.
But the most remarkable thing about the banner
Is It's strong Eastern feeling, shown not only i'm what
Il displays. but In what n om,rs Fer n.A,Ts a.
haunts the symbols OF manufacturing and shin
ping there is nothing on It 20 represent agri-
culture or mining. II has been said that BRYAN Is
nkely 10 run better in the East and worse in the
west 'hah tour years ago. but this banner looks
as II he had given up the West altogether a. a.
II Tammany Hall had. and doubtless that Is the
thing - Wv