Col. Bryan runs against the lawnmower
Subject(s): Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925, Lawn mowers, Patronage, Political, Presidential candidates, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930
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President Roosevelt drives a “White House lawnmower” down “Taft Ave.” that has a sign: “Keep off the grass.” William Jennings Bryan runs away and says, “And I thought that I was running against Taft.”
Comments and Context
Cartoonist P. B. McCord made two salient points about the 1908 presidential campaign in this drawing. The first is that the canvass of Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan virtually was bereft of issues; that is, to attack William H. Taft was to attack the policies of the incumbent, President Roosevelt. And “keeping off the lawn” of Taft meant a somewhat electoral argument, as Roosevelt remained overwhelmingly popular with Americans.
The second point, following on from the first — and starkly evident in the graphic composition of the cartoon — is that individual issues, nor indeed Taft himself, were not Bryan’s opponents. As he suggests in his lament, Theodore Roosevelt was the focus of the campaign; his policies were the issues, and his personality overshadowed politics generally.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-09-25
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Page Count
1
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Col. Bryan runs against the lawnmower. [September 25, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301819. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
McCord, P. B., 1870-1908. Col. Bryan runs against the lawnmower. [25 Sep. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301819.
APA:
McCord, P. B., 1870-1908., [1908, September 25]. Col. Bryan runs against the lawnmower.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301819.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
