Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-07
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
A Draft OF 1t Was Not Sent In
Advance to MIR. Cleveland.

Advance to MIR. Cleveland.
He Saw the Silver Plank Only and APP
proved It--Mr. Hayard Declined tho
Craftsmanship of the Committee on
Resolutions.
New York Evening Post, June eth.
The following paragraph, now going the
rounds OF the newspapers is perhaps cal
culated to do some harm to Mr.. Cleveland
and to the party whose candidate he is:
Among the rsasons assigned for delay In
presenting the platform is that MIR. Cleveland
sent word by wire to Mr. Whitney that his
name must not be presented TO the convention
until he had seen synopsis Of the platform
upon which his candidacy was TO rest Mr.
Whitney, when asked II this was true said
that in a measure it was. Mr.. Cleveland had
asked him TO keep him Informed upln the
principal planks, and he had done SO.
We are able to say that no part of the
platform adopted at Chicago reached Mr..
Cleveland at any time before it was
adopted by the convention, except the
plank relating TO tIs lilver question, and
that this plank received no amendment at
his hands, bat merely his approval We
might add that while Mr.. Whitney's abili-
ties are of o comprehensive and excep-
tional type. he has not reached the point
which. sydney Smith ascribed to Lord
Brougham where Commissioner is his
foible. Mr., Whitney was concerned dur
Chicago convention in marshalling the
Cleveland forces, closing the gaps, finding
recruits, and so forth. Nobody ever gave
better account of himself in such a con-
test for he not only won the victory, but
he did it in such o way as to make no
enemies and to leave no heart burnings.
Somebody must be worsted in every en-
gagement, and it is rare gift to leave
your defeated opponent open to reconcila-
ton and cooperation. This Mr.. Whitney
certainly did at Chicago, and it makes a
sufficient triumph without attributing TO
him all the labors of Hercules in addition
TO his own.
The platform committee was announced
on Tuesday by state delegations in the
usual way. It met Tuesday evening and
elected ex-Secretary Bayard chairman. Mr.
Bayard declined the honor, and nominated
Colonel Jones, editor of the st. Louis
hepn6ssc, for that position. Mr.. Jones was
elected unanimously, and no better choice
could have been made. The committee
then chose subcommittee of eleven.
among whom the most noted and strongest
members were Mr.. Jones, Mr.. Bayard,
Senators Villas, Mcpherson and Daniel and
Mr.. John E. Russell of Massachusetts.
The subcommittee remained in session all
night, the principal controversy being on
the silver question At $50 Wednesday
morning, they adjourned, having liked
the hour of ~ to report TO the full COM
mittee. 1t happened that the representa-.
tive of the EseHiag Post was the only per
son not member of the committee who
obtained copy of any part of the plat
form until a late hour IN the day, when
the full committee had acted upon it. This
was the part relating to the silver and cur
rency questions.
Between . and 3 o'clock Wednesday
afternoon, a gentleman who had under
taken the duty of informing Mr.. Cleve
a saF Iae ell. al Al
only plank as to which any controversy
was known TO exist-mel the representa-.
tive of the Ep6ning Post, and SAID that he
mad been trying to find the platform com
mittee or its chairman, and had failed
completely in that endeavor, and that ht
had been unable as yet TO send Mr.. Cleve
land the final draft of the silver resolu
ton. A copy of this was put in his hand.
at once, which he took TO the wigwam
where private wire communicating with
Mr.. Cleyelands house was held for him
This resolution was sent to Gray Gables
and after short interval O message came
! back expressing Mr. Clevelands approval
OF IT in general terms, and his confidence
in the committee so far as their names
were known to him. Not a word was sent
or received on the subject of the tariff.
The committee was still in session at the
Palmer House and access to it was next tc
: impossible. The heat was terrible, the
room sitting, the crowd around the dooI
dense and unlnanageable. The members
were in an excited state of mind on the
silver question, which continued, us il haC
been in the subcommittee the previou,
night, to be the principal theme oil debate
There IS no reason TO suppose that any
word from Mr.. Cleveland at that iuncturt
would have changed a vote in the con-
niittee if an attempt had been made to III
tiuence them. But no such attempt wa,
made. The silver plank was completed
with few changes OF words, but N
change of substance by the unbiased iudg
ment of the majority of the members
without any eXtrancOu5 influence what
ever As for the tariff question, there wa.
not lisp or suspicion outside Of the com
mittee of any disagreement or difference
OF opinion on that subject. MIR. CLEVELAND
I F'could siot have known anything about /
I. q until the report was made 10 the con
vention, whereas the paragraph quoted i.
the beginning of this article appears l.
make him responsible for the orgna
resolution.