The Atlanta constitution., 1900-07-16
GARRARD INTERVIEWED
ABOUT THE PLATFORM

Columbus. Ga. July 13.-(Special)-
Hon. Louis T. Garrard. the Georgia MEM
Der of the platform committee at Kan
sas city. and member of the sub-com-
mittee of eight who really constructed
the democratic platform. returned home
this morning from the west In an in
teresting interview obtained from him by
The Constitution correspondent. Mr.. Gar
rard corrects some wrong Impressions
regarding the work of the platform and
sub-committces and gives some inside
facts Of interest Among other things,
Mr. Garrard is earnest and emphatic in
his statement that Mr.. Bryan did not
attempt to dictate what the democratic
platform should be. Mr.. Garrard said;
81 represented Georgia on the com
rnittee on platform at Kansas city. and
after said committee had discussed the
question OF n platform and settled the
expression Of the silver question, at half
mast 3 O'Clock in the morning, IL ad-
iourned and left the matter OF construc-
tion of q platform in the hands or a
subcommittee composed Of Senator
Jones. of Arkansas: Senator Tillman. of
South Carolina, Judge Van Wyck. or
New York; Governor Stone. of MISSOURI :
Senator Blackburn. of Kentucky; Mr..
Williams, Of Massachusetts; Mr.. Met
calf. of Nebraska and myself This COM
mittce took charge OF all resolutions
pending before the committee on the
subject of a platform and worked from
half-past 3 until 10 o'clock the next morn
ing. adjourninE only long enough for
breakfast. At 10 o'clock they submitted
10 the general committee the draft of a
platform which was considered and dis
cussed until o'clock In the afternoon
and which was adopted unanimously with
a few amendments.
"The difference of opinion In the COM
mittee has been very much exaggerated.
No newspaper reporters We're admitted
and as a consequence a large amount
Of the information given to the public
was guesswork. II was never proposed
in the committee by any one to abandon
or recede from the position assumed by
the democrats i'm 1896 on the question OF
silver any other question. 1he only
difference was one of expression. Most
of the southern states had adopted state
platforms and had ratified and approved
the Chicago platform as a whole. The
Georgia state platform had ratified the
Chicago platform In these words; we
reaflirm and renew our allegiance to the
princIples of democracy as contained and
enumerated in the national democratic
platform of 1896 The language used in
the proposition submitted to the Kansas
CITY committee was even stronger than
this. and for this proposition / voted. as
did the representatives of all the south
ern states except South Carolina and
Alabama l believed that 1t was the
proper way TO express our allegiance to
the Chicago platform as whole and L
feared that the enunciation and distinct
mention of one particular plank in the
platform might be construed into re-
treat from other positions assumed in
the platform of 1896. 1t is a maxim OF
law as old as the English common law
that the express mention OF one thing
implies the exclusion of another This
Is also a correct principle of logic. Del
erates from other states representing
2SS votes in the electoral college voted
as I did and delegates from states repre-
senting 1856 votes I'm the electoral college
voted to the contrary. Most of the
states that voted as l did were states
that 30 democratic In elections The
same could not be said for the other
side. However. the majority of the MEM
hers of the committee voted to insert
the ratio and the minority in the COM
uittee bowed to the result and the COM
mittee made "A unanimous report to the
convention.
Georgia Was Ahead of New York
1T has been publicly stated i'm the
newspapers at Kansas Cay that mi
nority report was prevented by the action
of New York. followed by the action of