New-York tribune., 1876-01-22
PLYMOUTH'S POSITION.

SOURCE OF INFORMATION sOUGHT-'NO POssi-
BILE EVIDENCE OF A THING THAT NEVER HAP
PENKD"
The lecture roomsf Plymouth Church was crowded
last evening. and many persons went away, unable
to gain standing room even in tho dOOrways The
larger portion of the audience probably nine
tenths Of those present-was composed Of ladies'.
Immediately after the prayer meeting Mr. Bcecher
gave up his chair to the Moderator, and. when
prayer had been offered by the pastor and the min
utes of the last meeting had been read John Howard
moved that the Committee appointed to bring the
questions at issue before tho Mutual Coun-
ell be named to bring it before the Advisory
Council Mr.. Beecher then, with the letter of
Joshua NJ. Van Cott and other printed documents in
his hand made the speech given below. The tone
of his voice very low during the delivery of the
first few sentences and he talked much in CONVEX
satonal manner as is his went in the lecture-room
When applause was given at something which he
said he repressed it, and the after that was so
quiet that during the pauses he made the tick of tho
clock could be heard across the room. Toward the
close of his address he became more emphatic and
used greater volume of voice In this stage of the
speech applause and laughter of subdued kind be-
came frequent. But these called out exclamations
Of Hush" from many parts of the room. Mr.
BcechcTs remarks were as follows:
hold in my hand two letters, which have been pub
lished IN the daily paDcrs last meeting, when
devoted TO and to this church to IT. dulles 10 the
Sgsf past snd m foy %s a eme1
The first the published letter by Mrs Emma Mou
this this question that Mr.. Van Colt writes the leler,
which shall read only in paragraphs, because
who steps upon the threshold of tins letter,
sr Me @n r e tha m ss s Ss oeer o Of the
law, bearing writ would care to ntrnd9 nIon u-
would invade the privacy Of Mr.. Van COtt's household
The very door Of s lettor contains such AN enuncGton
passed through an experience it would hnpos
sble for man 70 have sat down aud Deliberately penn,h
critlclsms that are neither far, nor just, nor
doing that which no man with the instincts Of a
gentleman could possibly do L shall endcav0r TO
ness Ills letter. than onebaif OF IT, think, Is
direct attack upon me- So far as that 10 conceined'
There only paragraph shall notice, in which he
says: II an thing can mitigate the coarsr.ss o iho
speech at the church IN eting III was thc heAuIao9
necessity oi his situation. alludng 10 the remarks
Moulton appeared before the church by her counsel hr
Pryor. Not document, think, came with her name.
adultery" perjury aud every other offensive
epitlet II was the characteristic stamp OF that CORE
meen. aud ni" hear sachf letters read, such as
no woman OF delcacy could have read aloud
fI.iaed oniv usns that single allegation-whatcyer
may have specific word do not recall-but the
whole declaration tnRt 1t was a,so has brought down
th- charge of coarseness from Judge Van Cot Tins Is
the foundation OF hs charge Of coarseness Now appeal
10 Won ana / appeal 10 virtue. and appeal TO every
woman to read the remarks did make, aud notice the
phraseoogy. and judge from the terms and say whether
my dealing, under the circumstances. was not falr ana
honorable. l. man 10 stand IN community snn
this which have built up under God and, after the hVr
triai, through II man Ia be charged
with such epthes, and when at last he speaks to- re
the very fact OF these cpithots-is tha dealing
Judge Van Cott speak. Of the Council and this sub
ject propose h. De very explicit lilo declares III la-
guage which think he viii not De willing To read year
hence If plymouth Church had IN good Iuih
carried out The agreement on winch We started,
there would have been exclusion within on
without the locality. Plymouth Church broke down t.e
exclude local delegates out Of tho whole number OF
81 delegates To De invited to attend the COunr' ~
Knows IL better judge Van COt IL never insisted
-, any of tns rnu,ches or any OF the
mentioned the other side Lit me eau your atiri
ton 10 facts. On the 81 OF January our com
nitirc staed 10 Judge Van COtt very distinctly tt Lcy
,lld not intend call local churches IA manner Haze
Z tlts The Committee distinctly ana einphallcalY
drawing from r Council 0f delaying the call In
did not arquiesce IA these susSesu"hS AZ P.p''
quent meeting we made AN answer 10 tnelr P,,Ut,eI "A
written declaration was read to hln. mar riyihyun
withdrew tncsc OBNOXIOUS chuiches or NOT ~ ciaineu
simply thi,-tEe right Ia suggest to hiln the Impro-
In autagoasn with us for two OF three years, IN Cou-
ell weh ws to lavse 1" uot In nasr Ie or SION I the the c
ell and II you prefer to 20 on ana call those TWO churches
we Will 10 with YOU" ON Jan. l. letter was sent 10
Mr. Van Cot by the clerk of tnis church. repeating
again. IA explicit language the same thing, naney-that
We Houu.a''ep1 n !" ai' nnt but he had
to written document show him 1t not true.
IL the Associated Press In such an imperfect
II unci stood tlat We broke the Council
tbat we have broAr uP the Mutual Council Nn,n II Is
utc way, aud one knows IL Dettof than dr
lan Colt. Respecting the Investigation ia L. has
been trumpeted that here was COMMITTEE selected py
Ii Wa, not selected 10y me. III was nominated Dy
r, but the Church srlccicd and confirmed nominated
Tor had "a certain reason. The Examining Coihhitee
had passed through inconsdoDe degree Of excite
mtui gard TO the policy of tn" church III cases ante
cedtnt, aud therefore, th- Examining Committee Dc'nH
not itt!c excited ahd bets oi hh ~ u
though II would br rght Tor tHcm III thlS
l Tollc In -.
ii might look 40 thoa-h It family concern de-
sired mat should uc nominated boh irom the eIuich
aud tine society, That 1t might not seem To
be "a p., hcd matter, by taking them All
from the church, and that they might De men Of such
conld SAY thcm nay. therefore nominated ds sGcn men
Henry " .age. Horace Il. c.nin Henry ~ Clevel.nd,
\ " White, August stUrrs, and john Winslow IL Is
sid that thry we're nay friends that had NO rsht To-
nuate m,n who were my trends' IL Lai
Il, mated men who were not my friends, thlnN /
should had To out OF Brooklyn knew thit thry
worthy 10 Do my Irlehds ana arc 5ueh mh 80 |
Henry W sage Horace Is. Cann, Henry NJ Cleveland.
. " White Augustus ~tOrrs, aud John "hslow goS to
evadr the truth and cover II ups Ihs ~ the statement
mae In his letter lie these men with coilegnng
suppress te truth, To eNaic ~, To cover up Iheo
is An ntnition that tbls Committee dd not examine
did not get the evidence might have been got
say, behalf OF that Committee that there Was no per
SON who was supposed Ia know anything the subject
that was Before this Committee found an
odd assenblage of names iouhd Franklin
/ woodruff Francis ID. Moulton, Mrs. Bladshaw
! Francis B. Carpenter, Theodore Iiton Rlchaids
storrs aud W. ". Patten-the evangelist OF inlscniei
from The Aortlwest-and Others These 20 Or 80 under
went IA AaminatIon. We examined Mrs BItds.aw
aud Mr. Richards aud his WIFE, ana Others MIS- hichas
was called refused to answer any questions tndt
went bcy Oud certain line. hold letter from Mrs
bradshaw declining to come Letter from W w h,t.n
declining 10 come letter rom Dwight johnson utc'
| iug come; letter nom Richard T. Buck pOuSiy
declining hold letter from Richard D
storrs stating that he knew nothing except OF hedrsay,
and declining tn In regard To TINS matter OF eA-
Guiding testimony, more atr0cous cndiEe, thnIhi
made. wonder, moreover, lha man poult
down with family should nave Old III III MS nedFl
to go 1u-not that he should have spared me,
not that he should have spared the Church Vie Wds te
paid counsel and ne mad professional duty To perform