Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-01
The Rector Publicly Declares the
Parkman Vestry Legal.
A STRIKING SCENE IN TIE CHURCH
No Successful Effort at Compromise
Seemingly Possible.
THE FUTURE IN DOUBT

At 7:31 o'clock last evening St. Marks
Church showed no sign on the outside of
the presence of a congregation within. Not
soul was to be seen on the sidewalk or
the steps. But for the light streaming out
through the pretty stained glass saints and
apostles in the windows there would have
been no indication of a meeting in the
church. There was no one outside, because
everybody was inside. Every seat was
filled.
The object Of the meeting was stated in
notice published over the name of the rec
tor. Mr.. Graham. 1t was to give the rector
opportunity to make a statement to the
members and attendants of the church who
were willing to be guided by the rector's
advice in the settlement of the troubles of
the parish. The main contention of the So
called Torbert vestry has been that many
votes were illegally cast at the Easter cleo
ton by persons connected with the mission
of the church in Northeast Washington,
and not worshipers at st. Marks parish
church. By these votes they claimed the
other vestry was elected. They asserted
that If these votes had been thrown out
the Torbert vestry would have been elected
election was contested, but Mr.. Graham
last night declared his belief that the mis-
sion votes were legal, and hence the Park
man vestry was lawfully chosen.
No Effort to COncilinte.
Mr.. Graham, prompt as a cannon ball, be-
gan his statement very soon after the
half-hour stroke.
Distinctly avowing that what he said
must be painful to his hearers and with
no desire to shield himself from any re-
sponsibility for his own errors, Mr.. Ora
ham set forth on a recital of the history
of the whole trouble from the beginning.
making story which lasted fer over an
hour. He had the rapt attention of the
large congregation, and although all over
the house there were at times indications
of dissent and protest when men and wo-
men locked into each others eyes, and
now and then throughout the great audi
ence low, suppressed remarks were heard
in the nature of retort and answer, still
no speaker ever had more complete and
tense attention than Mr.. Graham did
throughout his long address.
Newspaper Accounts.
In the outset he alluded to newspaper
representations Of the difficulty as reflect
ing more or less accurately the comment
and conversation of members of the
church. Speaking of the criticisms among
some Of the members Of the parish upoa
the attitude of the rector in the use of
the personal pronoun and in assuming that
he was the center around which the church
revolved, Mr. Graham said that II there
was any one person around whom church
the wardens or the vestry. Rector, he
said. meant ruler. He reviewed at consid-
cradle length the differences that had
arisen in the parish. He paid high tributes
to the character of gentlemen on both
sides, and especially to MeSsrs. Parkman
and Torbert. So far as a desire to keep
the rector out Of the quarrel went that,
he said. was out of the question.
Petition From the Women.
Mr.. Graham then read petition signed
1,vr ,,,-1, ffprv
the Ladies' Aid Society of the parish. and
others, stating that they believed that the
vestry declared elected at the recent cleo
ton was Illegal, and praying that he might
take that view of it, as his Endorsement
would encourage the working members of
the church. He said that he was made an
issue by this petition. He then read the
closing words of letter sent him by
committee of the Torbert vestry. The
closing passages of this letter said: Upon
your action will largely depend whether
the lifeblood of the parish, once so fully
flowing through it's veins, carrying with 1t
pulsa tons of an active. busy life, but now
almost stagnant with the shock it has re-
ceived will again flow with its old vlgor,
revvifed by strength gathered from
knowledge of your cooperation" This the
speaker assumed meant that the Torbert
party intended to withdraw their support
from the rector and church.
The Paid-FOr Votes.
Speaking of the lists of voters, Mr.. Ora
ham said that for thirty days before the
Easter election the names of all who voted
were inscribed in the parish register. No
new voters ere added at the last minute.
No objection was made to these names. AS
to the charge that votes were paid for, Mr..
Graham said that the men from the mis-.
sion were, as a rule, poor; they had had no
work the past winter, and members of the
parish had paid for them the 81 necessary
r,alya her, rnfa no nhnr nf hNty-
ing votes was a very serious one If true
that votes had been bought, it reflected up
on the Parkman faction as having done
an illegal and improper thing, and if it
were not true, 1t put the Torbert faction in
the position of having told a lie.
Without reading the letter or having it
with him, Mr.. Graham quoted Bishop Paret
declaring in letter prior to the Laster
election that members of the mission were
entitled to vote when they had paid the
necessary 81 toward the maintenance of
the mission.
The Parl<man vestry Sustained.
Mr.. Graham closed his speech in a mo-
ment of impressive silence. AS he picked
up deliberately one after another the sew
eral papers which he had read in the course
of his statement the vast congregation al
most held it's breath. He declared that he
had done all he could to bring about COM
promise; he could not undo the work of the
election; that he must consider the Park
man vestry as the legal vestry of the
church, and that he would hold to this de-
cision, notwithstanding IS per cent of the
church, contributing SIS per cent, perhaps,
of the revenues. would be disappointed by
that decision. He announced he should
meet the Parkman vestry this evening at 8
o'clock.
At the close he gave representatives of
either faction opportunity to be heard, but
neither side desired to speak.
A Pence-Making Proposition.
DR.. Hubbell, who said he was member
Of Christ Church. rising in the rear of the
church and speaking as a peacemaker, sug-
gested that the parish should increase the
number of it's vestrymen from ten to fifteen
and by admitting to the additional number
members Of the Torbert vestry thus COM
promise the difficulty and increase the use
funess and power of the church.
This proposition was at once pronounced
wholly unfeasible by Mr.. Graham, as the
canons prescribed the number Of the YES
try.
Without further remarks the meeting was
dismissed, the members Of the parish lin
gering for nearly an hour longer in little
knots discussing the rector's remarkable
speech and specializing upon the future Of