Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-08
AGAINST SCANDAL MONGERS
The Presidents Vigorous Remarks About
Rev. Mr.. Lansing.
"a Dissemination of Wholesale Lie
and Ca1umnies"- His Statement
Declared a Shocking Libel.

statement made by Rev. DR.. Lansing,
pastor Of the Park Street Church, Boston,
In an address before the New England NJ.
E. conference, at Salem, alleging that the
President was Incorporate, and substan-
TALLY reiterated in interviews, was natu-
rally annoying to the President. Last
evening he issued the following statement
to the public on the subject:
This is simply an outrage. Though it
Is not the first time a thing Of this kind
has been attempted, 1 cannot avoid a feel
ing of Indignation that any man who
makes any claim to decency, and especial
~ one who assumes the role Of a Chris
tian minister, should permit himself to be-
come disseminator of wholesale lies and
caiumnies, not less stupid than they are
cruel and wicked.
Il easily recall other occasions when
those more or less entitled to be called
ministers of the gospel have been instru-
mental in putting into circulation the most
scandalous falsehoods concerning my con-
duct and character. The elements fac
tors of the most approved outfit for plac-
ing false and parefaced accusation be-
fore the public appears to be: First, some
one with baseness and motive sufficient to
invent 1T; second, a minister with more gull
1ibility and love of notoriety than piety,
greedily willing to listen to 1t and gable it,
and third, newspaper aExiouSly willing
to publish it.
For the sake of the Christian religion
! am thankful that these scandal-monger-
Ing ministers are few, and on every ac-
count am glad that the American people
love fair play and justice, and that in spite
of all efforts to mislead them they are
apt to form correct estimate of the char
acter and labors of their public servants"
Declared to BE n Shocking Libel.
The specific charge made by DR.. Lansing
in his Salem address, as reported in the
newspapers. was in the following words:
I'VE all remember the naval parade on the
Hudson river, when thousands of people
were obliged to wait several hours for the
President to sober off enough for him to
review the parade In a subsequent inter-
view DR.. Lansing said that his informant
was New Yorker, who had personal
acquaintance with Mr.. Cleveland, and that
he had, Furthermore, been informed by
the same man that since Mr.. Cleveland
was elected for his second term he tthe
informan0 had sat beside the President at
public dinner in New York until o'clock
In the morning, and that the President
was drunk. The New York World today
contains statements denouncing this story
regarding the dinner as shocking libel
The World says: Indignation of the in
tensest kind has been excited among DEM
ocrats in New York and other cities over
the attack made on President Cleveland at
the New England Methodist conference by
the Rev. DR.. l. ]. Lansing of Boston
Many of the leading democrats and re-
puoHcanS who attended the three dinners
at which Mr.. Cleveland was present be-
tween the time of his election in November
1882, and his inauguration in March, 1883
Yesterday denounced the story as lie, and
in set terms expressed their opinion of the
American citizen wto, without the shadow
would malign the character of the Presi-
dent Of the United States.
The three dinners referred to were those
OF the chamber of commerce, given at Del
,har
at the home of Henry Willard, two days
later, and that given by the Reform Club
on December 10, 1892.
Chauncey NJ. Depew said last night:
There is only one reply that can be made
to such story-it is absolutely contempt
ible and absurd. At the chamber of COM
merce dinner l sat near Mr.. Cleveland.
saw him from the time that he came in
until he went away. l can say that he was
absolutely sober, and in full command of
his faculties. He conducted himself in the
way that the world at large would expect
from the President of the United States"
Frederic r. Coudert, who was one of the
leading men in the Reform Club dinner of
1892. had good deal to say on the SUBJ
ject.
1.-The suggestion or the assertion that
President Cleveland was drunk is too con-
temptible for notice." he said. 81 was
present at the Reform Club dinner of that
year. 1 sat next or almost next to the
President, and l say that he from first to
last conducted himself as a gentleman and
in a manner BETTING his high office. To
say that he was the worse for drink is to
utter falsehood.'
E. Ellery Anderson said: IT was one of
the guests at the dinner given by Mr.. Vii
lard in honor of President Cleveland. In
cidentally, too, 1 presided at the Reform
Club dinner to which you refer. On both
these occasions, as on every other at which
1 have met President Cleveland during an
acquaintance of many years, he conducted
himself in a way, if possible, to increase
the admiration and respect of his fellow
men. We all felt proud of our President.
He WAS as ALWAYS. q gentleman"