Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-16
IN DEFENSE OF MIR. BELL.
Falls Church Democrats Deny Stat>
mPnfS tn HiS Su..c..l,


ments to His Speech.
Among the side issues of the campaign
none has attracted more attention in this
vicinity than the question as to what
Deputy Pension Commissioner Bel! said or
did not say at the barbecue held at Cross
mans Grove August 1. 1T was reported in
this city last Friday that Rev. Robert
Nourse was about to prepare an affidavit
which would be filed to support the charge
against Deputy Commissioner Bell that he
had I'm his speech assailed the administra-
ton. Subsequently it was declared by some
of the persons who had been present or
claimed to have been present at the meet
ing in question that Mr.. Nourse had con-
fused statements made by Mr.. Andrew
Lipscomb with statements of Mr.. Bell. Mr.
Lipscomb. it was asserted by these persons
had made a speech in which he had not
been at all tender in handling the adminis-
tration Now, however, 1t is said that Mr.
Lipscomb was not present at the meeting at
all. SO this explanation is not considered
satisfactory.
Mr. Nourse has meanwhile had nothing to
say about the matter until today when in
an interview with a Star reporter, he Ge-
MED absolutely that he had ever made the
statement which caused the controversy.
The Bryan and Sewal Club of Falls
Church however, has taken up the matter
seriously, and at a meeting last night a
paper was prepared and signed which is
intended to Offset the affidavit supposed to
have been made by Mr.. Nourse and filed
somewhere in the archives of the govern
ment Mr.. A. Davis, jr., secretary of the
Falls Church club. stated to Star reporter
today that it was their belief that Mr..
NourSe had made the statement referred to
and had prepared the affidavit to be filed
at the Interior Department. On account of
this belief the following paper was adopted
by the club at it's meeting last night:
Whereas there was published In The
~
18th instant a statement purporting to
have been made in the presence of num-
Der of politicians in Washington. D. c.,
by the Rev. Robert Nourse to the effect
that the said Nourse declared he had heard
Mr.. H. c. Bell. deputy commissioner of
pensions. deliver speech at political
gathering in which lie, the said Bell, bit
tcrly assailed the President of the United
States: therefore, We, the undersigned citi-
Zens of Falls Church, Va, and vicinity,
desire to state that We were present ct the
barbecue at Cheeseman's Grove. near tins
city. on the 4th of August, 1886, and heard
the speech Of Mr.. Bell presumably the one
referred to by the Rev Nourse, in view of
the fact that the said Nourse was present
at the time and also heard the specify. and
We personally know that the statement Of
Mr.. Nourse If he had made the indicated
sta tement, Is unqualifiedly false, and we
believe that the Rev. Nourse maliciously
and willfully made the said statement for
the purpose, If possible, of injuring Mr..
Bell.
We further state that there was rot one
word uttered by Mr.. Bell which could pos
sibly have been construed by an honest
man into the slightest reflection Upon
either the integrity, the honesty CIR the
patriotism of the President OF the United
States or any member Of his administra-
ton.
Mr.. Bells statement was devoEed entirely
to an economic, historic. scientific ard
practical illustration of the doctrine Of the
free coinage of silver and other cCgnete
subjects as opposed to that Of the single
gold standard of money, and was entirely
devoid of any personal attacks upon any
body either democrat, republican, populist
or otherwise.
This paper was signed last night by 112
persons in Falls Church, who were pres
today in Washington among persons here
who attended the meeting in order to Sc
cure their signatures.
Mr.. Nourxe's Denial.
Mr.. Nourse today, in speaking to a Star
reporter at Falls Church, expressed sur
prise at what has been published concern
ing himself and Mr.. Bell
ut seems to me-" he said, that my
neighbors, whose names have been attach
&c to the resolution adopted by the Bryan
and SewaN Club here last night owe 1t t.
themselves and certainly to me to have as
certained what truth there was In the re
pert that had made statement with re
gard to Commissioner Bells having crit
| cised President Cleveland in a publis speech
| The facts in the matter are simply these
| met gentleman in Washington one day
| last week, who told me he Intended to
prefer charges against Commissioner Bel
for offensive partisanship. I asked him
| what Bell had been doing. and he replied
| that in naking partisan speeches he had
| broken the civil service law under which
| he held his Office.
! 81 said 1 had heard him make a speech
| at the democratic barbecue at Falls Church
but that I did not remember very mucf
| Of the speech, except that 1t was hifalutir
at the beginning, and he got thirsty In the
| middle, stopping to drink a glass of water
| Mr.. Bell asked whether there was a re
! publican present. No one responded. HI,
/ nut the oueation again In this form: III