Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-10-14
The Facts in the Bell Case.


that the charges against the republi-
can candidate for governor by the
democratic state committee should
not have been made public until the
truth had been ascertained. The con-
temporary ignores the fact that every
thing possible was done by the ones
making the charges to ascertain the
truth, and that 1t was the republican
managers that prevented them ana at
the same time piled up damaging evil
dence against Mr.. Bell. we regret
the mistake, but consider the facts as
they are.
The democrats had three GROUNDS
for believing the truth of the charges,
which eumulatively left not a SHADOW
of reason for doubling them except as
we have said, faith in Mr.. Belrs hon
esty.
The first was the auditors report.
from which there was no rational way
of making anything but these charges
until its mistakes were uncovered.
The second was that an examination
of the vouchers proposed by the dem
ocrats was refused by the republicans
This offer was made before a WORD
was published in regard to the charges
by the democrats, and the latter
argeed to spread the result of the IN
vestigation over the state at their own
expense if it proved the auditors re-
MORT wrong. The refusal to accept
this offer was strong evidence TO an
impartial man that there was some
thing to cover up.
The third and most important rea-
son, which has been carefully over
looked by the indignant press, was the
series of false and contradictory state
ments put forth by Bells defenders IN
the republican state committee. In
the first of these published Sept. l.
they declared that from the RECORDS
and vouchers in the state auditors Of
flee it was shown that Mr., Bell had
received only $2,9S5.62 in the two years
in question, and for only 4o2 l-lo
days." In their second, puHlsheu
Sept. s, which they asserted to be
made by Auditor Graham, they said
the amount was $4,110.11 and the per
diem" 42SA days. The truth proves 10
be that they never saw the vouchers
at all, that Auditor Graham never
made any such statement, and that
the amount paid Bell was $4,494.S1 ana
the number of days was o56A. IL
was apparent at the time to anyone
who studied the auditors report that
these statements were mere bluff' as
since proved. What was the obvious
conclusion, If not that the truth was
to be concealed? How could 1t have
been taken otherwise than as double
and triple confederation of what the
auditors report showed and the re-
fusal to exhibit the vouchers plainly
meant
The Reformer did not believe the
charges from the first and said So
But this disbelief was not from EVIL
dence, but simply because of faith IN
Bells honesty. The republican man
ayers evidently did believe them; else,
why did they try to cover up all evil
dence by absolute Justification? The
deepest wrong Bell has suffered was
at the hands of his own political man.
ayers, who busted themselves with
practical and obvious forgeries OF the
records which they refused to show.
They claimed that the original rec
ords and the state auditor were au-
thority for these falsifications. A aeg-
blative investigation ought to ma
whether there was any truth in the
claim. or whether any official of the
state had any part in these EFFORTS 10
deceive the people that reacted on the
governor elect.