Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-07-24
Radical FalSehOOdS.

Radical FaIschoOds.
A statement is going the rounds of the
State Radical press, which emanated from
source not worthy of notice, that Maj.
Engelhard "paid a tax of about seven dol
lars and half" while "Gen. Abbott paid
taxes in this State to the amount OF three
hundred and twenty three dollars. The
republication of this falsehood makes it
necessary that we should notice 1t.
The JOURNAL said, in an article just after
the April election, that Gen. Abbott, one
of the carpet-baggels elected to the Leg1s-
lature from New Hanover, and recently
sent to the United States Senate, paid no
tores. and eeas not ecen listed for faces, IN
this county. He repent The assertion, and
state further, THAT HE HAD NOT PAID
ONE CENT OF TAXES IN NORTH
CAROLINA FOR 1867. We "speak by the
book - when we say that, as late as the
first day Of .J,ene 1868, and it may be until
this dav, Gen Abbott had not paid the
small tax he had listed in Baden county,
learIy u Year 0Uer-due. We also state that
he Hsied his pail tnr which, up to the first
of June of this year, lie had not pad, IL
Baden county, although he ran for office
in New Hanover.
The tax listed by Gen. Abbott for 1867,
which had not been pad on the first day
of June, 1863 was for one white poll, III
teen hundred dollars as ''salaries and fees,
and six hundred dollars as met income
We do not know whether this tax is yet
paid. In 1866 he paid ffty-three dollars
and ffty-six cents as State and County
taxes.
He is the President of the Bladen Land
Company, which lists fifteen hundred
acres. valued at two thousand three hun
dred and eighty-nine dollars. The total
taxes for State and county purposes ('aOt
paid for last gear on the first of June, 1861
was seventy, four dollars and forty-five
cents.
We do not know what has been paid
since our article was written, but when he
was elected to the Legislature from this
county, he had not paid one cent OF taxes IN
North Carolina for 1867, and his name was
not, and is not yet, On the tax list of the
county he purports to be resident OF.
We have no means to Judge of the value
of his investments in North Carolina. He
has returned none except the Insignificant
amounts above stated. and his share of the
Bladen Land Company. The paper of this
Company has gone to protest in our banks
for large amounts, and some of it yet re-
mains unpaid. Its taxes even were unpaid
nearly twelve months after they had fallen
due. So much for Gen. Abbott. This
statement has been unwillingly forced up
on US by the misstatements of his friends.
It is unpleasant always to refer to mat
tiers of personal nature, but we are also
forced into it. The statement that Maj
Engelhard paid only "about seven dollars
and half taxes, is simply false, and in
view of the fact that the records are
to be seen, is wilfully so. This year
independent of taxes paid in Wake
and Edgecombe counties, his State, coun
ty and municipal taxes in New Hanove
were more than twenty times the amour
stated. In 1867, when he was Clerk of TIN
Senate, his taxes appropriated the same
figures.
We have not desired to enter into thes
statements. Our article making referenc
to the fact that the entire New Hanove
delegation had not even paid poll tax
was to show the character, and not tn
qceaHh, of these men. And we are prepares
to show that all the Radical ofice-holdere
Federal and State, In the county, with bu
one or two exceptions, havenot paid or liste'
even poll tax in this county, while all hav
voted-Abbott. Estes, Ashley, Rhodes, Z
r. Wilson, Brink, Rumley, Wing an
others, have never paid or listed taxes, an
Mann and Schenck listed this year for tn
first time, and we believe subsequent t.
our article calling public attention to thes
facts. We do not Judge the fitness of me-
for public trusts by their wealth or tn
amount Of their taxes, but ordinary honest
and reputation "above suspicion ar
requisite.
General Abbott Las resided upwards Q
forty years in New Hampshire, and "
have never heard that the people of tina
State, where intelligence and merit is mad
the test for political preferment. and wher
his party has long had the ascendenc,
was ever elected to the most trivi
position. Yet, after three years res
dence in North Carolina, he is adiudge
worthy of the highest Office within the gi
of our Legislature This is merely absurd
and is one of the surest evidences of the ia
cical character of our State government 8
at present organized. disappearance in t.
Senate of the United States will affor
amusement to his New Hampshire acquair
tances, as one of the Jokes of reconstru.
ton but what is fun to New Hampshire
is death to North Carolina
Riot tn Texas