Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-08-31
Is SAM. TILDEN A PER-
JURER?
The New Evidence Against This
''RefOrmer''--M " ill Honest Men
Look AT This?

From n. Y. Times
The Chairman of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee threw out this chal-
lenge in the House of Representatives
the other day: II defy these gentle.
men 10 lay their hands upon. dishon-
est dollar in the possession of Samuel
j. Tilden." The Times accepts this
challenge, and proposes to show, if the
prosecuting officers of the United States
will do their duty, that Samuel j. Till
den has in his possession many thou
sands of dollars which rig htfully belong
to the Government. We laid before
our readers yesterday the facts on
which this charge is based. They are
BRIEFLY these: That for the ten years
from 1862 to 1872 the average annual
income of Mr.. Tilden was certainly not
less than $50, that during the same
period he paid a tax on average income
making liberal deduction for ex-
penses, &C., he must be indebted to the
Government for the unpaid tax on at
least quarter OF a million of dollars.
10 that general charge of swindling
we added u specific charge of perjury,
which we sustained by comparison
between two affidavits duly sworn to
by Mr.. Tilden. The first was made on
December 26, 1868, when Mr.. Tilden
stated under oath that his net income,
from all sources, for the year 1862,
amounted to S7,l1S. The second was
made few weeks ago, when Mr.. Til
den swOre to the receipt in the same
year-1862-of $4,000 as counsel fees
for services rendered to the Bondhold-
ers and Receivers of the st. Louis, AL
ton and Terre Haute Railroad. We
showed, first, that there was a pre-
sumption amounting to certainty, that
these fees did not represent the whole
professional income of Mr.. Tilden for
the year 1862; second, that he received
in that year an income from interest on
bonds and Investments which could
hardly have been less than the amount
he stated for 1868, viz, $4,000; and
third, that the sum which he could |
lawfully deduct from the taxable in
come of 1862 could not we'll be greater |
than the sum sworn tO4in 1868, viz, |
S6,542. 1t is perfectly oevious that the
income on which Mr.. Tilden was law
fully bound to pay tax in 1862 must
have been very considerably over forty
thousand dollars. But taking that eX-
tremely moderate estimate of his net
gains, profits, &C., for that year, it is
equally plain that he must have de-
frauded the Government out of the tax
On $50, 900, and that he must have ac-
,omplished that fraud by means of de-
liberate perjury.
We have no disposition to press these
accusations until Governor Til1en, or
some one qualified to speak for him
shall have had tune to reply to them.
The facts lie in small compass; they are
matter of public record, and their cor 1
.ectness can easily be tested by refer {
,nce to the income tax returns from {
which we have quoted. We have i
Kept studiously within bounds in
,ur references to Governor Til q
lens income, since it is obvi- ,
,us that, il his wealth be half as G
much as public rumor makes it, we e
lave greatly underestimated his an t
lual accumulations during the period /
When they must have reached their t
We do not see that Mr.. 9
rilden's position as Presidential cam t
lidate can have the slightest bearing g
IpOn the duty of the United States Dis v
rict Attorney to commence suit against 4
i'm for unpaid arrears of income tax. b
t is undoubtedly q matter of some t
ublic moment to find out whether a b
nan who asPires to the highest place e
q this Nation has cheated the Govern n
nent and sworn falsely. But no polit- e
'al reasons can either urge or hinder lei
he representatives of the Government 81
4 their duty in such matter. We CT
ave furnished them with evidence n
nough to serve as the basis of prose- n
1tion, and they can easily make that W
vidence still more conclusive by ref Ii
renee to records within their reach. e.
N opportunity should be afforded Mr.. n
ilden to vindicate himself by putting tC
i'm on the witness stand, and 80 an. bl
vering at the same time the question ss
the people, "Is he perjurer ?" and tr
10 question Of the Government, "Has I'M
. defrauded the Treasury?" Inn