Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-09-29
Gov. Tilden's TvssiODs.


altogether, and that II is merely a clumsy
attempt TO evade the real issue by divert.
ing attention to certain details affecting
one portion of the charge, which might
be thrown out altogether, and yet leave
the general accusation Of false swearing
and dishonest dealing untouched Still,
we have no idea of throwing out these
details In regard to Mr.. Tilden's income
for 1862. In fact, we regard his an
swcr" as establishing the substantial
truth of most of them, and as challeng-
ing, in regard to the earnings of that
year, the citation of facts, dates and
vouchers which are matter of public re-
cord and which, when brought together,
will show that the answer, instead of
mending his obvious perjury, has merely
added to it certain fresh offenses of de-
lberate and implied falsehood
Mr.. Tilden does not attempt to show
how he could have acquired between
1862 and 1872 the immense wealth which
he notoriously possesses, and yet have
been anything but deliberate swindler in
paying these ten years income tax on ag-
gregate earnings of only $170, 900. The
discussion of his income for 1862 is but
a very small portion of the general ques-
ton at issue. In accepting the necessity
of making any answer at all he cannot
evade the responsibility of doing some
thing more than showing that certain
items of his receipts as stated by the
Times differ from the items which are to
be found in his books. If that were
sufficient answer it would be equally
good against extracts from the court rec
ords, or excerpts from the books of the
corporations which he served. In the
case of the $4,000 worth of bonds re-
ceived in 1858 from the Chicago s. Alton
Railroad, we gave an exact statement
from the records of the company, and the
same can be said of the $1,000 received
in 1862 from the Cumberland Coal Com
pany. In the latter case no bill of items
was rendered; the charge was " slumped," :"
and second mortgage bonds of the COM
pany were taken in payment. Yet Mr.
Tilden's attorney is instructed to cast
doubt ON the statement by saying " if
anything was received, it was in settle
ment of an old account and not taxable" !"
Can we be blamed for thinking that
man who suggests a falschood in one
part of statement is capable of stating
one in the other? So with regard to the
Chicago & Alton bonds received in 1868
in payment of services rendered in 1862
The charge is evaded altogether by stat
ing that the bonds were not received in
1862, which is true, and that the services
rendered were no doubt" taken into ac-
count in computing the gross earnings of
that year, which is probably false.
For, in regard to this whole line of So
! q loE IL 10
any man of ordinary common sense that
if newspaper dealing with transaction
which are fourteen years old, without
having access to Mr. Tilden's books, and
with most of the channels of informa-
tion in the hands of Mr.. Tilden's friends,
could state with so near an approach to
accuracy various items of income for a
given year, there must be a very large
proportion of Mr.. Tilden's gains and
profits in that year still untouched. If
his entire professional income for that
year were represented merely by the $10,-
600 earned" from the St. Louis, Alton
& Terre Haute bondholders in 1862, and
the $780, earned" from the Chicago
& Alton corporation, that would still be
evidence enough to convict him of per-
| jury and fraud in swearing to net in
come of only $7,11S. Why are his books
and his memory so accurate on some
points and so indistinct on others9 1t is
preposterous to ask the public to believe
that he can testify so confidently about a
few items of his income and yet know moth
ingof how he computed that income in
making up his return. While his fees were
coming in by tens of thousands in 1862
60 IN,
were there no fees payable in subsequent
years for services rendered in 1862? 1t
is an insult to public understanding to
call such document as the one pub
lished yesterday " defense" even against
the small proportion of charges with
which it deals. 1t is idiotic to suppose
that it touches the real point of the case
at all. If his friends think they have 81
leRced the accusers of Gov. Tilden they
will be rudely undeceived when they find,
as they will before long, that the
chief witnesses for the prosecution are
still to be heard from-N. Y. Times.
The disingenuousnes of Mr.. Tilden's
statement is apparent in every line. His
income for the ten years in question is
admitted to be from $5,000,000 to
$10,000,000 He paid in that time on a
total of about $f5O,0O0. He does not
tell what he received, but he takes up
certain newspaper statements of his re-
ceipts, and specifically denies several of
them. Two-thirds of the statement is
taken up with these corrections and de-
malls, and the main allegations are left
untouched, as we have before stated.
The Times, which was primarily re-
sponsible for the items now assailed, re-
views Mr.. Tilden's defense, and shows
that at least $4,000 more than he re-
turned in 1862 is chargeable to his ac'
count, and promises to examine other
items more carefully, and to show that
stiil more remains to be added No man
who intended to be honest could make a
statement like the one now put forth.
Tilden knows that his income averaged,
year after year. tenfold what he placed
it at, yet he sneaked behind his legal
rights, closed his mouth, and let the AS
SCISSORS rate him at the petty value he
had sworn to-. The trick served him, and
in ten years, during which he withheld
his Just taxes, he accumulated wealth
enough to use "barrels" of money for
HIS OW IL DGIbOudl uuN W SuDSl-
die 500 newspapers, and to set up as an
honest reformer. Tilden has surrounded
himself with dupcs and parasites who
will howl, themselves hoarse over this
triumphant vindication," which is the
plea of the veriest rogue that ever at
tempted to account for the meanest ex-
preston of criminal intent. The ex-
planation of this matter, if explanation
there was, was simple, and might have
been made weeks ago. The allegation
that Mr.. Tilden's loans TO his brothers
accounted for the charged discrepancies,
which was put forth as feeler, is not
repeated now, The defense rests upon
skirmish with outposts, and avoids any
close encounter with the really formida.
BILE charges that have been made, and
which stand uncontradictod and unas.
sailable Brooklyn Argus (Dem.).
| ha 10, 10 sr,hN q