Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-09-29
T1LDEN's DEFENCE.

After an infinite time spent IN ex-
perlmenting upon public sentiment
and cautiously advancing various
ingenious theories and hypothesis,
intended to relieve Mr.. Tilden from
the charge of classifying his income
returns and swindling the govern
ment out of its revenue, said theo-
ries and hypothesis being successive
ly abandoned as it became apparent
that they would not satisfy the public
mind, the Tilden managers have final
ly hit upon line of defence, which
they are willing to advance as the
best that can be offered under the
peculiar circumstances of the case.
1t is contained in an evasive and pet
tifogging plea Of one James P. Sin
mott, who says he was confidential
clerk in the employ of Mr.. Tilden at
the time when the latter is charged
with making false statement,under
oath, of his income, and that he was
more familiar with Mr.. Tilden's pro-
fessional income at that time than
Tilden himself. The greater portion
of this document is devoted to the
denial of certain specified items of
Mr.. Tilden's income for 1862, as pub
lished in the New York Times, but
1t furnishes no new light upon the
subject. Mr.. Tilden's income is as
much mystery as ever. 1t would
seem that straightforward statement
of the amounts received by Mr.. Til
den during the period in question, an
abstract of his books, would have
been his surest defence, if it cores
pended with the return he made I'M
der oath. This statement is entire
ly practi cable if Sinnott has such
knowledge of Tilden's affairs as he
claims to have had. But we find
nothing of the kind in this new de-
fence, and its failure to furnish some
thing specific and conclusive, is evil
d ence that the real facts will not bear
out the pettifogging averments of his
confidential clerk and interested de-
fender.
Regarding Mr.. Tilden's refusal to
make returns of his income after
1868, Sinnott says the law gave him
the option of beng assessed and
paying the penalty. This Is ottrue;
the statute says positively that the
tax paper shall return his income and
imposes the SO per cent. as a penalty
for failure to do so. Besides, de-
cision of the United States Circuit
Court at Providence, r. l., rendered
but few days since, holds that the
payment of an income tax assessed
by the Assessor with so per cent.
penalty-which was precisely the
way Tilden paid his income tax from
1868 to 1s72-does not bar an &C
ton to collect the true amount of the
tax, withheld by the tax payer. So
Sammy Tilden may be made to dis
gorge yet. In this connection, the
superserviceable defender of swind-
ling says: "Mr. Tilden received no
favors from the government officers,
and sought none. He did nothing
but pay what they imposed upon
him." The impudent tone of this
remark shows its animus. Doubtless
Mr.. Tilden paid what he was obliged
to, all the more reluctantly for the
reason that it was going to sustain
the army in the field fighting his
Democratic brethren in the South
His attitude toward the loyal officers
OF the government was undoubtedly
one of cold Indifference, if not hos
tility; but the man who felt and act
ed so is not the man to make Presi-
dent at this iuncturc.
This last effort to defend Tilden's
record is as disingeunous as all that
have preceded it. 1t will not stand
the test of honest criticism, and will
rather convince candid minds of the
truth of the charge against the great
" Reformer," than the contrary.