Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-09-13
TILDEN'S INCOME.
More Light on the Subject of His Frnudu-
lent Income Returns--tatementO Of a Rail
r0ad Ofhcial as 10 Ttlden's Revenue from
Railroad Corporations Alone.

| Ra1irond Corporations Alone.
From the n Witness 2
A gentleman of high standing in bust
ness circles, whose relations with rail
way affairs throughout the country dur
ing the past sixteen years have been O.
the most intimate description, and who
is particularly we'll acquainted with the
details of Tilden's connection with
various Western roads, gives the follow.
ing statement of what the great ere.
formers" income must have been in
1862 and the. ye,rs succeeding. "From
1859 to 1870 and later Mr.. 1ilden was
counsel for various Western railroad
corporations, from all of which he re-
ceived large sums of money as payment
for professional services. In 1861 he held
the lucrative post of counsel to the
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad,
and was at the same time a member of
it's Board of Directors. He was also
counsel to the Chicago and Alton Rail
road, the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and
Chicago Railroad, the st. Louis, Alton
and Terre Haute Railroad. the Cumber-
land Iron Company, and to some other
corporations. The Northwestern alone
used to pay him all the way from ten
thousand to fifteen and eighteen thou.
sand dollars per year for his services in
that capacity, and as all the other cor
porations, with one exception, we're
fully as rich as the Northwestern, his
income from professional sources
alone could not have been less
than from $75, 900 to $1,000 per year.
In 1862 Mr.. Tilden has himself admit
ted under oath that the Alton and
Terre Haute paid him $780, for SER
vices rendered, and the Alton and Terre
Haute was the poorest of the corpora
lions of which he was then counsel. In
addition to his large professional in
come, MIR. Tilden was only understood
to have other property from which his
receipts N the way of interest, divi-
dends, &c, must have been considerable
When he began his career as railway
attorney, he was by no means poor
man, and by 1862, he must have already
accumulated handsome amount
above his income from his business.
Extreme selfishness and an absorbing
passion for money getting were
the leading traits of Mr., Til
denis character. and they had
grown rapidly with his increasing
wealth. In money matters he was one
of the greediest of men, and invariably
charged the railroad companies the most
"gilt-edged " prices tor his professional
services. He never drew mortgage
for a corportion without exacting SIS, 900
for the job. The real work was general
ly done by James P. Sinnott, who was
then in Tilden's Office, and who got a
merely nominal sum for his services.
When the document, &C., were drawn
up they would be carried in to Til
den, who would cast his eye over
them, suggest few alterations,
perhaps, and then send them
around to his employers, with the bill,
which was invariably paid in full. For
years the man continued to amass
wealth in this manner, all the time
keeping his secrets to himself. and
covering any questionable transactions
in which he might be engaged with re-
markable skill and patience. There
was no craftier or more far-sighted
man in New York than Tilden, and his
whole career showed that as a lawyer
and politician 40 one was more capable
of improving his opportunities or more
thoroughly acquainted with the secret
workings OF affairs. ~