Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-09-15
Mr.. Tnaen's IncOme Returns.

The SeatInel's explanation Of the diner
enee between Mr.. Tilden ssworn return ana
hi. affidavit Is as follows
The fact that a lawyer received sum o.
money gross in a given year Is Dot the iea7'
in the world, proof that the whoie
.rnopnt WAS returnable income at all In
large cases LAWYERS have many disoarse-
,nsnts and expenses. properly deducuo.e
f,,,n rross receipts, Just as merchant
nnsine.s exnepses ard disbursements are de-
ductibe from his gross receipts ana I"l'o VI
income. earnings, or prohts ior inc
A trader might As well be accused OF per
iIrv and fraud for not returning Ms EIo79
receipt. est OF goods and all, IN an in'o.ii0
statement As a lawyer for failing u IN
cl1de gro,s fees in all cases IN hl7 return,
Tho return called for by law was one OF
tho Income. earnings, or prohts OIL tHa'
year. How could payment Tor services rem
dered before there was an income taA oe
accessible a. earnings or prohts oil
snbseoueut year. when there was an income
,av The money was earned, ard the
rr,f, accrued before the existence OF anu
# course. with no contemplation oil elen "
CHARGE. and to impose it would he making
q ns1altv for DELAYED collection, besides De
inc in the strictest sense er-poN J0cl'.
We have seen something very much Ike
tbi. in several Democratic papers, though
as general thing, the English is better
saving nothing of the Latia. 1t by no means
meets the specific and detailed charge
l.,,rb, s.,aiu.r Mr.. Tlden. AT most it Is
sim,rv an attempt to show, as an abstract
nropo.itiop. that man might properly IN
.o,.nosabIe cases, return something les than
hi. gross receipts, as income NOBODY
dsuje, that. The Sentinel does not
dare to saw that it believes that the proper
deductions on account of disbursements and
exnenses. from Mr.. Tilden's fees OF 81
GOO reeeiFed from the first and second mort
GAGE bondbolders of the St. Louis, Alton and
Terre uaute Railroad Company and from
his heavy fees as counsel and trustee oil the
Pitt.barg and Fort Wayne, Chicago and
Northwestern. and Toledo and Wabash Rail
road Comuanies. reduced his taxable neom'
e- l,62 to Sis Nobody would believe
If fit should say SO. As for the claim
that Mr.. Til3en had the right to deduct iron
his income whatever was not sarned IN tina
wear. it is not in accordance with the law
i,,t never mind Grant it, and how muci
/ doe, +, improve Mr. uiien's case. III
New York Times present, table show
inc. in uart, Mr. Ti1en'- income for let-
3. ,aruei that Is paid Tor services render
ei-in 1852. and amounting to $4,000
l. shows that Mr. Tilden rendered ser
vices in ls63, to the Chicago and Altoi
Railroad. for which he received TWEEN
~ bonds Of the Chicago and Alton Railroad
numbered from No. > 81 to No. 100
which at the time lie got them were at pa
value. and worth 100000. Although re
ceiyeI in lsG3. this money was earned be
tween sept. = and Nv. !, lsd2- This Tee
on the theory that he IS To be taxed on th'
.qra,aqs of the wear, should have been IL
eluded in lis return. Bat take it any wa,
that any body pea~es, whether receipts O.
earnings are considered, the fact remain
that Nr. Tilden's income, Is asserted by re
sp9nsitle authority and with no responsible
depial. wa. many times as great as the fig
ure which he swore to be true and imtl
ful statement Of his income.
And what has the Nentmsi to -ay to th'
fact. that after making sworn returns for tw.
years, which now appear to be far below
either the sums actually received, OF th'
sum. actually earned in those years, Gov
Tiden declined to make any rsturn I'll
eight wears, and paid the fifty per cent pen
alrv. The broad charge j. made that dnrin.
the ten years lS62-7l inclusive, Gov. Iildei
accumulated several millions 10y his PROBES
sional labor-. and his investments, anl
in that time paid tax on not mort
than $4,000 Of income in all. Th
New York Times, which brings thes
charges Of perjury and fraud, is Teputabl
paper The Tweed business showed tina
the Tine, does not make charges on its owl
responsibility, without something to las
them on The charges against Mr.. Iildei
are backed by detailed and specific informa
ton. as were the charges against the Tam
MANY thieves They are met by Mr.. Til
den's friends only with abstract propo-i
tons, and vague reasonings on supposabl'
eases. If Mr.. Tilden actually had but s..
lis Of taxable income in 1852, and bu
$4,000 year in the nine years after hi
might at least say 50. His silence ard tb
evasi7e and inconcius!ye explanations Of hi
friends amount to confession Of guilt.