Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-09-28
GOV. TIlDEN's INCOME TAX.
ANSWER TO TIE CHARGE OF HAVING
MADE FALSE RETURNS AN OPEN
LETTER FROM JUDGE SIN
MOTT TO CHAIRMAN
HEWITT.

NOII ~ OhAlIsMAN
HEWITT.
An explanation of Gov. Tilden's in
come tax is published in the New York
papers of yesterday. tits in the form
of statement by Judge James P.
Sinnott, of Marine Court, who was in
Gov. Tilden's law Office during the en-
tire period of the alleged delinquencies,
and was the Governors confidential law
clerk Mr.. Hewitt, as chairman of the
rational committee, applied to Judge
Sinnolt for this statement, and init odu.
ces it to the public in card of which
the following is the substance
1t occurred to me to apply to the
Secretary of the Treasury for certified
copies Of the income returns of Gov.
Tilden aud of Gov. Hayes, and on the
second day of September l made such
an application. The copies applied for
have not been furnished, nor indeed
has my letter received the poor courtesy
Of an acknowledgment. Meanwhile
the adversarles of Gov. Tilden have app
parently had free access to these re-
turns, and have even been permitted TO
photo-lnhograph so much of them as
suited their purposes. submit this
fact TO the American people without
comment. Meanwhile, receiving no re
ply from the public authorities, who
seem to regard The documents in their
custody as held in trust for the republi-
can party and not for the whole peoples
! addressed note to Judge James P.
Sinnett, who was the confidential law
clerk of Gov. Tilden during the whole
period in which the law imposing an
income tax was in force, asking him to
examine the pretended account of Gov.
Tilden's income during the year 1862,
and furnish me with such explanation,
in regard thereto as his necessary tamil-
iarity with the details would enable
him to supply.
His answer, herewith submitted to
the public, shows that out of thirteen
pretended items of incomes amounting
to $10S,00O eleven items amounting to
1874, 900 are wholly fictitious, while of
the other two, only one of 900 is en-
tirely true, and the second, Of $25, geo,
is only partially true.
There is therefore no ground for the
assertion that the sworn return was not
Just and accurate statement of the net
income of Gov. Tilden, after making
such Deductions for losses, interest paid
and other charges as the law authorized
him to make.
IF exceptions be taken to Judge Sim
motifs letter on the ground that it does
not contain detailed statement OF the
several items upon which the return of
1862 was made, it is proper to state
that the regulations of the department
did not require such detailed state.
ments, and very few professional men
made such statements, OF coald now
recall the items, or have kept the mem
oranda upon which their returns were
made.
IfGov. Tilden were not in nomina~
ton for the presidency, do not know
OF any man in this community whose
mere statement of fact would have
been more generally accepted as the
truth, and fail to see why the eminent
position in which he has been placed
by large body of his fellow~citizens
should be held to detract from the sam
City of his oath.
JUDGE sINNoTTs STATEMENT.
Over one-halt of Judoe Sinnott g
statement is occupied with a detailed
retntation of the charges brought by the
New York times that in the year 1862
Gov. T!lden had received thirteen
severally enumerated items of income,
mainly fees from railroads, amounting
in all to $l0S,00O. These items Judge
Sinnott examines in detail, pronounces
some of them utterly and wholly fcti-
tfous, no such service having been
rendered, and Gov Tilden. not even
having been in the employ of the rail
roads at any time, the serdice in others
having beer rendered years before the
income tax was levied, and in still other
eases having been rendered without
fees. The essential part of Judge SIM
motifs letter is the following:
MIR. Tilden became counsel for the
holders OF various classes of bonds se-
cured upon the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne
and Chicago railroad, which was and is
railroad running through four differ.
emit States, and built in sections by
three different corporations, which were
after wards consolidated. When Mr..
Tilden became counsel for the bond
holders in 1859 it had outstanding nine
different classes of bonds, upon all of
which default had been made, and its
affairs in general were in apparently
hopeless bankruptcy and confusion. To
rescue this enterprise Mr.. Tilden labor
ed continually and much more laborious-
ly than lawyer ordinarily does in re-
gard TO any one particular case from
1859 to the early part of 1862. The
labor was particularly arduous during
the years 1860 and 1861.
Suits of foreclosure were instituted
early in each of the States, and these
had so far progressed by June, 1861,
that DEGREES of foreclosure and sale
werethen entered. The road was &C,
tually sold on the 9th of October. 1851
and possession taken under the sale. Of
course this could not lie accomplished
until all the conflicting interests-thc
nine different classes Of bond holders,
sase secured creditors, the unsecured