The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-09-21
From the Tribune.
A FARCE.
FAILURE TO MAKE. OUT A CHARGE
AGAINST GOV, HAYES.

AGAINST GOV. HAYES
The attempt of the Tilden ncwspa-
pers to make up case in set-off against
Gov. Hayes in the matter of tax re-
turns has turned out lamcntable fail
ure No explanation has yet been
made, or none worth a moments con-
sideration, of Gov. Tilden's oath De-
cember 26, 1863, that his ''income from
all sources" in 1862, was $7,l1S, and
his other oath in the suit of the st.
Louis, Alton and Terre Haute Rail-
road Company against himself and
others, in which he admitted an in
come of $40, 900 for services rendered
the mortgage bondholders. There is
something large and shapely and sub
stantial about these figures, and if
Gov Tilden made a dubious affidavit
nobody can say that he did ii for moth
ing. Against this the desperate and
disheartened Democrats, for want of
something better, bring us IL cock and
bull story about Gov. Hayes watches
d'u hVlSSS itliu ttllltStS uilt plttho-
fortcs, and how he did feloniously,
knowingly, and willfully undervalue
the same in his returns.
The Ohio State Journal has taken
the trouble to look into these charges.
ar. b. Hayes" says the Democratic
pamphlet petard, returned q gold
watch at $500 in 1874 and in 1873 and
1876 returned three watches, including
the one returned in 1874 at S200,n
This Indictment has led to a mourn
ful disclosure of the horological re-
sources of the Hayes household. In
the first place the return in either case
covered the same three watches, viz:
one watch fifty years old, and worth
about S25; one watch which Mrs.
Hayes has had ever since she was a
schoolgirl, and worth about Sl5-a
watch of which we are told that "it
has not been running for twenty
years and can't be made to lun;" and
a third watch anybody can have fol
500. So much for the enormous
amount of property in watches which
Gov. Hayes kept so secret from the
taX-gatherers. The piano-forte which
the Democratic newspapers have
played upon as if it were harp of q
thousand strings, Gov. Hayes did not
return for the simple reason that he
al hDN-n a n n.
til last October, when he hired one
This summer the Governor bought AZ
instrument, much more economical
way of providing himself. AS for the
charge that Gov. Hayes returned
''three horses at $500, when his neigh
bors know that he values one of hi.
horses at S500n it turns out that one
of those fiery and invaluable steeds i,
twenty-seven years old, is not worth
ten cents, and was actually returned
at $50. The other horses are said to bt
worth $50 for one and 500 for the
other, and they We're "listed" at $3.50
The best horse is worth only 500 ant
cost Sl25. AS for the carriages drawn
by these priceless yet undervaluec
animals, one was a venerable buggy
and another wagon. The buggy ha
| been sold for S20-the wagon would no
bring 81. The carriage, which the Gov
ernor did not put in at all, he did no
| buy until this year-a sufficient reason
| for Withholding it. Is the reader
weary of these petty details? Ther
let him refresh himself by reperusine
Gov. Iilden's $50, 900 appraisc. Tha
is something worth talking about, anC
makes Gov. Hayes piano-forte sing
small, and his watches tick fecbly
casting ut the same time an air o
shabbiness over his phaetons and
wagons, and particularly his steeC
aged twenty-seven years.
Gov. Hayes proceedings as eXecu
tor are of more respectable magni
tude. The charge is that he did no
make proper return of property de
vised by Sardis Burchard. There wer,
S33, 700 left in his hands for bequests
'he did not return a dollar of thi
money for taXation,n and for very
good reason. He held it, not il
money, but in lands. When he haC
sold the land, he paid the bequests ou
of proceeds; but meanwhile the Ian,
was taxed, as it always is. AS fo
property held by him as executor, i
all belonged to him, and was put il
for taxation as his own property. Th
bulk of it was bank stock, and wa
taxed against the bank.
From careful examination of thi
whole matter, we are satisfied tina
even for the pettiest of these accuse
tiens there is not the narrowest o
foundations. The whole resolves it
self into Il poor specimen of neighbor
hood gossip, such as is frequently Sc
on foot by idle loungers who thinl
far more of being interesting thai
veracious in their conversation. TIL
watches, horses, piano-fortes and car
riages of Gov. Hayes have all been &C
counted for; and now an explanation
of Gov. Tilden's celebrated income re