The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-09-28
Examination Of Items.

Examination Of Items.
First Hem-This is entered under date
of February 10, 1862, as a "Fee for trus-
tees and Master Commissioners Deed,
&c, $1,000"
No such charge a0as ever made, render
ed or collected By Mr.. Tslde,,, or any one
on his behalf, at the date mentioned, or at
any other time.
The instrument itself was simple
trustees! and masters deed, principally
consisting of recitsls adapted to the case
of railroad foreclosure, and peculiar
chiefly in the magnitude Of the property
conveyed. The preparation OF such an
instrument could form no item ofchsrge
worth considering in payment for an
entire service of years, and no specific
charge ,ohateuer was ever made for It,
Second Item-February 25. "Fees
and expenses, with reference to Deed, OF
former Railroad Company, pursuant to
order of Court, &c $1,000
No such charge ioas ever made, rem
dered or collected 5y Mr.. 1ttden.
In point of fact the document, which
Is not quite so long as an ordinary deed,
and was intended to have the effect OF
a Quit claim, was not drawn by Mr.. Til
den at all, but by Judge N. II. Swayne,
now of the U. S. Supreme Court. Mr..
Tilden was never paid for it in any
shape. =. -,
,third Item March |. "For drafting,
&c, First Mortgage Deed of Recon-
structed Corporation, $4,000"
No such charge as this, and no spec1tle
CHARGE ,ohateuer, 1oas euer made, rendered
or collected by Mr.. 4iLden.
The instrument itself was unquestion-
ably very important one and admirably
drawn. but it was only one item
of continued service running back
to the year 1889, and the rules
under an employment to draw single
paper of this description have no applica-
ton at all in this case.
Fourth Item March l. "Fees for Sec
ond Mortgage Deeds, &C., $2,5OO."
No such charge aods euer made, rendered
or collected By Mr.. 4itden.
The observations in regard to the first
mortgage apply equally to this, with the
additional force, that being, from the ma
ture of the case, in most respects copy
of the first mortgage, it furnished a great
deal less basis for charge. la point OF
fact no. specific sum was ever paid for 1t.
Fifth Hem.-March /. "Fees for third
Mortgage Deed. &c, $4,000.
The absurdity of this charge Is trans
parent. This third mortgage was on the
nroperty, and drawn for the same client,
AS the second, but secured an indebted
ness only about two-titths as large, and
vet this statement puts down $4,000 as
the fee for drawing the third mortgage
against $500 for the second.
OF course no such charge or any other
specific charge a0aS eoer made by Mr.
iFMen for the drau0,ng Of THIS mstr~-
meat. :,
Sixth Iten-"March 2. Fees for final
conveyance to railway company, subject
to the mortgage, Pittsburgh, TT. Wayne
and Chicago X abroad Company, $1,000"
Mr.. Ttlden nerer made, rendered or
collected, nor has lie ever paid any such bill
or item IN a bill.
Nor is there anything but the dates OF
these deeds on which to base thu assump-
ton. that the work on them was exclu-
siyely done in the year 1862.
Aud right there, it is proper to say a
few words in regard to Mr.. Tilden's scale
Of charges. 1t is great mistake to sup
o.e that counsel must have been paid IN
iS62 at the high rates which ruled in
.ubseouent wears. Mr.. Tilden, at that
time, was in the habit of charging Uery
L,,r prices. The Class of business In
which he was engaged required, particu-
larry, great skill in negotiation
thorough knowledge of men, thorough
knowledge of the railway system and
business condition and prospects of the
country. and constructive power OF
devising and suggesting ways and means
of reconciling apparently conflicting Pc
cuniary interests to the permanent bene-
fit and satisfaction of all concerned. The
mere draCiag of papers was hardly
thought of in estimating the value OF MIR
Tilden's services. He was paid because
he reconciled and rescued, as no
other man in this country could then
have done, interests worth millions,
which to many persons seemed hope
lessly lost. Yet in this publication ne is
set down, upon mere surmlse, ard with
on. any date or authority, as receiving
hrenty-tou2 thousand dollars for work
which could not reasonably have occu-
pied more than one month OF his time,
while the answer in the st. Louis, Alton
and Terre Haute case discloses the fact
that he was working at the rate OF So
600 for four consecutive years service, or
n: the rate Of $4,000 year.
Sersnh Iem.-"June IA, Cumberland
Coal and Iron Company, $1,000"
The Times allows that one half of this
sum should be deducted, on the ground
that 1t probably was not earned IN 1867.
Neither was any of it.
Governor Tllden rendered no seTrice to
the ClmJerlam COdl and Iron Company
in that vear. He did render it important
services during previous years, beginning
with 1858, but they were all concluded
before the close of 1861. If anything
WAS received it must have been in bonds,
and in settlement of an old account, and
not taxable.
Eighth Hem.-"Oct. II. Service to
second mortgage bondhoIders OF ot.
Louis, Alton and Tcrre Haute Railroad
Company, as per affidavit, $4,000"
Of course, no bill was eyer rendered by
Mr.. Tiden IN the above form. But this
item, and the one next following, turn-
ishcd the basis on which the Times started
out on this detamatory crusade. 1t pre-
tends to have discovered an Inconsistency
between Governor Tildens return OF in
come in 1862, and certain allegations
contained in an Answer in Equity, filed
by tn. defendants, OF whom Mr.. Tilden
IS one of tour in suit brought by the s..
Louis, Alton and Terre Haute Railroad
Company.
Ifyou will turn to page 81, folio l45,
YOU will find these words:
That for such services the defendant,
Triden, made u charge of $4,000 against
said second mortgage bondhoiders, and
the said charge was paid by or on behalf
OF said second mortgage bondholders, on
the 18th of October, 1862, out OF fund
con.ributed nv said second mortgage