Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-10-21
A SPECIMEN FROM THE "POSTEDs'
EDITOR OF THE FREE PRESS.

~ tutS w ud0 ~ CloiAA1o W NC CAoA oCeo "A VII
a few leading Republican papers, which
express great satisfaction with the ex-
PLANTATION given by Mr.. Tilden in regard
to his income business. The first extract
purported to be from the New York Tri-
bune and read as follows:
"Gov. Tilden's answer ION the income
returns) appears complete. Needless and
hot-headed partisans have wantOnly pa
raded supposed items of income in the
year 1862. This was a foolish thing to
to do, and nobody will be surprised to
find that the Governor is able to show
that the items as stated are incorrect"
This all appears well enough on the
face of it. The editor of the Free Press
probably did not read any further. We
did. We also read something which
went before. What the New York Tri-
bune did say about Mr.. Tilden's reply is
as follows:
AN EXPLANATION THAT DOES NOT EX-
-afad ar PLAIN. aTf3 a .d
At last Gov. Tilden appears. to ex-
plain the income business. We say Gov.
Tilden appears. for the letter signed by
the law clerk is evidently dictated by
the master. 1t betrays all Gov. Mlden's
peculiar dexterity, and is forrnidably
elaborate and precise on the points Of
least consequence. The essential points
it slurs.
Gov. Tilden was found to have paid
tax i'm 1862 on sworn income of only
about $1,000. In answer to an equity
suit long afterward, he swore to the re-
ceipt i'm that year of two fees amounting
| to $4,000, and it was reasonable to be-
| lieve that he must also have received large
sums i'm the same year from his other
| legal business. 1t was found that subse-
quently he made no returns, but pre-
ferred to let the government, guided by
his low return i'm 1862, estimate his in
come, and fix his tax on that. 1t thus
came about that he paid on an income of
less than $4,000 per year during the
whole time the tax was levied. 1t is
known that i'm some of these years his
income must have been over quarter of
| million, and throughout the whole
period it must have averaged over $780,
600. These are the naked facts. Gov.
Tilden does not deny one of them; and
on these the American people must de-
J eide whether he will do for Reform
candidate. to collect the taxes honestly
from people. We say this with profound
regret. The Tribune made Mr.. Tilden
the Governor of New York, as he has
himself again and again acknowledged.
He has given us in many respects a mOd-
ell administration, and has done all, and
more than all, that we promised for
him. We believed his character TO be
spotless, aud when this income charge
was first presented, we confidently eX-
pected him to make an instant and con-
elusive reply. His reply has been fatally
delayed, and on the main point, rs above
stated, it is fatally inconclusive.
On many of the points which he does
deal with, his answer appears complete.
Needless and hot-headed partisans have
wantonly paraded supposed items of his
income in the year 1862. This was a
foolish thing TO do. and nobody will be
surprised to find THAT the Governor is
able, i'm nearly every case, to show that
the item, as stated, is incorrect. The
trouble is that he stops right there. He
carefully avoids stating what the items
should be. Probably no one but himself
could give an accurate statement of what
his income was in any year from 1862 to
1872. and it would be easy for him to
trip up anybody who should attempt it,
The main point is that everybody knows
his income was much larger than the
sum OH which he was taxed. Even in
1862 no one has any idea that Gov. Til
den's taxable income was only $1,000. He
admits the receipt Of much more, but
claims his right to deduct from it all
sums earned in previous years. 1t would
be easy on that plan to cipher down the
income of any year. Some of the work
which went to the earning of it was GER
tainly done in previous years. 1t could
not have been earned, for instance. unless
he had studied law. Why not charge of
a part of it against the years that he was
at the law school?
We have never charged Coy. Tilden
with committing perjury about his i'll
come. We have never even held that
there could be no plausible explanation
of the meager return for 1862. We have
insisted that the circumstances de-
manded an explanation, and that, if it
were easy to make, it would not have
been so long coming. We think so still.
The explanation as to 1862 is technical
I and hard strained, but if it stood alone,
perhaps it might pass. When that re-
turn comes to be used steadily, for ten
years, as the basis for escaping taxation
OH everything over fifteen thousand dol
lars ut time when his. income was steadi-
ly hundred thousand or more, per year
the situation becomes mOnstrOus. Gov.
Tilden may indeed have kept himself
within the letter of the law, but it is
plain that he evaded its spirit. He could
not be sent to the penitentiary. as he il
trying to send Jarvis Lord, for de landine
the government, but he contrived 10 keep
the government from getting ont of him
the money to which it was entitled. He
did not tell the hOrse-car conductor that
he had paid his fare, but he kept his
hands in his pockets and looked uncon-
cernedly at the conductor, as if he had
and the effect was the same. When the
conductor detects such passenger, he
generally wants to put him off the car
When the American people find him
running as u Reform candidate for the
Presidency they are going to vote for the
other man.
The extract published i'm the Free Press
is so garbled that it will take considera.
BILE study for any one to find it i'm the
original. 1t was so garbled for the ex-
press purpose of creating false impress.
sion, and thereby deceive the public
The editor of the Free Press claims tC
keep posted" and, therefore, the only
inference which can be drawn from it i:
that the garbliDg was done purposely
and deliberately and with malicious
purpose. Is a paper which is dishonora
bic enough TO adopt such dcspicablt