The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-09-29


this and no specific charge whatever, was
| ever made, rendered or collected by Mr..
! Tilden. The instrument itself was unques-
tionably q very important one and admirably
drawn, but it was only one item of continued
service running back to the year 1889, and
the rules which would govern charge un-
der an employment to draw a single paper
Of this description have no application at
all In this case.
Fourth March |. "Fees for Sec
ond Mortgage Deeds, etc, $500" No
such charge was ever made, rendered or col
Iected by Mr.. Tilden. The observations in
regard to the first mortgage apply equally to
this, with the additional force that being
from the nature Of the case, in most respects
a copy Of the first mortgage, it furnished a
| great deal less basis for Charge In point
Of fact no specific sum was ever paid for it,
| Fifth item.-Alarch l. "Fees for third
mortgage deed, ETC., s4,500." The absurdi-
ty Of this charge is transparent This third
mortgage was on the same property, and
drawn for the same client, as the second but
|
ifths as large, and yet this statement puts
down $4,000 as the fec for drawing the third
mortgage rs against $4,000 for the second.
Of course no such charge, or any other spe-
cflc charge, was ever made by Mr.. Tilden
for the drawing Of this instrument
Sixth iter. March 2. Gees for final
conveyance to railway company, subject to
the mortgage, Pittsburg, For. Wayne and
Chicago Railroad Company, s5000" Mr.
Tilden never made, rendered or collected
nor was he ever paid, any such bill or item
in bill. Nor is there anything but the
dates of these deeds on which to base the as
sumption that the work on them was exclu-
sively done in thc..yenr 1862
MIR. TILDEN's CHARGES.
And right here, it is proper to say few
words in regard to Mr.. Tilden's scale of
charges. 1t is great mistake to suppose
that counsel must have been paid in 1862 at
the high rate which ruled in subseq lent
years. Mr.. Tilden at that time was in the
habit of charging very low prices The
class of business in which he was engaged
required, particularly, great skill in negotia-
ton--a thorough knowledge of men, a thor
ough knowledge Of the railway system and
business condition and prospects Of the
country, and a constructive power Of devils
ing and suggesting ways and means of rec
onciling apparently conflicting pecuniary
interests to the permanent benefit and salts
faction of all concerned. The mere drawing
of papers was hardly thought of in estimat-
ing the value of Mr.. 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
manypersons seemed hopelessly lost Yet in
this publication he is set down, upon mere sur.
mise and without any data or authority, as
receiving twenty-four 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 same class of business and
about the same time at the rate of twenty
thousand dollars for four consecutive years
service, or at the rate of five thousand dol
lars year.
MORE ITEMS.
Seventh Item.--"June IA, Cumberland Coal
and Iron Company $1,000" The Times al
lows that e-half of this sum should be de-
ducted, on the ground that it was probably
not earned in 1862 Neither WAS any OF it,
Governor rilden rendered no services to tie
| L.. y, ,ni
year. He did render it important service.
during previous years, beginning with 1883
but they were all concluced before the clos,
Of 1861. If anything was received it mus
have been in bonds, and in settlement of al
old account and not taxable.
Eighth Item.-"October II, service t.
Second Mortgage Bondholders OF St. Louis
Alton and Terre Haute Railroad Company
, AS per affidavit, 10000" OF course no bill
WAS ever rendered by Mr.. Tilden in tn
above form. But this item, and the on
next following, furnished the only basis OF
which the Times started out on this defama
D tory crusade. 1t pretended to have discovere,
an Inconsistency between Governor Tiden'
return Of income in 1862 aud certain allega
tionS contained in an Answer in Equity, file,
by the defendants, of whom Mr.. Tilden i
one of four, in suit brought by the st
,, Louis, Alton and Terre Haute Railroad
Company. If you will turn to page 81, 10
lilo las, you will find these words THAT 10
such services the defendant Tilden made
charge of ten thousand dollars against sale
B second mortgage bondholders, aud the saiG
0 charge was paid by or on behalf of said sec
ond mortgage bondhoiders, on tha 18th o
October, 1862, out OF fluid contributed b,
D said second mortgage bondhollers, under al
. agreement between themselves dated Novem
Der !, 1859"
WHAT WERE THE SERVICES!
, Now then, the question presents itself
what were the services for which this pay
ment MAS made and when were they render
ed To ascertain this we need only look Il
folio l43, where we lind these words: "An,
they further say, touching the statements il
D bill Of complaint as to the services of tn,
defendant, Samuel J. Tilden, that he had
p long prior to and at the time of the com
6 mencement of the foreclosure suit in th,
said bill of complaint mentioned, been til,
{ counsel for the second mortgage bondhold
! ers, and had been from some time in tn,
year 1857. 1t appears, therefore, that th
, money was paid for services running through
|, five years anterior to 1862, and it does no
: appear that any part whatever was earneC
) in that year. The decree fixing and con
: firming the rights of the second mortgage
, bondholders MAS entered at the August tern
: in the year 1861, and the sale itself tool
: place as early as March, 1862. No appreci
able part, il any, of this item can therefore
, be apportioned to the year 1862.
= THE TINEsi MlYksw.y