The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-11-02
TILDEN'S EVASION.
He Is Altogether, Too Geo,
nomiceI of the Truth. !
from the Brooklyn Argus, Democratic. J

From the Brooklyn Argus Democratic.l
The following pungent, and by no means nat-
tering, "expression of opinion" respecting Mr..
Tilden's personal and official integrity is from
the Brooklyn Argus, one of the ablest aud
soundest Democratic journals published in the
country:
It has come at last, three or four mortal
columns of special pleading and sophistry, and
all to explain the income returns of Mr.. Tilden,
and 10 contradict the charges that have been
been made. This elaborate and wordy state
ment by James P. Sinnott, quondam confiden-
tial secretary of Mr. Tilden, is cleverly put to-
gcther, and is well calculated to deceive. Tho
eager partisans of Mr.. Tilden will accept this
document as conclusive, without reading il,
and will swear by the head lines that the vindi-
cation is complete. Not those who moro
carefully examine the matter and discover the
suppressions of truth, the evasions and quibbles
(which this massive document is bolstered up.
Mr.. Sinnott makes no attempt to meet the one
essential point, which is that in 1852 Mr.. Tilden
swore to an income of 81 Ills, and that, in 1876 IN
an answer in law suit, he swore to the receipt
in that year of $20,00U in two fees. II is de-
clared by him, for though the hand is Sinnotts,
the voice is Tilden's, that this moneyw earned
in former years, and therefore no tax was due
upon it. There is not an idiot in this land who
does not know that such q defence is a miser- !.
able pettifogging trick worthy Of the lowest
shyster that ever cheated justice, and. utterly
beneath the contempt of any reasonable man.
To admit the application Of such rule would
be to cut down income at any time to mere
nothing. Iiden received these large sums, and
other large fees besides but kept them back
and played the Ananias to perfection, while the
Government was hampered for want OF money
and all loyal men were doing their best to sus.
tain the arms of the Union. Another essential
point is also CLOSED over, and that is the facb
that after making his income affidavit in 1862
and 1868, and so getting himself in position
before the assessors, he neglected to make
any further returns, and waited for
the assessors to gauge his income ss
they saw fit. Naturally they would keep
near his sworn return, and so it happened
that while 1flden was earning an average OF
Sl00, 600 year, some years $50 900, he was cs.
Gaping the payment of his just dues to the
Government, and was paying tax on only
$4,000. All this is explained in a deprecating
way by Mr.. Sinnott-Tildcn, who puts il the
pitiful plea that "a return made under oath
must be assumed TO be correct unless IL can ne
shown to be false" It was 'assumcd TO be cor.
rect" It is now ''shown to he false" and Mr..
Tflden will have an opportunity TO submit his
published defence to the verdict of Jury before
the year is up. The papers for suit TO recover
the amount withheld, and the interest and pen.
alties, are nearly prepared, and will be served
in q few days. Mr.. 1iden knows that the per-
son who paid tax on an income of over $1,000
paid at the rate of five per cent, and he knows
that if q part of this income had been derived
from dividends paid by corporations which hal
already paid three per cent, that the same was
also chargeahle, with an additional two per
cent, to be paid by the holder In order to
evOde this two per cent. Mr.. Tilden resorted to
the dishonest subterfugc Of standing on his dig
nifty and making no return. The language III
which he excuses himself is aG follows
" In respect to the allegation that after two
years of the income tax lIr. Tildan made no re-
turn, but left that portion of his tax which was
in excess of the payments for his account made
by the corporations, whose bonds and stocks he
held, TO he assessed under the law by the e:ti-
mate of the public officers, the answer is simple.
The statute gave the taxpayer The option to
take that course, and GOOD and honorable req
sons existed why scrupulous man should ac-
cept that option. HI YHden rcrtircG 10 fdUor
tio3, he Government officers, ard so',ght none. Hs
DID aotliag bod pay all thcy j,,looae} OF him"
He kept his iunll-shop open and waited to rs
detected as a." receiver" He held the stolen
property, but made no sign. He was as sheep
before his shearer, and, in lamh-like innocence,
succumhnd TO what the nlniOns of Alr. Lincoln's
despotism put upon him The Tribune states
the case with cutting severity when il says
Gle (1iGcn) did not tell the horsecar con-
ductor he had paid his fare, but he kept his
hands in his pockets and looked unconcernedly
at the conductor, If he bad 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 run
ming as reform candidate for the Presidency,
they are gong 10 vote for the other man"
This Is the picture Just as it stands, and Mast
could not draw it vita more fidelity TO nature.
The disngcnuousnnss Of Mr.. 7ildcn's state.
ment is apparent i'll every line. lis income for
the ten years in question is admitted to be from
five to ton millions. lie paid in that time on a
total of about S'J0,Oo0. He docs not tell what
he received but he takes up certain newspaper
statements o. his receipts and specifically dc
nics several OF them. GwO-thirds of the stat'-
| mant is taken up with these corrections and de-
mails, and the main allegations are left un-
touched, as we have before stated. The TbnrS,
which was primarily responsible for the items
now assailed, reviews Mr.. Iilden'S defence, and
shows that at least $4,000 more than he re-
turned in 1852 is chargeable to his account,
and promises to examine other items nlo-e
carefully, and to show that still more remains
to be added No man who intended to nc
honest could make a statement like the one
now put forth. Tilden knows that his in
| come averaged, year after year, tenfod what
| he placed il at, yet he sneaked behind his
| legal rights closed his mouth, and let the as
| SCISSORS rate him at the petty value he had sworn
| to. The trick served him, and in the ten
! Years, during which he withheld his Just taxes,
| he accumulated wealth enough to Use g bar
rels" Of money for his own personal advance
| ment; to subsidize five hundred newspapers,
and 10 set up as an honest Re1ormer. Tildeu
| has surrounded himself with dupes and para
| sites, who will howl themselves over this
| " triumphant vndicaton,i - which is the plea al
the Neriest rogue that ever attempted to account
for the meancst expression of criminal intent,
| The explanation of this matter, If explanation
| there was, was simple, and might have been
made weeks ago The allegation that Mr.. Til
| den's loans TO his brothers accounted for the
| charged discrepancies which was pat forth
| as ieeler, is not repeated now. The de-
| fence rests upon skirmish with outposts,
| and avoids any close encounter with the really
formidable charges that have been made, and
which stand uncontradicted and upassailable.
| s-.- =