Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-10-05
An Explicit Rejoinder to the New
York Times Charges.
It's Statements UNANIMOUSLY False
m and Fraudulent.
Gard from Hon. Abram s. Hewitt.

To THE PUBLIC.-TheNew York Times,
which for years prior to 1875 had been the
eulogist of Governor Tilden, Immediately
after he became a formidable candidate fol
the Presidency, began a series of assaults
upon his private character. AT length these
assaults eliminated in the charge of making
a false statement of his income in 1862. By
dint of reiteration and fabricated specifca-
tions of items and details, having the SEM
blance of actual accounts, some well-mean-
ing persons were disturbed. 1t therefore
occurred to me to apply to the Secretary OF
the Treasury for certified copies of the in
come returns of Governor Tilden and Gov
ernor Hayes, and on the second day OF Sep
TENDER, [ made such an application. The
copies applied for have not been furnished,
nor indeed has my letter received the poor
courtesy of an acknowledgment. Mean
while, the adversaries Of Gov. Tilden have
apparently had free access to these returns,
and have even been permitted to photo
Autograph so much of them as suited
their purposes. | submit this fact to
the American people without comment.
Meanwhile, receiving no reply from the
public authorities, who seem to regard the
documents in their custody as held in trust
Tor the republican party, and not for the
whole people, | addressed a note to Judge
James p. Sinnott, who was the confidential
law clerk OF Governor Tilden during the
whole period in which the law imposing an
income tax was in force. asking him to eX-
anime the pretended account of Governor
Tilden's income during the year 1862, pub
lished by the Times, and furnish me with
such explanations in regard thereto as his
necessary familiarity with the details would
enable him to supply. l have this day re-
ceived his reply, presenting a full anu en-
tlrely satisfactory refutation of the charges
of the Times.
His answer herewith submitted to the
public shows that ont of thirteen Dretended
items Of income amounting to S110, 900,
eleven items amounting to $S4, 900 are Who'll
ly fictitious, while OF the other two, only
one OF 81. 900 is entirely true, and the second
of SO, 900 is only partially true.
There is therefore no ground for the as
sertlOn that the sworn return was not a Just
and accurate statement Of the net income OF
Governor Tilden, after making such deduc-
tions for losses, interest paid and other
charges, as the law authorized him to
make.
Ii exception he taken to Judge Sinnott's
letter on the ground that it does not con-
tain a detailed statement of the several items
upon which the return Of 1862 was made, il
is proper to state that the regulations OF the
Department did not require such detailed
statements, and very few professional mer
made such statements, or could now recall
the items or have kept the memoranda upon
which their returns were made.
II Governor Tilden were not in nomina-
ton for the Presidency, l do not know OF
any man in this community whose mere
statement of a fact would have been more
generally accepted as the truth, and / fail tC
see why the eminent position in which he
has been placed by a large body of his fel.
low-citizens should be held to detract from
the sanctlty of his oath.
ABRAM S. HEWITT,
Charm Nat. Dem. Com.
New York, Sept. 20, 1876.