The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-09-27
Governor yilden's Income Tax

the propertg ofthe State. Aud wher
% character has $1,000 she 5es5 o.
thseescore gears every individra
has 9 personal interest in it, reach
ing far geyond the passing poli9ica
excitement Of the dag. with deeI
SECRET, therefore, one sees e. growing
disposition, ascA among some Of oul
more conservative newspapers, to &C.
ceps and give currency to defamations
O.: character simply because the per
sons attacked happen 10 be candi-
dates for a high office. The form of
! the charges seems TO be something
like this: "You swore falsely in
1862" or f'you stole in 1862 =
'Now prove you did not, 81 stand
convicted of perjury or theft" This
IS rather o summary mode OF chang
ing the burden of proof, snd putting
@ msn on the defensive. It may re
quire weeks for him to look up or re-
call Che facts which influenced his
ACES so long ago; out ia the mean
since as slandes sravels fast, $he
charges made are echoed by She press
Of sha shole land, and. She wsong
done can aeves be wiped out. IF
public opinion permits sLis, We shall
soon end 9ery few honest men will
ing 20 allow their names 20 Be placed
before che people for Office.
As sn instance of the evil we com
plain of, cake the charge, which we
are called upon TO believe, that Gov.
Hayes during The war stole $500 left
with hins by an executed soldier.
The facts assumed are Il that such
q man was executed; G thas he was
seen 80 give'the $500 to Gov. Hayes;
g that Coz. IT. has noe accounted
for it. Of course, therefore, Gov.
Hayes is thief Rather a startling
conclusion to a man who has earned
by a life free from reproach a good
name. Yet if newspaper trial is to
be INDUCED in and accepted during
the excitements Of IS political can
yass, there seems 60 be no way to
avoid such violent warfare, better
suited TO the Sioux districts than
the intelligent rultured sonamuni-
ties where the ISLANDERS originate.
But our uaia design i,t referring
to this subject was so speak Of Gov.
Tilden's income TAX fog 1852, which
IN some quarters has become very
interesting anG momentous subject.
We all necessarily fee - pride in
Gov. Tilden's reputation. 10 man
has stood higher, and deservedly SO.
Were we not in the midst of an unu-
sual political excitement, such
charge could not be repeated without
being Indignantly repealed by every
man Of character in QUIZ midst. Yet
now we see the Islander assumed as
proved, and boldly stated BY news
papers and speakers everywhere. al
though che facts show that shere
never was s. more naseless charge
made.
What are the facts? II seems that
in December, 1863 Gov. Tilden, like
all the rest OF us, made seturn IN
der oath OF his income Cor the year
1852. That return showed that be
received in 1862. subject to taxation
under The law, o little oves seven
thousand dollars. In suit now
pending on behalf Of the St. Louis
Alton and Terre Haute Railroad, the
Governor swore that he received in
in 1862 twenty thousand dollars soy
services which were rendered from
time to time during period of three
years" These are the simple facts
and the whole of them, and on them
the charge is made of perjury, assn.
ming or juming over entirely che one
further premise necessary for a con
clusion-and that is, whether; under
the law, the twenty thousand dollar:
received from the eailroad should b,
included in the fetnys. Assuming
we say, that this twenty shonsant
dollars should be included, while tn
) instructions at Internal Revenu
Commissioner !4ewis, issued at tina
} time, state clearly and positivel
chat it should not be included. Fo
the benefit OF those wno may hav
forgotten these instructions, we II
scrt the following extsacs taken frol
them, as published in cur Hunt
+: Merchants Magazine for Angus
1868, page 1888:
4 merchants seturn Of ;ncon
should cover the business of I'll