Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-11-05
Mr.. TiIdens's income Tax.

The indianapolis Journal is o
newspaper which, we do not doubt,
means to state nothing but the
truth; and yetin the following lines
1t puts forth the most unfounded
and slanderous allegations:
"If Tilden had not notoriously pur-
Jufed himself in his income tax return
| there wouldn't have been such "a univer-
sal disposition to scout his explanation
of the cipher telegrams."
This is entirely groundless. There
is no evidence or authority to sus-
tain 1t. Nobody has ever before
averred or intimated that in regard
to his income tax returns Mr.. Til
den committed perjury. The ma
lignity Of political partisauship
and the baseness of political CAL
umny have never before gone so
far. 1t Ia true tho Government of
the United States is now conduct
ing suit against Mr.. Tilden, alleg-
ing that many years ago, when the
income tax was in force, Mr.. Til
den did not pay sufficient amount
of tax. This suit we regard as at
once entirely untenable in point of
law, and thoroughly shameful alike
to the administration of President
Grant, under which it was set on
foot, and to the administration of
the fraudulent President, by whom
it is now continued.
The law of the income taxa fla.
grantly unconstitutional law-pro-
vided that If any citizen did not
make return of his income, the
taxing officers of the Government
should themselves assess the
amount OF that income, adding
thereto fifty per cent. of that
amount as n penalty for failure to
make such return; and that this tax
should be collected. Being HIM
self unable, as we understand,
through the uncertainties and the
unsettled nature OF a large business,
to ascertain with sufficient accur-
acy to swear to it, what his income
really was, Mr.. Tilden made no re-
tuIn. The assessment was thero-
fore made; the fine was added, and
the tax duly paid. The case was
thus fully settled upon the Govern
menps own terms. And yet,
twelve or fifteen years afterward,
because Mr.. Tilden is the Demo-
cratic candidate for President, the
Republican Administration brings
suit against him! This, we say,
is a political persecution indecent
in its nature and discreditable to
those by whom it is urged and pro.
moted. In popular government
the use of judicial process as a
means of partizan warfare and Off
cial oppression is the natural resort
of men who, if they had the power,
would be tyrants; and We have
never known moro atrocious in |
stance of this abuse than that in |
in the case which we are discuss
ing.
Our contemporary in Indianapo-
lis Will now see. as we trust, how
grossly mistaken its charge of per.
jury is. Against such Il charge it |
is not necessary to defend Mr.. Til |
den. Equally needless, as We are
convinced, would be any defense
from us against the imputation of
political lawsuits which the attor-
neys of the Government are still
carrying Oh. But it is impossible |
not to understand the peculiar in. |
terest with which most Republican |
journals pursue their varied at
tempts to injure Mr.. Tilden. Since |
the time of Gen. Jackson there has |
not been any other public man
whose destruction has been la
bored for by his political enemies
with such rancor, such desperation,
or such pertinacity as we witness
in this case.-NeW York San.