Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-03-27
Latest Eastern News.
U,,,ea states vs.. =. -. r,iden.

NEW YORK, March 26th.-Judge |
Blatchford, of the United States
District Court, gave decision to-
day in the suit OF the United States
against Ex-Governor Samuel j.
Tilden, to recover some S150,000 in
come tax, alleged to be due the
government by defendant. Coun-
sci for Mr.. Tilden set up demur-
rer and the case was argued at
great length. Judge Blatchford's
decision is quite lengthy. He sus-
tains defendants demurrer to the
first count in the complaint. On
the other eleven counts he sus-
tains the plaintiff, the United
States, in their demurrer to the
answer of the defence, holding that
the government was not bound by
the action of the United States AS
SCISSOR as its agent, and that Tilden
was required himself to make re-
turn of his income, which he had
not done. The case now is to pro-
ceed to trial by jury on the ques-
ton of the amount of the income
of Tilden during the years in which
he made no returns.
wh,sxy Startling Deveioaments
iu store.
CHICAGO, March Goth. = The
Journals Washington special says
the Senate, without single obiec-
ton, passed the House bill extend
ing the time for the payment Of the
tax on whisky in bond.
Blair, in the Maryland Legisla-
ture last night, declined to accom-
modate some members by refrain
ing from pressing his resolution
looking to unseating the President.
He declared that there was an un-
derstandlng among the leading
Dem ocrats of the country and that
he knew Of developments that
would soon startle the country to
an unheard of extent.
Capital Punishment Restored.
DEs MONIES, Iowa, March 26th.-
Both Houses adjourned sine die at
noon to-day. The closing and most
important act of general interest
was restoring capital punishment,
which passed both Houses.
Tho Timber Question.
WASHINGTON, March 26th-Sen-
ator Sargent to-day presented the
petition of the mill owners of
Truckee, who have been indicted
for cutting timber on Government
land, the Governor of California,
the State officers and large num-
ber of other citizens sustaining the
petitioners. In presenting it he
made some earnest remarks asking
for early legislative action. He
showed that these same parties
had petitioned for years for II right
to buy the land and that bill for
that purpose had passed the House
twice and the Senate once, bat both
Houses had not acted during the
same Congress. The grant to the
Central Pacific Railroad authorizes
it to take timber from the public
lands for its construction. These
parties had taken a contract from
the company to supply lumber for
this purpose and there was used in
its construction and in the erection
of forty miles of snow sheds
800, 600, 900 of feet, and to rebuild
snow sheds and keep the road in re-
pair 100000 feet are required an
nually. The silver mines of Ne
vsda require S70,000,000 feet annu-
ally. Are these to be stopped, he
asked, by fine and imprisonment of
those engaged in this industry?
Every town in the mountains,
every farmers fence, every miners
fume depends upon the ability OF
the lumber producer to proceed. TIC
stop the supply of lumber is to par.
alyZe Industry. All the lumber for
the construction of towns in Ne
vada and part of Utah comes from
the Sierra Nevadas and cannot be
obtained elsewhere. These men
had not willingly violated the
laws. When Congress failed to
give them relief they sought to OBJ
tain title under the pre-emption
laws, but their applications were
rejected. They purchased soldiers
additional homestead locations and
found to their dismay that these
were fraudulent and lost their
money. The timber they were held
to answer for having been cut by
men who supposed they had a
right to enter as pre-
emptors and remove the tim
Der to clear the land, the
mill men are indicted for purchas-
ing that timber. The petitioners
say they had no knowledge of any
violation of law, and certainly had
no intention of dealing with par
ties guilty of trespass; yet, under
these indictments, they are liable
to Indictment and to pay fine ag-
gregatipg half million dollars,
and, in addition, are liable to civil
suits for the value of the timber
cut. These indictments have par
alyzed business in the mountains.
If pressed, the prosecutions will
stop the business of mining in Ne
vada and large part of California,
stop the construction of dwellings,
mills and other structures in Ne
vada, and involve all classes in a
general ruin. If the title to tim
ber lands on the Sierras canhot be
obtained, the section of the Union
now supplied therefrom must resort
to barbarism. He held that pri-
vate proprletors of the timber lands
would be the best safeguard for the
preservation of the timber from
fires or depredations and husband
its rise. He said that care should
be taken to keep the lands out OF
the hands of spectators, but, with
that object attained, the interests
of the government and citizens
conjoined in the policy of reason
able sale of timber lands. But it
was grossly unjust to the parties
engaged in the lumber business in
the Sierras, without whose product
the California mountains, the State
of Nevada and Utah would be de-
populated, who had honestly en-
deavored to buy the land OF the
government, who are good citizens
| in all the relations of life, and