Daily Kennebec journal., 1879-04-22
Mr.. Tilden and His Medicines.

Washington, April l7.-Ex-SenatOr Bar
mum has been earnestly at work during the
past week endeavoring to extricate ex-Gover-
nor Samuel J. Tilden and the firm of which
he is reported to be a member from their en-
barrassing complications with the Internal
Revenue Bureau.
About ten days ago information was tele-
graphed to Washington that large quantities
of the Tillen remedies, manufactured in New
York city, had been discovered and seized at
various points in Illinois because the boxes
and bottles contained no revenue stamps,
without which it was unlawful TO place them
on the market. Upon receiving this intorma-
tion the Department telegraphed to its de-
tectiye agencies in different sections of the
country, and further examination showed that
this omission to stamp the goods sold by the
firm was general and widespread. This firm
is reported to have sent hundreds of tons of
its medical decoctions into every part of the
country The law requires cent stamp on
every box or bottle which is to be retailed at
the rate of % cents. cents on one to be sold
at 80 cents. and cent stamp on one which
is to be retailcd at 81. The cases or boxes
tlllls lar stiItu III tit P'ssNNHiph VI ihS w
pists Mt Chicago. st. Louis, New Orleans
Philadelphia. Baltimore and Boston were
found to have few stamps on the top layer
of smaller boxes or phials, while those be-
meath and out of sight in each package had
none.
The nephew of Samuel J. Tilden who is
also a member of the firm. met ex-senator
Barnum at the Arlington Hotel early in the
morning recently, and having secured the
services of republican Congressman. they
together visited Commissioner Raum. The
defence set up by Young Mr.. Tiden was that
his firm has purchased and issued sufficient
number of stamps for all the separate parcels
it had sent out, but that its packing clerk had
stolen them This explanation is far from
satisfactory to the Commissioner of Inter
nal Revenue. and Mr.. Tilden has been re-
quired to furnish the Department with the
place and date where and when these stamps
were purchased, and the amount of each
purchase.
Ii has frequently been subject of remark
in the Internal Revenue Bureau that firm
manufacturing and placing upon the market
such large quantities of preparations as the
Tildens have done has never procured a
special proprietary stamp of its own, as is
the custom with other dealers in medicinal
specifies whose business is much smaller
This use of ordinary stamps, purchased as
postage stamps may be, of collectors Of in
ternal revenue and at banks, may make il
impossible to trace up and verify the claim OF
the firm of having actually paid the tax. Al
the same time the penalties incurred by the
firm are the same whether the excuse proves
to be correct one or not, and no little
trouble will probably be experienced before
the matter is settled. Great pains have been
taken by all interested to prevent the publ
cation of any of the details of this scandal
and young Mr.. Tilden during his visit to
Washington was careful not to register Iii,
name at the hotel at which he stopped.
1t may be said here that the Government
proposed to prosecute at once to Judgment the
suit against Mr.. Tilden based upon his alleged
evasion Of his income tax prior to 1870.