Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-05-21
s% OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON TERRITORY FRIDAY MAY 21 $780,
The Tilden IncOme.tax Suit.

i Il
During the period of the Income.
tax imposition, great many mer-
chants, professional men, capitalists,
bankers and men of large wealth
adopted the system of allowing the
Government Assessors to assess the
approximate or probable amount OF
their income, and paid the tax in
accordance Herewith. Mr.. Tilden
was among this great number. But
he has alone been singled out by the
Stalwarts of the present fraudulent
Administration as the victim of their
malicious and most unjust persecu-
ton, and is now required to come
forward and make oath to the exact
sum of his income in all the stated
years, so as to have the fact shown
whether he ever paid tax less than
an accurate statement by himself of
his income for that year would have
shown to be due. 1t is spiteful and
malignant prosecution of the most
contemplate and diseraceful kind.
The Government has prolonged the
trial of this vicious suit from year to
year, so as to use it as a means to
affect the well-merited gtcat popu-
larity of Mr.. Tilden, and 'Wremove
him from the list of Presidential
candidates. A few weeks since the
telegraph announced that, on motion
of Mr.. Tilden, the trial had again
been put off-this time until Novem.
Der. The New York Tribune pub
lished the statement from which the
New York dispatch agent for the
Pacific Coast Associated Press copied
what the agent himself must luv9
been aware was utterly false, inasa
much as the case was before the
United States Court in that city and
the Court proceedings showed that it
was not on the motion of Mr.. Til
den's counsel that the postponement
was ordered, but that it was on mo-
ton of the Government prosecuting
officer, the Federal District Attor-
ney, that the case was postponed to
November. This is tho truth Of the
case. Had the trial come off, as
Mr.. Tilden wished, the Government
would have been beaten, for II has
no just or equitable cause to support
the wanton prosecution. The Dis
trict Attorney, a Stalwart tool Of
Senator Conkling, very we'll knew
that the Court would be obliged to
give Mr.. Ti.den the verdict and dis
miss the case against him. That
would have turned the tables against
the Stalwarts in the campaign and
been so much eIectioneering capital
spoiled to them and turned to the
advantage of the great man VIII
they seek to harm by it. Hence the
postponment. And now the Repub-
licans will keep on bowling about
the Income-tax suit and using it as
a campaign lie to defeat Mr.. Tilden,
in the event of his nomination at
Cincinnati-an event almost assured
already. 1t is safe prediction that,
let the election go as it will, the
Stalwart Federal District Attorney
will never again call up the case, or,
if it shall be called up at the in
stance OF Mr.. Tilden, the prosecu-
ton will abandon it. The only pur-
pose it was ever intended to serve
has already been accomplished. This
was to make it campaigning cry
against Mr.. Tilden. OF course, un-
der cover of this last postponement
besi des the Tribune's bold lie that it
was on Mr.. Tilden's behalf the case
was continued when it was by the
act of the Government instead, they
will, henceforth, until the day OF
voting. persist in charging upon Mr..
Tilden the attempt to defraud the
Government. But how many Of
these Stalwarts are there who dare
to go into Court and swear that they
did not themselves willfully defraud
the revenue, by false returns of their
income during the year of the tax,
and by falsely swearing that those
false returns were true? There is
not one rich Stalwart in every twen-
ty. in any part of the North, who
did not, in regard to the Income-tax,
deliberately and willfully defraud
the Government. They all did it,
pretty much; and yet they have the
brazen cheek and assurance to howl
against Mr.. Tilden, who did not
commit similar flaud, but who
paid the tax as assessed against
him.