The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-02-14

FAME OF WASHINGTON SECURE.
Charge Of "Tax Dodging" VIII Not
Dim His Glorious Record.

Somebody into whose hands a copy
OF the records of Fairfax county, Vtr-
glnia, has fallen has made the Inter
| esting discovery that George Washing
ton, in company with Is other taSpay-
| ers, was presented by the grand
Jury In 1860 for not making a return
Of wheel carriages" for purpose OF
taxation, says the Boston Transcript.
| The other interesting fact, what be-
came of the prcsentment, is missing.
and we do not know whether George
Washington, Lord Fairfax and George
Mason paid lines or won a test case,
or whether The "presentment' was
prosecuted to judgment. The acco-
citation Of 80 many men OF eminence
In one indictment, for substantially n
presentment of the grand jury differ
ed IN no essential from the modern in
dictment, suggests that they had made
up their minds to test the constitu-
tionality Of the statute under which
their wheel carriages were taxed.
Their defense IN missing, and, there
fore, we cannot know their motives
or whether they neglected or refused
to make the returns required by law.
The discovery will probably be fol
lowed by declarations That 1t reveals
to us "the real Washington coming
mainly from that class Of critics wio
assure us that the gold-andivory statue
by Phidias was In part plated and
that the ivory was of inferior quality.
That great characters have infirmities,
that they are agreeably human, Is no
discovery, though a certain element
Of HISTORIANS appear to think II In.
II the real Washington" should be
shown to have lodged his taxes. II
will be impossible TO deprive the real
Washington Of the glory OF carrying
through the American revolution to
its triumph In the field and Its con-
summation In the establishment OF
the federal constitution. Washing
ton, 1t may be asserted, did not value
money" and his independence Of finan-
cial considerations was mo- entirely
due to the circumstances that he per-
sonally was the wealthiest president
the United States has ever had. The
man who would put a great estate
at the hazard OF war was not mer-
cenary and his reluctance to accept
any salary for his services as prest.
dent is well known.
The late Gen. Butler made an at
tempt to demonstrate that George
Washington was a SALARY grabber'
and demanded end received back
pay" but the attempt recoiled on his
own head, when It was proved that
Washington as commander-in-chief OF
the continental army rendered en- ac-
count at the close Of the war only
for his personal expenses, and those
calculated on a most reasonable
scale. He never charged his country
one penny for his military services,
and when during the qlasi.war with
France he was appointed lieutenant
general he stipulated In accepting the
appointment that 1t s1ould carry no
pay and emolumcnts unless he was
called into actual service. lie died
lieutenant general, ur paid. Few more
dis~interested men than George Wash
ington ever lived, lace not only did
he risk his life, his fortune and his
sacred honor In the cause OF his couilf
try, but his benefees to his less for
tunate occupations in arms were I'M
counted ald ty lin u~nrecn-sesl
i Washington was ''one Of Plu;srcl's
mar as invulncreble 10 the muck
RAKE ~ to British bsycnets