The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-11
AS TO Mr.. Guggenlleitn.

. 49, 4 Z i
correspondent, whose letter wo
publish in another column, believes
that we arc behaving unkindly to MI.
Simon Guggcnhcim, the newly-electcd J
Senator from Colorado The Item to
which he first took exception, and
which, he says, "l1ditorially charges
that Senator-cloct Gnggcnhcim had
purchased his seat" was one OF the
class that Colonel Henry Watterson
Immortality characterized as 'pert
paragraphs" Pert paragraphs are not
meant to be taken with too deadly n
seriousness. However, Tho Times-Dls-
patch would not wish It's own to do
injustice to anybody. This one read
as follows:
Mr.. Guggenhem's election to the y.
S. Senate has now been formally GER
tilted by the Colorado Legislature. The
event however, had never been in
doubt among those familiar with the
size OF the Guggenheim roll.
Replying to protest from our cor
respondent we pointed out that Mr..
Guggenheim had himself admitted the
virtual purchase OF his seat in the
Senate. In his letter to-day he tells
how he wrote to the Senator-elect, and
received from him n reply declaring
that "the alleged statement Is abso-
lutely false" We do not know just
what statement Mr.. Guggenheim is
characterizing In this way. Pro
sumably 1t Is the allegation, In the
words Of our correspondent, that he
.'had virtually admitted the charge Of
purchasing the seat" If this Is cor
rect, we need only say that we never
said anything of the kind. We snid
that Mr.. Guggenhelm had admitted
the virtual purchase" not virtually
admitted the purchase" A little re-
Election will. we think, reveal that
there is wide difference between
these two,
We have no wish, however, to deal
in hair-splittings or bubbles. The
facts are perfectly plain. No mystery
enve,ops Mr.. Guggenheim's methods.
His own perfect candor concerning
| them has. in oil seriousness, won him
many friends. Tho public prints have
set them forth fully, whore any who
cared to could Investigate them at
his leisure The Literary Digest, for
| example, a paper without politics or
| pretudicies, whose sole aim Is to give
| the facts together with the press
| comment both favorable and unfnvor-
| able sums up the matter as follows:
With charming frankness he (Mr
| Guggenheim), tells Just how IT was
| done Without a blush he admits con-
| trlbuting to the campaign fund OF
| the Republican members Of the Legls-
| lature SO substantially that personal
expenditures by them was unneces-
| sary. Although this was done without
! agreement for compensation, Mr. CUE
| genheim remarks parenthetically 70
| a representative OF Ridgway's that
NATURALLY" the men he has thus as.
| sisted feel under obligation to vote
for him. He adds that there Is Moth
/ ing wrong about it. It. Is done
| all over the United States to-day. I
| do not consider that 1t is wrong, and
| neither do think that It can IN any
sense be called bribery
! We are quite sure that Mr. Gug-
! genheim would not describe any OF
| these statements as absolutely false
These or similar ones favo appeared In
nearly every paper in the country. and
have not, we believe. been contradicted
The issue between The Times-Dls-
| patch, on the one hand. and Mr.. Gug-
genheim and our correspondent on
the other Is simply as to what con-
illusions should be drawn from them
Mr.. Guggenhcim says that no usec
large sums Of money to secure tho
4 election Of Legislators who would
i naturally, as result, "feel under OBJ
legation to vote for him" Tho Times
Dispatch regards this as VIRTUALLY
purchasing seat. Our correspondent
does not, and his view seems to conf
mand Mr.. Guggenheim's entire appro
baton. That Is the situation. Our read
crs. IRE at liberty to form such opin
ions as seem judicious to them.
Colorado's senatorial elections ar
none Of Virglnias funeral, We haV'
given SO much space to this one, no
because Of any peculiar interest II
the mattcr, but because we dislike Y
seem unfair to any one. A careful re
view OF the situation, however. leave
,rhe Times d spatch with Its orislna
impression that the election under dls
cussion was by the successful candi
ante's own admission, distinctly an
decisively swayed by the size Oh IN
Guggenheim roll.
.-----.-----------------------------