Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-17
Mr.. Rosenwald's 10000 Shares.

Strange are the ways of American poll
tics. Take the case of the Illinois senator
ship that was denied to Frank L. Smith
Of Illinois by the Senate on the score
of his too liberal expenditures in pri-
mary and election campaigns. 1t was
tied UP in the records of the Senate
as a completed incident. There lies
the long and documentary history Of the
affair, including the testimony of wit
nesses who developed the tale of rich
offerings by a traction magnate to the
account of the Republican candidate.
There was the aftermath of the APP
pointment by the Governor of the non
seated elected Senator to fill the va
cancy caused by the Senate's refusal
to admit him, and the warrantable,
though hardly consistent, refusal of the
Senate again to admit to its chamber
so tainted" a person. That would
seem to have been enough to mark this
case as strange. But more has
come. It comes in an unusual manner
and is illustrative of the Iact that
American politics is a composite of
oddities.
Recently Prof. c. H. Wocddy Of the
University of Chicago tried his hand
at current political history and wrote
a book entitled THE Case of Frank L.
Smith," in which he set forth facts
and presented deductions strongly
inirnical to the performance whereby
Samuel insult sought to place. in the
Senate man of his own financing. Now
comes Mr.. Smith himself with letter
to Prof. Woody offering fresh chap
ter for inclusion in the book in case
it runs to a second edition. Writing
this chapter himself, but in the third
person, Mr.. Smith tells tale of inter
vention in his political career by Julius
Rosenwald, one of Chicago's most re-
spected and indeed beloved citizens,
head of a vast business with Nation
wide activity.
Mr.. Rosenwald, it seems, was friendly
to another candidate for the Senate than
Mr.. Smith, one Mr.. Hugh Magill. After
the primary--so says the third-personal
Mr.. Smith-and before the election, Mr.
Rosenwald approached Mr.. Smith with
an offer, which simply was to withdraw
from the race in favor of Mr.. Magill,
whose election would have been prob
able in such event. AS a consideration
for this Self-denial, Mr. Smith says, Mr..
Rosenwald offered him 10000 shares Of
stock in his corporation, worth at that
time approximately half a million and
worth eventually, at the peak of the
market, more than million. Mr. Smith
relates that he spurned the offer, went
to it as the Republican candidate, and
won the election, only to be non-seated
by the Senate.
Taking this for its face value, what
would have been the result If Mr.. Smith
had taken the ten thousand shares and
withdrawn and Mr.. Magiu had been
accepted as the Republican candidate
and had been elected? Mr.. Magill would
probably have been accepted by the
Senate. That Is to say unless this 1T
tie transaction between Mr.. Smith and
Mr.. Roselwald had become known. In
which case the question would have been
whether the generous and public
spirited Mr.. Rosenwald, who is above
suspicion Of being animated by the low
motives attributed to the traction mag
nate, Mr.. insult, had by his benefaction
IN behalf Of his friend Magill tainted
his. title. OF course, acceptance by Mr.
Smith Ct Mr. Rosenwalds princely gift
would have made the senatorship an
article Of barter and sale, just as it was
charged It became when Mr insult put
up large sums to get the nomination for
Mr.. Smith. Then the senate-of course,
only In case the transaction became
known-would have been put TO the test
Of diderentiating between political
angels" Would il have regarded Mr..
Rosenwald as a good angel, seeking only
the public welfare, while it in fact re-
garded Mr.. insult as bad angel. seek
ing the advancement Of private inter-
tests against the public veal?
All Of which however, is only specu-
lative inasmuch as Mr.. Smith says he
rejected Mr.. Rosenwald's proposition
with scorn. And that is another oddly
sr. I'D