The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-19

He Has the Senatorial Ambition, But
Is Preparing for Pos
sible Fall.
HIS is STORMY PROSPECT
LEADERS OF PARTY ARE UNITED
IN DESIRE TO DEFEAT HIM.
Special to The Herald.)

Especial to The Herald)
Boise, Ida, March 1S.-W. L. Borah
is still a candidate for the United
States senate, Notwithstanding reports
! to the contrary. In declaring that his
time will be so occupied with the Steun-
enberg murder prosecutions that he
cannot devote any time to the sena-
ttorial fight, Mr.. Borah has merely left
the way open to retire gracefully in the
event his programme to have himself
indorsed for senator by the Republican
state convention fails to go through.
Mr.. BOrah knows as does every other
politicians in Idaho. that his candidacy
is hopeless unless he secures the con-
VentiOn Endorsement Were he to be
candidate on even terms with other can
didates before the next legislature ii
is foregone conclusion that the Re
publican state machine would defeat
him. His chances of securing the con-
vention Endorsement are diminishing
daily. Not relishing the prospect of
such defeat, Mr.. Borah is paving the
way for his retirement from the race.
If the convention refuses to indOTse
him ne will put forth the plea that his
time was so taken uD that he was I'M
able to make a fight to shape uD the
convention.
certainty that Mr. Borahs activity IN
the dynamite cases wiz not prevent
him from using every effort within his
power to secure the convention indOrSe-
ment. The SteunenbeTg cases merely
afford him an opportunity to disguise
his efforts to a certain degree.
Politicians Against Him.
In his fight to secure the convention
Endorsement Mr.. BOTah finds practical
" every Republican leader in Idaho
arTayed against him. The state ma
chine with which Governor GOOding is
identified. favCrs State Chairman ]. H
Brady of Pocatello for. senator. With
this element is identified Senator Vel
don b. Hepburn, Idaho's lone Repuo-
lican representative in the upper house.
The full power of the state admins
tration, of the state committee and of
the federal brigade will be eXerted to
prevent Mr. Borah's Endorsement in
the state convention.
Judge J. n. Beatty, who is conduct
ing a senatorial campaign from the fed
eral court bench, is naturally opposed
TO the endorsement programme OF Mr.
Borah, and will join forces with the
Gooding- Brady HeybLTn aggregation to
prevent such action. Judge Beatty
strength is prOblematica1. but to the eX-
tent of his ability he will join with
the anti-BOrah forces.
Borah's Elements of Strength.
While. to all appearances, Mr.. Borah
has the worst end of the fight, he has
elements of strength which are not to
be despised. Rightly or wrongly he Is
more popular with the rank and file Of
the Republican party than any man
opposed to him. He is brilliant orator
and can take care of himself OH the
stump better than any of his foes He
has absolutely dominated the last two
state conventions.
Moreover, Mr.. BOrah is closely iden-
tilted with the Weyerhaeuser timber
syndicate which is strong in the pol
itics of North Idaho and which viii
be considerable factor in the state
convention as we'll as in the legiSla-
tIlre. Mr. Borah is close to the mining
interests of the northern part of the
state. too. albeit his openly expressed
views in favor of tariff revision have
not met with the approval of the lead
miners.
In many respects Mr.. Borah is an
astute politician AS a manager OF
somebody's else campaign he shines.
To date, however. he has failed lamen-
tabIy i'm winning political success for
himself. But in a fight in the hustings.
such as he proposes to make, he is an
exceedingly dangerous man. He pos
sesses an attractive and magnetic per-
sonality and can fire the popular
heart"
Borah's challenge to Senator Hepburn
to discuss publicly with him the pro-
priety of nominating a senatorial can
didate i'm the state convention was
laughabIe to those who know the two
men. That Hepburn would rather take
chances with a peStilence than to meet
Borah on the rostrum is known Of all
men in Idaho. Such joint debate
would be merely an exhibition of can
nibalism, for the portly senator would
be eaten up alive
MIR. Borah's Weaknesses.
Conceding all these strong points to
Mr.. Rorah however. it must be admit
ted that he has many weaknesses, and
they will tell against him in the COM
ing fight. He has played fast and loose
on the Mormon UUestiOn-haS cUssed
the Normons i'm private and defended
them on the stump when political eX-
pediency demanded it.
He bOlted Mckinley in 1895; he de-
clared for tariff revision in 1902 after he
had returned from the fold of DemOc-
racy; he has a reputation of not stand
ing bv his friends-a reputation which
he shares with most other Republican
politicians in Idaho-and he is looked
spread a sail to catch any passing
breeze.
AS 2. result of these weaknesses Mr.
Rorah is feared by the MOrmOns and
distrusted by the anti-MOrmOns: vet
eran Republican leaders doubt the gen.
uineness of. his Republicanism, and men
of fixed convictions in all parties fight
shy of him.
See Visions of Dubois.
There is more Dubois talk in Idaho
now than at any other time in six
wears. Republican leaders are seeing
visions of Dubois of nights Fred Du-
bois has risen in his grave clothes so
often that the Republican leaders are
convinced that he has more lives than
a cat. Now when the Republican state
administration is harassed by land
scandals. by accusations of corruption /
and by internal dissensions. there is a