American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-03-18
TRIBUTE TO SENATOR
WILLIAM EDGAR BOIiAH


Statesman Champion In United
States Senate.
Alfred Henry Lewis, in the Los
Angeles, Cal, Examiner, pays the
following magnificent tribute to
Senator Borah, Idaho's junior repre-
sentative In the upper house of the
national congress-:
Pyramids, of positive dignity, with
a genius for the taciturn, Mr.. Borah
gives forth a mixed impression Of
Integrity and stubborness. When he
made his appearance In the senate,
those whom his plain honesty at
tracted were repealed by the rock
rooted manner They held aloof,
waiting for him to develop before dc
Gliding concerning him. Not that he
seemed hurt by this aloofness. Pos
sibly he didn't remark it, or. re-
marking 1t, didn't care. In any case
he came and went senatorially
with the u~ndisturbed air OF one who
Is secure of his mission in history
certain of his place in events. He
courted no mans favor, sought no
mans endorsement, but sought in
all things a tub content to stand on
his W bottom.
AS time went on men noted
Mr.. Borah's stubborn wordlessness
less. his virtues of brains and cour-
age and combativeness more and
many of the warlike ones began to
feel a fondness for him. And in
his stubborn fashion he felt a fond
ness for him. True, as a sentiment
that fondness on his side possessed
those mentioned qualities Of a hard
chill, stubborn brightness. Still
you can understand how one might
like an ice berg. Also, how the
ice berg, yielding to sunshine of
that feeling, might wink brightly
back a cold yet hearty response. AL
so, for all his strength and rude
wealth of energy. for all his cold
stubbornness, Mr.. Boarh is ever the
accurate gentlemtn. Only in the
virile blaze of manhood. the gentle
man" is swallowed up, just as the
sun swallows up a star which
know 1t to be there.
Mr.. Borah drew upon himself a
landslide OF admiration when one d;j
he burst upon the senate with an
Grafton, brief, brilliant, convincing,
which would have done credit to
Sheridan. conferred glory on a Pitt.
1t was doubly impressive because
wholly unlocked for. That he should
unbelt in flaming period and phrase
OF fire-he, the iron-bound and self
contained-was as though some vol
cano, supposedly extinct, had turned
suddenly active. That speech gave
him vogue. and in a way established
him as the leader Of the younger
and more aggressive among the re-
publicans Of the west.
That modesty, observable when
Mr. BOrah prepares his life and
deeds" for the congressional direc-
tory. goes with him into every fence
corner of affairs. He has the west
ern spirit, and is unaffectedly demo-
cratic. He meets folk as one who,
respecting himself. also respects
them. He does not wear the mannec
of one who expects to find his infer
Tor. Still less would he remind you
of n who fears he may meet his
superior. And that quality of the
pointblank is ever felt when he max
a speech. There are two ways of
talking to people. as I've told you
before. In one the orator keeps hin
self on the level of his audience;
in the other he climbs upon a ped
estal and patronizes his hearers by
talking down hill. Mr.. Borah is
not a pedestal speaker. He Is a pre-
to none of that innate mugwump-
cry of soul which inclines it's pos
SCISSOR to name himself unhesitating-
ly as teacher to the world.
Modest, firm, with a cause to
push. Mr.. Borah understands the
message wherewith the people Of
Idaho vested him when they SEN
him to the senate. And he intends
to deliver it."