Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1921-08-11

to a greater of less extent And it is
equally suggestive of the power be-
hind this issue that one of the most
uncompromising of the republican
group of irreconcilables to the Wilson
peace plan should now out-Harding
Mr. Harding as the leading advocate
of pulling the teeth and claws of war
The ability of Senator Borah has
been recognized for years, but he has
never occupied such a commanding
position as he does today. And the
reason is that he has never before as
ISOLATED himself with such cause as
disarmament. He has walked to find /
himself internationally famous be-
cause he has put into words the great /
hope which has been flaming up ar
IDENTIFY in the heart of mankind ever
since the most cruel and fatal of wars
came to a close. If there was one les
son taught by that outburst of insan-
ity it was the peril as we'll as the bur
den of immense ornaments. If that
lesson is ignored, the millions who
persisted or were crippled on the bat
tie fields, the wreck of nations and of /
individual lives have all been a vain
and ruinous sacrifice. Suddenly Borah,
like Saul on his way to Damascus, has
seen great light, has read the war
lesson Alright, has become the evange-
list of great and a practical gospel
BY force of the cry which he uttered,
of the role which he has assumed, he
has made himself not only the COM
handing figure in the senate, but in
many ways the dominant figure in the
republican party. At a time when
there is dearth of real leadership in
both parties, Bcrah by 3 silent pleb-
iscite has been acknowledged as the
only man in either who has attempted
boldly and Of his own initiative the
greatest and most needed of construct
i've tasks.
The president, we heartily believe, is
in full sympathy with the Borah pur-
pose, and deserves credit for the con-
ference program which he is arrang-
ing. But Senator Borah's leading part
in this movement should not be forgot
ten. After all, it was his insistence,
his devotion to one idea, his voice
crying aloud in the dull wilderness of
the senate with prophetic earnestness
and inspiration that gave life and mo-
ton to seemingly moribund PROPOSE
ton. In selecting American repre-
sentatiyes to the international confer
ence on disarmament and Pacific
problems the president will make a
mistake if he ignores Mr. Borah He
is intellectually far better equipped
for such service than Mr.. Lodge, and
he represents a popular following that :
embraces millions of men and women :
in both parties The people of the
United States feel, in this matter, a
strong confidence in Senator Borah
which they do not entertain for the :
senator. Mr.. Borah is :
one of the logical delegates to that
and if Mr.. Harding fails
to appoint him he may suffer from the
same sore of criticism which he di- :
rected against Mr.. Wilson's selections :
for the Paris conference. :
These reflections acquire additional
force from the continuous lombard
ment of common sense which Mr..
Broah maintains upon this subject. :
With disturbing directness he fired
right at the financial heart of the
whole question in his speech in the
senate Monday, in which he opposed :
the refunding of the Allied debt until .
the question of disarmament has been
.hrashed out If the foreign govern :
nents invited to the conference are .
unable to agree to disarmament, he
said, the American people will be JUS
lifted in insisting that they promptly
meet their debts and interest also"
In other words, if they can afford the :
luxury of big armies and :
lavies they can afford to pay us what :
hey owe. If, on the other hand, they :
10 not force us to continue an ex- :
Densive military program, we, on our :
part, may be able to be generous. :
Mr. Borah, doubtless, is a thorn in :
he side of the Harding administration, :
As he was in that of Mr.. Wilson. But :
I would be a serious mistake to treat :
him as an enemy or a political agi- :
ator He is leading the massed senti-
nent of this country and of other :
and the sooner that is real :
Zed by government officials in all of :
hem the better it will be for officials /:
md for peoples The hideous interna-
ional crime of 1914-18 must never be :
epeated