Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-30
BORAH AS A FREE LANCE.

Senator Borah is causing the re-
publican party leaders and the ad-
ministration as much trouble as
Lafollette has caused them. Both
these senators profess to be repub-
! licans. but their votes are nearly
always cast against the administra-
ton and with the democrats. Now
Senator Borah is threatening to re-
sign his place as chairman OF the
fsenate committee of education and
labor because it is stuffed with
conservatives that block his meas
ures. Our political correspondence
from the national capital says that
there is a big row on over this
matter:
"Oust the minute men of privi-
tlege from the committee of educ
tor and labor or I'll quit the chair
manship." a~s
That is the substance of an ufti-
matum which Senator Borah (Rep,
Ida.) has delivered to members OF
the committee on committees .ssof
the senate. va
What prompts Senator Borah to
serve this notice On the republican
pseudo-1eaders of the senate is the
evidence Of a deliberate purpose
on their part to pack the committee
on education and labor and keep 1t
packed if there is any danger OF its
giving favorable action to any pro-
gressive legislation, present or
prospective.
The men who have been assigned
to this committee as so many Jail
ers Of forward-looking measures
affecting interests of labor are Sen
stors Du Pont (Del.). Phipps
(Colo.), Warren CWyo.). and Short
ridge (Cal.),-all republicans and
all as reactionary as they are rich.
They are all conservators of the
status quo and prophets of things
al they-are.
Originally placed on the commit
tee as executioners of any pro-
gressiveism that might be intro
duced there by former Senator
I Kenyon of Iowa, they have remain
ed to plague Senator Borah. The
latter has furnished q veneer OF
liberalism to the committee, and
thus made it appear like a progress
i've institution from the outside
while all the time it was filled with
xemen ready to slaughter any lit
tie progressive proposal that stray
ed within its precincts.
Senator Borah's ultimatum is the
climax to a good many recent sue
cessful attempts on the part OF his
reactionary conferees to obstruct
and strangle some of his legisla-
tive offspring. For instance, when
he sought a few weeks ago to pro-
cure legislative sanction -or a COM
prehensive investigation of the coal
industry, with the object of effect
ing federal supervision of mines
and regulation of prices, the other
four republican membmers of the
committee say that it was smoth-
cred. ia.
Behind Borah's back the republi-
can leaders are pretending to re-
gard him as suffering from a mild
type of communism which they
feign to regard as highly contag-
ious. Only the sort of a senator
who has been successfully i'm
murized against this form of eco
noric and political ailment is
thought a safe companion for Sena,
tor Borah in the close quarters OF
the committee room. That is why
Senator's Du Pont, Phipps, Warren
and Shortridge have been chosen
as the men to be exposed. They
are in no peril of catching" any,
thing of a communistic nature.
There is another consideration
which moves the bosses of the sen
ate to save the committee from
even a chance of contagion. They
fear that there is a remote posi-
bility that some near-progressivet
like Brookheart of Iowa and Fraz
Ter of North Dakota and a far
progressive like Beverage of In
diana might be s~uperadded to Boraf
and spread a few germs of com
munism around the country via thu
Congressional Record. That woulc
start trouble for 1924. And thu
republicans now believe that sui
ficient unto the day is the evi
thereof-including the Fordney
McCumber tariff, the soldiers
bonus and Mr.. Harding's indefensi