The Washington times., 1931-10-03
Slate
BORAH FOR
GENEVA
Contab With Hoover Followed
BY Hints Idahoan Will Head
Arms ParIey Delegation
BY WILLIAM C. MURPHY, Jr.

"IIIS ! 0tIVy SClCSoklUII
BY WILLIAM C. MURPHY, Jr.
A report that Senator William
E. Borah (RD Of Idaho may be
offered a place on the American
delegation to the Geneva Dis.
armament Conference next Feb
ruary was current here today.
Mr.. BOrah, chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee, was q White House lunch.
con guest yesterday when the
subject of disarmament figured
prominently in his conversation
with the President.
Speculation as to the possibility
of his becoming q member of the
disarmament delegation was about
evenly divided between the ques-
ton of whether Mr.. Hoover will
offer him the appointment and
whether Mr.. Borah would accept
it if offered.
Harding's Precedent
The practice Of naming influ-
entail Senators on diplomatic
delegations is one that has been
resorted to with considerable sue.
cess in recent years.
President Harding did it at the
time of the Washington Arms
Conference in 1921. President
Hoover selected Senators Reed
(R0 of Pennsylvania and Robin
son D0 of Arkansas, members
Of the American group to negoti-
ate the London Naval Treaty.
Such procedure has the advan.
tage Of insuring adequate repre-
sentatiOn of the prO-treaty side
of the case when such agreements
come up for ratification in the
Senate.
However. there have been indi-
cations that it sometimes results
in embarrassmentS for the Sens-
torial negotiators, particularly
those of the minority party.
Underwood Embarrassed
The late Senator Oscar Under.
wood Of Alabama found his posi-.
ton as Democratic leader was
made rather unstable by virtue
of his participation in the 1921
conference.
Senator Robinson encountered
somewhat similar difficulties
after the London conference, al
though he still retains his leader
ship.
The present revolt of the big
Navy" element in the Senate
against President Hoover'S de-
mand for cuts in naval appropria-
tiOns lends plausibility to the sug.
geStiOn that the President might
like to have q leader like Mr..
BOrah committed to the Admins.
tration cause on q question like
disarmament
Also, it has been the subject Of
comment that Mr.. Borah's few
agreements with the present Ad'
miniStration have been on queS'
tions Of foreign policy.
Borah's Position
For instance, Mr.. Borah led
the fight for ratification of the
Kellogg multilateral treaty for
the outlawry of war even though
he had to break with some of his
old colleagues in the fight against
the League of Nations.
In the present movement to
curtail ornaments, Mr.. BOrah has
indicated his support Of the Ad.
miniStratiOn's policy. and there 10
said to be q feeling in Administra'
tiOn circles, that the Idaho SEN.
ator'S support Is so valuable it
should not be overlooked on such
occasions as it Is available.
Those who view governmental
affairs from q practical political
point of view have other reasons
to suggest as to the desirability
Of offering Mr.. Borah a place on
the disarmament delegation.
Hoover Backing in 1928
They recall that Mr.. Borah's
support of Mr.. Hoover in 1923
vas credited with a considerable
share Of the responsibility for Mr..
Hoover's election.
Since then the President and
the Senator have been in dis.
agreement on 50 many domestic
issues that II seems highly inn.
probable that that same degree
Of support will be forthcoming
in 1892!
However, If Mr.. Borah should
be named to the disarmament
delegation-and because of his
position he could hardly be Of.
fered anything less than the
Craftsmanship Of the group-his
name necessarily would be linked
with the Administration for sev.
eral months next year.
Another and more cyniacl sug,
gestion has been heard to the
effect that it would be advan.
tageous to the Administration to
have Mr.. Borah out Of the coun-
try for several months during
the coming session Of Congress.