Evening star., 1932-09-18
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Intense curiosity Is now felt in Wash
ington as to the coming political be-
havior of william Edgar Borah, senior
Senator from Idaho and the whole
worlds champion player of political
solitaire.
1t is we'll known that the Senator
thinks little Of Mr.. Hoover. but rather
less Of Mr.. Roosevelt. The effect pro-
duced upon him by Mr.. Roosevelt's
utterances in the West is likely to be-
come apparent in the speeches which
the Senator will probably soon resume
delivering to Western audiences.
Mr.. Hoover's present presidential
chances in the West are extremely
gloomy. II Mr.. Borah's coming pro-
nouncements should be hostile to him.
his chances in the Western region
the other hand, the Senator should
train his guns on Mr. Roosevelt and
on Mr.. Roossvelt's policies, the Repub
lican managers would get a consid-
cradle breath of encouragement.
AS usual, Mr.. Borahs voice is re-
garded as the most influential solo
voice in existence 1t will be raised
this month and next in no harmony
with either the Republican or the
Democratic orchestra. 1t will deliver
tune entirely the Senator's own. That
tune, however, might lead a multitude
of voters either toward thinking more
unfavorably of Mr.. Hoover or toward
thinking more unfavorably of Mr.
Roosevelt. The consequences in the
polling booths in some OF the Western
States might be decisive.
A leading political personality here
has expressed the situation aptly, thus:
I'VE know that Mr.. Borah is not
for Mr.. Hoover. We know that he Is
not for Mr.. Roosevelt. We know that
he is against Mr. Hoover. We know
that he is against Mr. Roosevelt. We
further additionally know that he is
against Mr.. Thomas, the Socialist can
didate. and also against Mr.. Foster. the
Communist candidate. We finally
know that he is not supporting MI
Upshaw, the Prohibitionist candidate.
We believe, thereup0n, that he must
soon inevitably indicate his preference
between the two leading candidates,
Mr.. Hoover and Mr.. Roosevelt. We
expect him to indicate 1t Dy letting us
publicly know which of the two ne
regards with the mus. distrust- Does
he think that Mr.. Hoover would make
the worse President? Or does he think
that Mr. Roosevelt would make the
worse President? Which OF them is
he superiority against? That Is the
biggest one remaining problem IN this
campaign"
On the record it would seem that
Mr.. Roosevelt in four fundamental
matters has ANNOYED Mr. Borah more
than Mr.. Hoover has. These four mat
ers-fundamental to Mr.. Borah-are:
Prohibition, international debts, the
bonus and farm relief.
On prohibition Mr.. Hoover has an
noyed Mr. Borah by suggesting vast
weakening of Federal control, put Mr.
Roosevelt has annoyed him more by
suggesting an even yaster weakening
of it. ,,
has rather grudgingly accepted Nj.
Borahs idea that we might trace tiie
debts off for some more uselui gam IN
trade or in disarmament or botn: Mr.
Roosevelt has come forward WIN no
corresponding acceptance at an. Aoa,-
tionaliy, Mr.. Garner, Mr.. Rooseveits
running-mate, has expressed himself
vigorously on this topic in manner
much more acceptable to M. William
Randolph Hearst than to Mr.. Borah:
The general Democratic attitude toward
the collection of the debts in full is to-
day. on the whole, much flrmer ana
more drastic than the general Repun-
lican attitude Mr.. Borah thereupon IN
this matter, as is not unusual with MIN
in many matters in presidential year,
finds himself more Republican, after
all, than Democratic.
r 4 \
On the bonus Mr.. Hoover has taken
a position which is almost Identical wlth
Mr. Borah's. When the bonus army
was in washington 1t sent a delegation
to see Mr.. Borah. He welcomed the
delegation and spoke to it in words tnat
were very friendly, but very frank. he
said that many Of the veterans were
employed and that the Government at
employed. He then added that the
Government should not do for unem.
ployed veterans anything that 1t old not
do for the unemployed in general. In
sum, he told the delegation mo" ne
approves of Mr.. Hoover's similar no
He has heard no such prompt mo from
Mr. Roosevelt. At the moment Wnen
these words are written he mas nearo
from him no mo" at all.
He additionally is obliged to refect
that the House of Representatives, un-
der Mr.. Gamers leadership. accepted
and passed the immediate bonus pay
ment idea in the last session OF the
Congress. These facts regarding the
bonus problem are expected here to
have considerable weight with Mr.
Eorah while he Is deciding which OF
, The two major parties he detests and
| loathes1 more than he loathes and de-
tests the other.
n
Finally, on farm relief Mr.. Hoover
has been opNsed to Mr.. Borah's export
debenture" plan. but Mr.. Roosevelt, in
his recent sr,eech AZ Topeka, seems sim