The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-16
SETBACKS HARD
BLOW TO BORAH,
DELAY COSTLY
But Bitterest Pill of All Is
Possibility Hoover Will
Get Call.
BY THOMAS L. STOKES

tor Borah of Idaho symbolizes to-
day the man who waited too long
Perhaps the 70-year leader
looks back across the years to a
younger man who could arouse the
masses, to the time when Borah
was name to conjure with, and
to lost opportunities.
Whether he really wanted the
presidential nomination, or whether
he was interested chiefly in liberal
izing the Republican Party, his fall
ure to arouse the rank and file in
Ohio seems to demonstrate finally
that the prize is not within his
reach and that he can do little at
Cleveland about party principles and
policies.
He admitted as much, himself,
when he delivered an attack here
on "the men who are in control of
the party, who will likely be in
control of the convention. and will
write its platform and name its
candidate"
Beaten to the Punch
Those words carry the germ of
revolt. They lend support to fore
casts that the Senator will at last
bolt his party. That seems to be a
good bet. No one ever has been
able to predict Senator Borah with
great success.
Once bolt by the Senator might
have meant something to him per-
sonally.
But a bolt would produce no
earthquake.
Others have beaten the Idaho
Senator to this step. There are the
elder statesmen, Senators Norris and
johnson, and the younger La Fol-
lette, who long ago came over to the
New Deal.
There are elements of raw tragedy
in the fizzling of the Borah crusade.
For years he has talked about the
need for recognizing the Republic
an Party, for wrestling control from
the Eastern G. o. P. oligarchy. Out
of season, between elections, he has
warred upon his party. In season,
around election time, he always has
remained regular.
Beaten by Regulars
Finally, this year, he decided to
do something about it-and the
most effective way, he figured, was
to go into preferential primaries,
rally the rank and file behind him,
and collect enough delegates to
back up his demands.
What has happened?
In New York, Illinois and Ohio,
populous states which are always
powerful in national conventions,
he bumped his head against en-
trenched Republican organizations.
He won preferential primaries, as
the single candidate, in Nebraska,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia,
but some one else will get the dele
gates, with the lions share prob
ably going to Gov. ALT M. Landon.
He won Wisconsin and will have %
of its "a delegates, but he lost in
South Dakota to Gov. Landon.
It's All Bad News
A clew to the Borah tragedy lies
in the much larger vote President
Roosevelt has polled wherever the
Senator has been entered, which
seems to mean-and the Idaho
Senator so interprets it-that the
type of voters he would attract now
are largely New Dealers.
He never has been popular with
regular organization Republicans.
What probably stings him most
in the Ohio defeat is the fact that
it was accomplished by remnant
of the old Ohio gang largely en-
bodied in National Committeeman
Walter F. Brown. Mr.. Brown, who
helped nominate Herbert Hoover, is
reported to be still for him. Also,
he is closely allied with the East
ern G.. o. F. Old Guard, and thus
will get a toehold in the Cleveland
convention.
On top of the Hoover California
victory, Mr. Browns success will
tend to add to the former Presi-
dents influence.
And that is not good news to
Senator Borah.