Evening star., 1936-03-20
BORAH WOULDQU|T
TO GIVE VICTORY
Candidate Fights to Win
Unless Stronger Man
Enters Race.
RY WARD MoREHOUsE.

BY WARD MOREHOUSE.
William Edgar Borah, lawyer, orator,
statesman, patriot and aspirant to the
presidency of the United States. sat In
an armchair in living room crowded
with Chinese antiques-rugs, vases,
glassware, chests, trinkets and ele-
plants of jade and ebony, with gleam-
ing tusks. In another armchair sat
Mrs. Borah. animated and silver
haired, daughter Of an Idaho Governor.
Time, z pm. Scence the Borah apart
ment at 2101 Connecticut avenue.
The Senator from Idaho is q big,
fine-looking man. Simple and direct.
His hair is gray black, His face Is
weather beaten. His age Is 10 years
and months. He wore dark suit
anr q brown bow tie. Dinner was
over. The Borahs dine early. The
Senator retires early.
Just the three of us in this living
room, a veritable treasure house Of
Chinese art. I addressed the Senator:
You're in the presidential fight in
earnest-that right, SENATOR"
Out 10 WIN NOm1n2tE0u.
The dean of the Senate, q dominant
and dramatic figure in the Washington
scene for 80 turbulent years, replied
readily:
'I am. I'm out to win the Repub-
lican nomination. If do, I'll make
the race"
How do you feel about your
chances?"
II think I have q chance. I realize
that I will have to fight tremendous
opposition"
what are the chances Of your party
for 1882"
For the Republicans to win this
year they will have to draw back TO-
600, 900 votes. But don't forget-these
votes are ordinarily Republican votes" F"
do you feel that it would be calam-
itous for the country for the New Deal
and Roosevelt to continue for another
four years?"
Regimented to Death.
"In another four years" he said. eve
would be regimented to the very last
acts of our lives"
At the age Of 10 William Borah,
rebel and individualist, who emerged
as a national figure back in the Gibson
girl era and thereby brought remote
Idaho into American consciousness.
now has his eyes upon the White
House. Why, I wondered. had he
waited this long to reveal definite
presidential ambitions?
He was thoughtful for a moment.
"There were many reasons" he said.
81 wanted to make record in the
Senate. And then, when my party
was the dominant party, there were
impossible forces against me-"
"Is Idaho behind you?"
"For the presidency-co completely"
"If you do get the nomination will
you go out before the voters?"
eyes, will stump the country. AS
I say. am out to win. But also
say that II the time does come when
I could be convinced that some other
man would make stronger race,
that someone else could give the
Republicans greater hope Of victory.
I would then gladly step aside. I
mean that with all my heart"
Mrs. Borah Against 1t.
Mrs. Borah had been in rspt at
tention. Every now and then she
seemed about to interrupt I asked
her at this point how she'd like to
have the Senator in the White House.
She answered quickly: II wouldn' t
like 1t at all . - recently Mrs Roose-
welt asked me il I had been correctly
quoted when I said was strongly
opposed to the Senator's fight for
the nomination. I told her that
had said just that 80 yes" said Mrs.
Borah, now laughing, II think it
would be terrible"
Senator" I said, you've been In
the Senate since 1907-have you ever
wanted to quit?"
Often" he said. "I've often thought
! would quit. but never have. It's
been a big adventure"
Mrs. Borah, who's been here all
these years, who married her pic
turesque husband when he was a
struggling, but brilliant lawyer Of the
Far West, agreed that it had been
big adventure and she supplied the
word very"
Borah Mail Tremendous.
The Borah mail has become tre-
mendous since he came out openly
into the presidential fight. His ONCE
in the Senate Building-No. 139--is
ever besieged by callers. His Office
staff, all Idaho born-Cora Rubin,
Grace ]. Heileman; Mrs. E. C. David
and James A. Young-is feverishly
active. Borah, as a Senator. with no
presidential ambitions-at least not
openly revealed-was one of the
busiest and most picturesque Of Sent~
tors. But Borah, projected into the
presidential picture, takes on new
force, even greater picturesqueness-
for the time being, anyhow. And the
Senator Is enjoying every minute
Of it.
Some of those writing me-" he said,
"are urging me to go out now and