Evening star., 1936-10-14
Failure to Indorse Landon
Ticket IrritateS G. 0. P.
in Idaho.
SENATOR SUPPORTED
WITHIN BOTH PARTIES
Flat.Footed Backing for Party's
Nominee Might Cost Him
Senate Seat.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,
staff Correspondent of The Star.

BOISE, Idaho, October 14.-Bull-
dog Bill Borah versus Hound Dog
Ben Ross. That's the Senate race
which is interesting millions of
Americans far beyond the confines
of Idaho. The odds are distinctly in
favor of Borah, the senior Senator
and Republican nominee, and against
Gov. Ben Ross, who has been elected
three consecutive times chief execu-
tive of Idaho.
The general opinion. and this is
found in Democratic as well as Re-
publican circles, Is that Borah will
win by $4,000 to 10000 votes.
Borah, short and stocky, nationally
and internationally known, one of the
"irreconcilables" who did most to
defeat the ratification of the Versailles
Treaty and American entry into the
League of Nations, is stacked up
against the long and lean Ross, who
is quite unknown outside OF Idaho
except as an opponent Of Senator
Borah's. Borah has elected to discuss
national issues in this campaign.
Ross is determined to make the issue
turn on State affairs.
Independent Figure.
For 80 years Borah has been a
member of the United States Senate,
almost lifetime, certainly an adult
lifetime. During those years he has
played an important role. AS chair
man of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, he was an unofficial
secretary of foreign affairs, to whom
important visitors from abroad went
as quickly as they did to the State
Department. In all those years, how
ever, Borah has been an independent
figure. independent Of party ties, al
though he has always remained
within the Republican Party. He
has been progressive although he has
never forsaken the fundamental prin-
ciples either of party or of the Con-
stitution and its spirit. to which he
is passionately devoted. He is the
last of the so-called progressive Sem
ators to remain faithful. He continues
so today, although he has not brought
himself to open commitment to the
psrty's national ticket, headed by
Gov. Landon.
The fact that Borah has not given
open Endorsement to the Landon
ticket has caused irritation and criti-
cism in the ranks of the yed-in-the-
wool Republicans of Idaho. Some
among them are bitter in the extreme.
For it seems apparent to them that
with his aid in the Landon campaign
they could carry Idaho and that
other Western States would be power
fully influenced to support the Re-
publican standard bearer So strong
is the resentment that there is talk
of some of these Republicans aban-
doning Borah in this election-even
to the extent of voting for his Demo-
cratic opponent. If any do, however,
they will be numerically few, for
Borah has become an institution in
Idaho.
People Proud of Him.
Through his great abilities he has
drawn credit to the State. Its people
are proud of him, even when they dis
agree with him. When he has raised
ned in Westinghouse he has often
done-they have said to themselves
That's Borah," and they have taken
a certain amount of satisfaction in
the stir he has created, although he
may have inveighed against something
a Republican administration desired.
His character and devotion to prin-
ciple have had their reward.
When Borah's present attitude Of
aloofness is sifted, several possible
reasons for his reimbursement of
the Landon ticket reveal themselves.
1Saa IINCOI NJ page A-10l