Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
DH MANN SOLLIVHN
N NEWSPAPERS of September %,
1922, wrote the following words.

THE soldiers bonus is a settled
issue, not only for the present session
of Congress but forever. 1t will never
again come so near to winning in ony
future Congress as it did in this
Whether you like or do not like this
final outcome of the bonus, give the
principal credit for 1t to Senator Will
liam E. Borah of Idaho. 1t was
largely his aggressive energy that built
up following in the Senate from
almost nothing and it was chiefly the
outspoken courage of his speeches
and writings that crystallized enough
feeling throughout the country to
bring about the present result"
1t is useful that readers be reminded
occasionally of the fallibility of writers,
and useful that writer's be made aware
of the danger of prediction. I ought
not to have gone wrong about the
bonus 1 should have remembered
the history of pension legislation fol-
lowing the Civil War-always, as the
years went on, the pensions grew.
And ii had not SO recently bumped
my head against an incorrect predic-
ton of Is years ago I would now pre-
dict that the present victory of the
veterans bonus is probably only the
beginning of constantly increasing
pensions.
BOrah's Position Discussed.
In the l3 years ago allusion to Sena-
tor Borah there is present timeliness
and interest. I am glad l wrote what
I did about him in 1922. Senator
Borah has many times earned such
admiration and deserved the gratitude
OF the country. Over considerable Pc
RODS he has been called the watch
dog OF the Treasury" and economy in
public expenditures is only one of
many policies and actions for which
the country has been indebted to him.
But the contrast between Senator
Borah IL years ago and Senator
Borah today Illustrated concretely the
hesltancy many persons now have
about Senator Borah as a possibility
for the Republican presidential nomi-
nation. Senator Borah does not think
the contrast is as great as it seems.
He says-and the record bears him
out-that he opposed the bonus every
time it came before the Senate in the
form OF proposal to pay it. Finally,
Senator Borah explains, Congress
passed the bonus bill, in form which
provided for payment of it in the
future, in l945. Therefore Senator
RnrQ h tnnly
ohe changed conditions. He says that
as soon as Congress had by its action
declared that the country owed the
veterans bonus he took the view
that it ought to be paid at once. Mr..
Borah did not think Congress ought
to admit the obligation, and for 10
years he always voted against admit
ting, it for he thought the obligation
did not exist in fact But once Con-
gress admitted the obligation, Senator
Borah thinks that action amounted
to the making of a contract. Since
contract was now in existence Mr..
Borah thought the country should
live up to it at once and not postpone
payment until 1945 Hence the Sen
ator's present position.
Will Country Understand?
Some of us can see the distinction
Senator Borah makes. fine though it
is. But the country generally thinks
vaguely there is some kind of hair
splitting in it, And the country,
vaguely recalling other changes of at
titude by Senator Borah in other
matters, thinks of him and his career
as not making clearly defined pic
ture of craftsmanship. Much of the
country, admitting his fine qualities,
is confused and disturbed. For ex-
ample many will admit, as they must.
that Senator Borah has been and is
a strong defender of the Constitution,
of the authority of the Supreme Court
and of the independence of the
judiciary. Many will admit that-and
yet not concede that Senator Borah
is the best possibility for the Repub-
lican presidential nomination. They
will not concede he is the best choice
even in a campaign year in which
the Constitution and the courts are
likely to be the principal issue. Many
are equally willing, or prefer, to trust
the defense of the Constitution and
courts to one of the other possibilities
Mr.. Hoover or Gov Landon or Col.
Knox or any of the others - even
though these have never had occasion
to emphasize this as one of their con-
victions
The blurred quality of the picture
which the public has of Senator Borah
is due to inconsistencies, real or APP
parent, m the Senator's record. Some
of his actions have seemed out OF step
with others. Sometimes his eloquent
conviction about one question has been
neutralized, in the public mind, by
his silence on another. His vote or his
speech on one policy has been marred
by some off-hand remark or newspaper
interview seeming to look in the OPP
posite direction. Much of the coun-
try has got the notion that the Sem
ator is temperamental, subject to vary
ing moods.
Presidential Stand Is Poser.
This confusion in the public mind,
including the minds OF some discrlm-
mating observers and associates of the
Senator, works to his detriment as a
presidential nominee. The lack of a
clear picture is conspicuous today.
The country does not clearly know
whether Senator Borah is or is not a
candidate for the Republican presi-
dental nomination. Much Of the
country doubts whether the Senator
is sure of his own mind about it.
Worse yet for the Senator. much OF
the public is not sure whether Sem
ator Borah is completely opposed to
the New Deal. When say COM
pletely opposed" do not mean OPP
posed to everything the New Deal has
done. Much that the Roosevelt ad-
ministration has done is satisfactory
n,,t aIraiffipn oil