Evening star., 1936-04-04
Borah's Fight Goes On.

York has swept aside Senator 6orans
efforts to obtain Borah-instructed dele
gates to the Republican National Con-
vention.
The Idaho Senator probably never had
any serious doubts about what would
happen in the Empire State primary.
However, true to his stand that the vot-
ers themselves should have hand IN
the selection of the delegates who are
to choose the Republican presidential
nominee, he permitted his friends IN
New York to enter Borah candidates for
delegate in nine of New Yorks forty
three congressional districts. 1t was a
case of Borah against the organization
and Borah against the field of other
aspirants.
The fight the veteran Senator is max
ing to have the next Republican nominee
receive popular support, rather than
merely the support of party leaders and
organization bosses, has much to COM
mend it. 1t is particularly expedient in
this campaign year that the nominee OF
the Republican party should wear the
peoples label. The Republican party
was born of the people. 1t has accom-
plished great things in the name OF the
people and for the people. 1t will be
returned to power only when the people
are convinced the G. o. P. is needed
again to advance their interests.
One difficulty Senator Borah has had
to meet in his campaign for presiden-
tial candidate of popular choice lies in
the fact that only in 13 of the 48 States
are Republican presidential preferential
primaries held. And even in these
States where preference primaries are
held, State organizations of the Repub-
lican party have turned their backs on
instructed" delegations-named by the
voters to support certain candidates.
The organizations have preferred,
rather, to send uninstructed delegations
or delegations pledged to "favorite son"
candidates, which is just another way
of choosing uninstructed delegations,
The organization leaders have taken the
position that the thing to do was to turn
the job of nominating presidential can
didate over to the delegates themselves
when they meet in convention. The dam
ger, however, lies in the fact that once
the delegates have assembled their choice
will be made, not by the great mass OF
delegates, but by few leaders.
This was what happened in 1920, al
though three of the major candidates
for the presidential nomination had
come into the convention that year with
large blocs of delegates pledged to them.
The desires of the voters. expressed IN
primary elections, were cast aside. A
small group of leaders. having back OF
them many unpledged delegations, set
tied the question.
Borahs fight will continue, despite
the results in New York's primary. His
next test comes Tuesday, when the presi-
dental primary is held in Wisconsin
and Borah slate Of delegate candidates
will face slate Of 'uninStructed" can
didates. 1t is territory where the pro-
gressive Republican candidate has much
better chance of victory. A defeat there
would have far different effect on the
hopes of the orah-for-President Re-
publicans.
Indeed, a defeat in Wisconsin might
well be considered a death blow to the
aspirations of the Idaho ASenator. A
victory for Borah will, on the other
hand, give new impetus and better
chance of success to the Borah candidacy
in the great States of Illinois, Ohio and
Pennsylvania, all of which hold presi-
Dental primaries.
The Republican presidential nominee
this year will have to face a Democratic
nominee who has received the support
of the voters in practically all of the
presidential preferential primary States.
President Roosevelt's name has been
entered in these primaries. He will have
the complexion of the peoples choice as
well as the choice of the leaders of his
party. The contrast between his posi-
tion in this respect and that Of Re-
publican candidate named by the leaders
of the G. O. P. will doubtless be called
to the attention of the voters in the
campaign to come.