Evening star., 1937-11-04
C. 0. SENATORS
HIT 1888 PARLEY
Borah and Townsend Toss
Rocks at Plan on Eve
of Chicago Session.
By G. GOULD LINCOLN

hurled at the plan by Senators Borah
of Idaho and Townsend of Delaware.
Senator Borah, who failed to support
Landon in the last national campaign,
declared that a national convention
would be "usurpation or dictatorship
in politics"
The Delaware Senator, who is chair
man of the Republican Senatorial
Campaign Committee, while less vio-
lent in his language. said he was op-
posed to the convention idea. fearing
that it might jeopardize the chances of
election of Senators and Representa-
tives in 1888.
Tomorrow the National Committee
assemblies in Chicago to decide
whether the proposed convention is to
be sanctioned by the party's official
organization. 1t has been predicted
by members of the committee that the
convention plan would be adopted by
a considerable majority
B0rah Hostile From Start.
What effect, if any, the protests of
Senator Borah and Senator Townsend
VIII have on the committee remains
to be seen. Borah has been hostile to
the convention idea ever since it was
hrst broached. Former President
Hoover has been its chief protagonist-
although he has support from many
other Republicans-and former Gov.
Alf M. Landon of Kansas, the 1885
Republican presidential nominee, has
been extremely lukewarm to the idea,
If not actually opposed.
In recent speech in Boston Mr..
Hoover sought to clear the atmosphere
by declaring that he was not a can
didate for any public Office and that
he had no wish to dominate or dictate
to the proposed Republican conven-
ton. Apparently he had no effect
upon the Idaho Senator. Senator
ToWnsend's attitude represents that
OF number of other Republicans in
Congress, who believe in letting nature
take its political course, at least until
after the congressional elections next
year. They have a nebulous kind Of
fear that gathering of Republicans
might do something that would lose
votes to certain Republican candi-
dates for election to Congress.
Hits Lack of Representation.
Attacking the convention plan, Sem
ator Borah said:
"A mid convention of the Repub-
lican party would be something like
the play of Hamlet with Hamlet left
out. The voters would have no rep
resentation in that convention
simply the leaders. Nothing could be
more impolitic and nothing more CAL
culated to affront the voters than
that of few distinguished men as
suming to commit the party to a set
of principles or to outline the policy
of the party. They would have no
more authority to announce the prin-
ciples of the party than any other
group of distinguished men who
might volunteer for that task
I'VE have heard a great deal about
usurpation and dictatorship in recent
years There could be no greater ex-
| hibition of usurpation or dictatorship
in politics than for few self-selected,
self-elected, self-accredited men un-
dertaking to fix the principles and
policies for 100000 voters without
| ever having consulted the voters or
| received their Endorsement IN any
way.
1T has been stated that We could
secure something in the nature Of
authority from the people by calling
back the delegates to the Cleveland
| convention. The work of these dele
gates, their views and their principles.
! lie beneath an avalanche of votes.
buried, rejected We do not want a
voice from the tombs, but a fresh,
new voice from the voters.
Views Held Well Known.
Have not these men who are as
suming to speak for the voters had
their day in court and had their prin-
ciples passed upon? The voters know
we'll their views and theories and have
rendered Judgment.
If we are going to rebuild the party
let us build from the bottom, not from
the top. 1t has been urged that the
convention will only deal with funda-
mentals. If We should meet in con-
vention and fail to declare ourselves
with some degree of detail on the farm
question, the labor question, upon
Government expenditures. upon taxes,
upon balancing the budget, ad inf
nitum, we would be jeered from the
Atlantic to the Pacific as unfit to have
the reins of government. And if we
should undertake to deal with the
farm question. who would be au-
thorized to speak for agriculture or to
express their views? Likewise, for
| labor?
1.-The Republican party is in its
present plight largely because leaders
of the party too long neglected to
take counsel of the voter. Leaders
acted upon the theory that the voters
would be led or cudgeled along the
road pointed out by the leaders.
For the national committee to call
a midconvention would be q fiat
usurpation of power. There are those
who will deal with the subject upon
that theory
| Senator TownsAnd's Statement.
Senator Townsend's statement fol-
lows:
i am opposed to the Republican Ma
tional Committee taking any action
at this time that might jeopardize the
chances for election of Republican
Representatives and Senators in 1888.
I feel the Republican National Com
mittee could well afford to appoint q
special committee to sound out the
sentiment not only of Republican
members Of Congress and of prospec-
tive Republican candidates, who must
bear the burden of campaigning in
1888, but of the rank and file of the
party before ordering a midterm con-
vention for the declaration of Repub-
lcan policies and principles.
II am making this statement in my
private capacity as a member of United
States Senate and I do not pretend to
reflect the views of the other members
Of the Republican Senatorial Campaign
Committee, of which 1 lam chairman.