Evening star., 1940-01-20
By q, GOULD LINCOLN.

ny u. GUILD LINCOLN.
William Edgar Borah, a Senator
Of the United States, is dead.
The Senate will never be quite the
same again. Not that Senator
Borahs place will not be filed, Just
as the places Of Webster, Calhoun
and Clay have been filled. There
will be missing, however, the exact
qualities Of the Idaho Senator that
have made him for years q great
figure In America.
In recent years Senator Borah
had two passions-to keep this coun-
try free from the tangled affairs, the
hates and wars Of Europe, and to
restore the Republican party to its
original liberality, to make it the
party Of the people. He Is dead at
q critical time-when American in
volvement in European affairs hangs
In the balance, and when the G. O. P.
is shortly to make important deci-
sions-to decide upon its course in
national politics and government.
Remained Always q Republican.
A great liberal, Borah remained
always a great Republican. He be-
leved In the party as an instrument
of government and he hoped always
that it would return to its early
moorings. He did not abandon the
party in 1912 to follow Theodore
Roosevelt and the Bull Moose, al
though his every instinct was to
oppose machine politics, the hand
picking of delegates to national con-
ventions and their manipulation in
convention. He did not break away
from the G. o. P. in 1924 when
the late Robert M. La Toilette of
Wisconsin sought to establish new,
liberal party.
The Idaho Senator threw down
the gauntlet to the forces he con-
sidered reactionary In his party in
1896. The liberal Republicans, he
declared. should have at least an
opportunity to express themselves.
So he became a candidate for the
presidential nomination, entering
the primaries in Illinois. Ohio and
several other States where the
people have an opportunity to ex-
press directly their preferences for
presidential nominees. Without
money, and practically without or
ganization, Borah bucked the or
ganization.
He was 10 years old, but full of
courage and belief that he was
right in trying to direct the party
/ nf hic yyny,fh iv1fn 1i1evo1 III Al
Never before had Senator Borah be-
come an avowed candidate for
presidential nomination, although he
had been mentioned for such prefer
ence frequently in the past. This
time 1t was crusade. He Travelled
simply and almost alone into Ohio
and Illinois and spoke to the people
A Fight Against Odds.
In Ohio the Republican organiza-
ton turned its back on him. It put
forward Robert A. Taft, son of the
late President and Chief Justice, as
a favorite son candidate, who has
since himself become Senator and
is today one of the leading aspirants
for the Republican nomination of
1910. In Illinois the Republican
leaders rallied to Col. Frank Knox,
publisher Of the Chicago Daily News,
who afterward became the vice pres
idential candidate with former Gov.
ALI M. Landon of Kansas. Not
withstanding the odds against him,
Borah, by the mere persuasiveness
Of his words and by the magic of
personality and his reputation, made
a remarkable showing in both States,
although he won only a handful of
the delegates.
AS in the campaign of 1886, Sem
ator Borah up to the time of his
death was intent upon the nominal
ton of candidate for President
who should be liberal.
Always Senator Borah fought for
the common man, the common man
whom God must love, Abraham Lin
coin said, because he made so many
of them" He was firm believer
IN the Constitution of the United
States-although he was not averse
to its amendment when necessary.
He was bitterly opposed, however, to
notification of the constitutional
provisions even to obtain ends that
might be admirable.
Direct Vote for Senators.
He was the author, for example,
Of resolution to amend the Con-
stitution so that Senators be elected
by a direct vote of the people, in
stead of by the Legislatures of the
States as had been the practice
since the beginning of the Govern
ment. His resolution was offered in
the Senate five days before SINH
lar resolution was presented to the
House-and the House resolution
was made the vehicle which finally
laid before the States for ratiflca-
ton the Seventeenth Amendment
to the Constitution, under which
Senators are now elected.
Despite the fact that Senator
Borah was as hostile to lynchings
as any man could BE, he declared
himself in 1896 opposed to the en-
actment of the then pending anti