The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-20
Senate Funeral Being
Planned For Borah
CONTINUED from Page y

1885 In futile effort to turn the
q. o. p. to his way Of thinking.
Party Means Nothing
"Party means nothing to me"
Borah said over his milk and crack.
ers. "vice President Garner Is q
very capable man. ! might support
him for president II he were NOM
mated and the Republicans named
some reactionary."
Senator Burton K. Wheeler, D.,
Mont, as Q presidential candidate
probably would have tempted him
to bolt.
1t was typical Of Borah to confess
his innermost political convictions
to some newspaper friend. He had
them by the dozens, and he talked
to them often and at length. Never
did he exhibit any fear whatsoever
that his condolences would be re-
vealed. And they never were.
Unique In politics, and the despair
Of other statesmen to whom news
paper space also was valuable, were
the Borah press conferences which
took place daily In his ONCE during
months when congress was In recess
and the senator stayed here.
Page One Copy
Page one was his bulls eye and he
rarely missed. But the conferences
were not Of his making; they were
the only convenient method OF com.
plying with the insistent demands Of
washington political reporters for
his opinions. When foreign writer's
came alone or In groups, 1t was Tor
Borah they inquired.
His name spread around the world
because he could stand In the senate
and utter In o Jnusically throaty
voice words which were read IN
every diplomats chancellcry and
which could checkmate presidents
and secretaries Of state. ys
In 1924 he became chairman Of the
Senate foreign relations committee,
O socially gold.braided position Of
which Borah took no social advarl.
tage at all. Instead, he continued to
seclude himself from receptions,
parties and dinners except o scart
few which he could not escape. He
was chairman until March 4, 1888,
when the Democrats took over. It
was necessary for secretaries Of state
TO consult with Borah. They did so,
but rarely obtained his unqualified
approval for their foreign policies.
Voted for War
Borah helped vote the United
States into the World war and into
prohibition. He supported restrictive
immigration. The bill which created
the labor department as O cabinet
rank agency bore his name. Farm
relief, reclamation, and tariff tricks
for agriculture had always his sup
port. And he was O mighty foe Of
the interests and monopoly. But
Borah was O man Of CONTRADICTIONS.
He spoke for woman suffrage and
voted against the woman suffrage
amendment to the constitution. He
favored declaration Of war but OPP
posed the 1917 draft act and the bill
to lower the draft age to 10 years.
He probably regretted two notable
votes, cast against confirmation Of
Louis D. Brandeis for the supreme
court In 1915 and against conflrma-
ton OF Charles Evans Hughes to be
chief Justice In 1880. ,u
Borah was an individualist, cham
pion OF lost causes. Funiing OF the
party high command In 1928 he I'm.
dertook to collect by popular sub.
scription large sum OF money re-
ceived by the Republican party dur
Ing the Harding administration oil
scandals from Harry r. Sinclair. He
said the money could not be kept
"in honor and decency." Ills expec-
tation Of contributions was not
realized.
Wouldn't Take Raise
Congress voted itself 0 wage In
crease In 1927 from $500 to $4,000
year. Borah refused TO accept the
extra $500, explaining he had been
elected to o $500 Job and that was
oil the government would have to
pay him until after his next reelec-
ton. He ran for q $4,000 senate Job
the next time and took full pay
thereafter.
Usually unmindfui Of his con-
stItuentS, Boreh fought Tor yeelec.
In 1885. Postmaster General James
A. Farley generally was credited
with Q new deal move TO Supplaut
him In the senate with Democratic
Governor Q. Ben Ross. Borah won,
but only after the nearest thing 10
q real tight he had experienced IN
some years.
Practlced Speeches
One OF his little.Known habits
was TO practice his speeches aloud
and with full power IN his resonant
voice. ~ractice sessions used be held
n o dark, diney little room Ia the
capitol which was part OF the old
foreign relations committee suite.
When he went 10 the senate hoor
he knew not only what but how he
was going TO say II.
So-called pressure groups" got
short shift from Borala. His state
was small II population and he con-
ceived himself to be o federal OIL
cial rather than the territorial rep-
preventative. He could pry out Q tari6