Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-09
A STRANGE CONCEIT.
cENATOR BORAH has been ad

- vocating the recognition o.
Russia by the United States on ths
ground that it would serve to pre-
vent another war in Europe, ane
tnat if we have another war in Eu'
rope the United States will be inev'
itably dragged into it. Clemen.
ceau has been advocating a French,
American alliance and our joining
the league of nations on the ground
that it would preserve the peace
of Europe and that if we fail tc
do these things there will probably
be another European war in whicE
we will be compelled to do our
part in order to prevent the wreck
of European civilization which
would bring enormous loss and
danger to the United States. Borah
would have nothing to do with the
Frenchman's proposed remedies.
Clemenceau would have nothing to
do with Borah's proposed remedy.
He is bitterly opposed to any rec
ognition of Russia which left
France in the lurch and made a sep
crate peace in the crisis Of her de-
Tense, and which also repudiated
their bonded debt to France. Both
men disagree with each other rad
ically as to facts and remedies, but
both agree that there is likely to
be another great European war
soon and that the United States
will have to take part in it.
The Springfield Republican COM
ments in an interesting way on the
concert of opinion between these
two men sc radically opposed to
each other on policies which this
country should follow in order to
avoid sending our young men to
battle on European soil in the near
future, and yet agreed on the fact
that such necessity is in sight. 1t
says:
Senator Borah's insistence on
the complete recognition of the
Russian soviet government at an
early day must apparently be inter-
preted in the light of his fear that
another great war is impending in
Europe.
Extremes meet again. Clemen-
ceau said in St. Louis: You will
be obliged to come some way or
another, and you had better take
care that it will not be too late
Borah said in Boston: The time
Is now here when the United States
should act, and the American peo-
pie whose boys will be called to
die in case the war comes ought to
see that their government does
act The point of agreement be-
tween the two men, who differ in
SO many respects. is that America
would be inevitably drawn into an
other European struggle.
IF Mr.. Borah believes that, it is
more difficult than ever to under
stand his unconprorn;sing opposi-
ton to our governments active par
ticipation in European conferences
for the maintenance Of peace.
Why are we represented at Lau-
same by mere unofficial observers1
Is not Senator Borah in some de-
gree responsible? If he comedies
that another great European war
would mean Americas participation
in it, why should he oppose ire
concilably the admission of the
United States into the League of
Nations? Are we to participate
only in European wars? In order
to prevent the wars, we might bet
ter help to make endurable Euro
pean peace.
The senator, however, is a more
hopeful case than some of his fell
low isolationists. He is not 80
much of an isolationist that he is
indifferent to Europe's slide down
the slope. He would do something
at once to arrest it. Mr.. Borah is
not a communist or a red His
advocacy Of the immediate recog-
milton of the present Russian gov
eminent IS his approach, out Of
the cave of his isolation, to the
solution of the general European
problem. Such a step would be
simple, from his point of view, be-
cause it would technically involve
radical departure from American
traditions.
The mere recognition of the
government, however, would
not advance very far the solution
of the general European problem.
1t is. what goes. with recognition
ahat determines its effect. With
recognition goes a policy because