Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-03
H PSYCHOLOGY OF

THE centennial Of General Grant.
l birthday was celebrated a few
ago with enthusiasm and ceremony
in several cities of the union. The
eastern papers. now arriving in the
west have much to say about it in
editorial comment and news dis
patches. It is a noticeable fac,
that every speaker on that occasion
and nearly every editorial write,
gave prominence to that saying Of
| General Grant after the surrender
of Lee, Let US have peace" Gen
eral Grant made his reputation as
a soldier. He did not add much tc
his laurels as a statesman after
serving two terms as president
During those eight years that sue
ceeded the war the reaction from
high idealism to gross materialisn
was as marked as it has been since
the great world war. The rotten.
ness of carpetbag governments in
the south, the Credit Mobilier, the
whisky ring, the sutler scandals
all these manifestations Of graf,
and greed in public life. ann right
after the war and helped to dis
credit the Grant administration
But now after more than half a cen.
fury, these things r mostly for.
gotten, and forgotten also in large
measure are the military achieve.
ments of General Grant. The thing
that appeals to us most strongly in
the character of Grant, was his love
of peace. Military life had nc
charms for me-" he wrote later OF
his West Point experiences. 81
lever went into the army without
regret, and l never retired from il
without pleasure" And now on the
centennial celebration of the birth.
day of a great and successful gen.
eral, who was somewhat celebrated
for his brief and pointed state.
ments, the public linger lovingly
over that phrase of his-let us have
peace. A few of the speakers re.
ferred to those other phrases of his
"The way to resume (specie pay.
ments) is to resume" and Il pro-
pose to fight it out on this line If
it takes all summer" But all OF
them dwelt on the phrase that indi.
Gated his love of peace and hatred
Of war.
Perhaps it is because the psyeh-
ology Of the world yearns toward
peace at this moment that so much
stres was put on General Grants
peace sentiments. 1t is true. We
believe all the nations of the earth
desire peace this moment, though
national hatreds and national fears
may prevent its realization. Even
red Russia wants peace. The trade
treaty between Germany and Rus
STA, on its face at least, is a peace
treaty, though it has excited fears
and suspicious among the allies.
The smaller countries on the Rus
sian borders are in favor of peace.
The Springfield Republican is re-
Gently moved to remark, "The re-
markable treaty recently signed by
Russia, Poland, Esthonia, and Lat.
via, shows that eastern Europe is
taking long steps toward political
reconstruction. Poland till lately
was regarded as subsevient to
French policy, but in this treaty it
agrees to work at Genoa for de jure
recognition of soviet Russia. All
these countries moreover, join the
in favoring disarmament and the
establishment of d~emilitarized zones
along frontiers. This is at the op-
posite pole from the French con-
ception of a powerful armed Po-
land to constitute an impossible
barrier between Germany and Rus
STA, and the signing of this quad
ripple treaty of Riga of course in
tensified the alarm felt in France
over the signing On Easter Sunday
of the Rapallo treaty between Rus
STA and Germany. Russia's protest
recently in regard to Poland's atti-
tude gives increase interest to the
terms of the Riga treaty"
Even France wants peace, though
haunted by the fear of German re-
venge and reprisal. It is the uni
versal psychology of peace that
sutains Lloyd George in his hope
that a peace pact may yet be signed
at Genoa, and the hope of the world
that the League of Nations may yet
prove an efficient instrument to
prevent war, and that this republic
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