The New York herald., 1922-04-23

| foothold in the West Indies. Either
Grant was patriotic and farseeing. or
Mckinley and Roosevelt were jingoes.
| for in 1869 he had the same vision as
they of tie necessity of footing in
the Caribbean Sea as a protection to
a future canal.
! Hence, Grant conceived and Secre-
tary Fish somewhat reluctantly agreed
to the policy of the annexation Of the
whole or part Of the Dominican Re-
public. Grants diplomacy was crude,
his medium OF approval, Babcock. was
shady; but had Sumner and his friends
seen as far into the future as Presi-
dent Grant saw tie United States
could have established itself in the
West Indies thirty years before the
| Spanish war Of 1898.
| In another direction Grant showed
the coolness and self control and far
sight which surprised his enemies
The Cuban insurrection of 1858 found
friends and support within TIE boun-
daries of the United States; and de-
/ spite many exertions on the part Of
the Federal Government filibustering
| expeditions slipped through. carrying
recruits and supplies to the Cuban pa
| triots. In 1873 the steamship Virginia,
with American recruits OH board, was
seized by a Spanish ship OF war and
a number Of the American passengers
were executed. Strong pressure was
brought on Grant to push the contro-
versy. The President. being q man of
war. had enough OF hostilities and de-
cided on peaceful methods Of obtaining
redress, and in due time the matter
was settled accordingly.
! In Grants Administration came also
the great diplomatic triumph OF the
peaceful adjustment OF the Alabama
claims. No one outside the present
day friends of Ireland can understand
how fierce was the American feeling
against Great Britain. To be sure. the
! colonists and the infant United States
found privateering in war times a
righteous and often profitable kind
of fighting; but feeling had sprung
up in the world against the capture
of private property at sea. The de-
struction of American commerce by
the Confederate commerce destroyers
was looked upon as kind Of halfway
piracy for which England was reSpon-
sible, because several o. tho ships were
built or fitted out in England and al
lowed to depart thence for their field
OF depreciation. 1t was the wisdom
and patience and courtesy Of Hamil-
ton Fish which led TO tho treaty oi
Washington and the consequent Ge-
neva arbitration. 1t was he wEo guided
Proud Albion to q national acknowl-
edgment OF having failed in its duty
to the United States. and thereby made
ii sure that an arbitration would &C
against the British. 1t was he who
agreed to the withdrawal Of the Ameri
can claim for consequential damages
which was a favorite idea of Summers
and nearly wrecked the whole thing
Nevertheless, 1t was President Gram
who had the complete confidence of his
country as a solid American, and al
the same time possessed the wisdom
to decide in favor of peace making
and peace preserving policy. 1t was
In Grants Administration and with his
| good will that the Hawaiian reciproc-
ity treaty OF 1875 was negotiated
which led to the eventual annexation
of those islands. Grant was wiser thar
his generation in the settlement o.
ugly controversies. ana more FAR
sighted than most of his generation al
TO the future expansion OF the Ameri'
! can empire