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Show MOSSBACKS. Coming without previous intimation and without explanation, the retirement retire-ment of several veteran British am-haMbarlors, am-haMbarlors, inclinling Sir Ceoil Spring-Rice, Spring-Rice, envoy at Washington, leav os the world to form its ovv n conjectures. The only hint we have of the motives prompting tho British government to indulge in this diplomatic shakeup is contaiuort in the comments of tho Bon-don Bon-don newspapers. The Daily Chronicle says: "The time has gone when British interests abroad can be entrusted wisely wise-ly to ineu whoso principal qualifications qualifica-tions are aristocratic birlh or wealth and who epend their lives in an atmosphere atmos-phere utterly remote from the realities of the modern world and look with disdainful eye on commerce." When Lloyd George overthrow the dignified but somewhat lethargic ministry min-istry of Mr. Asquith he surrounded himself with a sort of coalition government, gov-ernment, including such notable tories as Lord Jlilner and Arthur James Balfour, Bal-four, i 1 is idea, may have been that the interests of Great Britain -would best be served by picking able administrators admin-istrators of all parties ' and thus disarming dis-arming those likely to be his opponent.-. But there was much criticism at the time because one of the most radical-minded radical-minded of British Liberals should have neglected some of the most brilliant members of his own party at a time when ho himself had defined the war as a fight between t lie free nations nnd autocracy. (ireat. Britain, however, has a gov-eminent gov-eminent which mingles democracy and aristocracy, and although it is a free nation, it is far from being a true democracy. It remained for President "Wilson to define tho issue of the war as a fight to make the world safe for democracy, thus ignoring the aristocratic aristo-cratic principle in tho British empire. In view of the new definition and uf the undoubted fact that democracy was growing stronger everywhere in the world, the British government may have considered it advisable to select ambassadors who would feel greater sympathy for the changing tides of opiuiou throughout the world. An equally strong motive might be found in necessity for forward-looking men who would understand better and be more interested in the new conditions produced by these changing tides. As the Chronicle suggests, the elder statesmen, states-men, especially those of aristocratic mould, would be wholly out of touch with economic changes and vast commercial com-mercial transformations. If anything more serious has occurred oc-curred there has been no sign of it in the relations between, our government and Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, nor is there any reason to suspect a feud of any kind. When he is replaced it will be highly desirable that his successor shall be .a young, up-to-date, alert young man who does not kowtow to tee porteutious but somewhat tarnished traditions of the Victorian era. |