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Show PECKSNIFF! AN ENGLAND. Eer Army and TV'avy In the Interests of Feace While Others Mean War. A delightful illustration of that incurable in-curable hypocrisy which is one of England's Eng-land's national characteristics and which is most exasperating to foreigners foreign-ers is given in The Daily News. As a government organ The News had to say pleasant things about tho prime minister's minis-ter's speech at the Guildhall banquet, and it certainly laid on praise with a very large brush, the predominant sentiment sen-timent of its chief editorial being thai Lord Rosebery is a great, self sacrifio Ing statesman, and that England is the greatest and most unselfish nation in tho world. "The premier did not say one word too much about the danger of those vast European armaments which seem to increase rather than diminish with years. He might perhaps hav added a word in favor of international disarmament, which was once the dream of romantia missionaries and is now the hope of practical statesmen. It. is true that tho British navy has lately beta strengthened and enlarged, but tbf purely defensive nature of that celebrated cele-brated forco is not doubted by the mosl captious of critics." Thus spoke the great international Pecksniff in all his noble singleness oi heart and purpose. Other wicked na tions raise vast armies each with bad nlterior designs against his neighbors, but England, although she sedulously Increases her fleet, does so solely for the glory of peace and good will among men. The British navy, in fact, is a great engine of peace, guaranteed not to hurt a fly. It may be urged by cynical foreigners that the great English newspaper, news-paper, amid the general approval of th country, has been insisting that ths British fleet was not strong enough fra fight France and Russia combined and hould be made fit to do so with tha least possible delay, and that a propo al is afoot to create a new political party par-ty pledged, before everything else, to taake the army and navy alike more effective ef-fective for offense as well as defense. But The Daily News or any other English Eng-lish paper will experience no difficulty In proving that this movement ia era! sen tly. unselfish and peaceful " |