The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-07
From the Times-Herald.

|, London, Aug. 2i.-tNo man in the
| house of commons eXcites so much
! speculation among his colleagues or has
| SO much attention from the strangers
| gallery as the new secretary of state
| for the colonies, Joseph Chamberlain.
| a leading journalist has just dubbed
him the Second Disraell." He has
| some points of contact with this cele-
bra ted Jew.
| Mr.. Cham5 erlain Is now 80 years of
| age. 1t is not easy TO believe this when
one studies his youthful exterior. his
1 air OF jaunty and almost aggressive
bOyiShness as he moves about the house
and lobby. Neat even to spruceness
| and fastidious even to his well-mani-
cured finger tips. he does not at first
| suggest the stubborn quality that Is in
| him or his unmatched powers of perfect
| seM-possession under attack and his
| faculty of assuming an aspect OF cynic-
| al interest mingled with pity when his
| foes are hurling upon him the malig-
nant javelins of fierce invective.
The fact Is, Mr.. Chamberlain's de6o-
nair personality has always been sort
| of high crime and misdemeanor in the
eyes of those who do not carry their
years SO well, while the readiness of his
| retorts and the cUmposure with which
| he greets articulate or inarticulate in
| terruptionS eXasperateS his opponents
| even worse than what they choose to
| call his political treason. In high de-
gree he has what Is called 1.-THE house
Of commons manner" something hard
to describe, but easy to recognize even
from the gallery.
Has Made Many Enemies.
1t has been his fortune or misfortune
| to make many enemies. No English
statesman of the period has made so
| maryland seemed SO Indifferent to the
making. Yet he has warm friends.
Mr.. Balfour Is one; Sir Charles Dixie is
| another; the late Lord Randolph
Churchill was a third. To the Irish ma
tionallsts he is the most detestable of
men. They see in him, rightly or
wrongly, the force which baked their
aspirations in the last two Gladstone
his acts and character is summed up in
the oft-applied epithet of Judas"
1t is singular fact, and one not often
recalled, that the same abominated
Judas" Chamberlain was, prior to 1886.
much in advance of his liberal col
leagues of that day on all questions
pertaining to Ireland. The difference
between him and them Is that they
pushed forward, while he maintained
his own original status quo.
Although by birth Londoner, 1t was
in Birmingham that his large wealth
and his political reputation was gained.
Mayor of that city from 1874 to 1876, his
period of office was connected with
many important municipal improve
ments; and when parliamentary va
cancy occurred in the borough 1t was
natural that he should be chosen to
fill it. His ascendancy in that city has
from that day steadily increased; and
he has now an influence in Birmingham
and the Midland counties which could
not be much greater We're he a local
pope.
Was Considered Dangerous.
When he entered parliament in 1876,
the conservatives looked upon him as
| a dangerous portent. He spoke like
| a republican,; there was q clear note of
hostility to the monarchial system in
his addresses on the hustings. which
soon secured for him the reputation of
q revolutionist. The mildest comment
| airy upon his policy described it as "a
new and peculiarly ferocious variety of
radicalism." The wings of the Harting-
ton school eyed him askance as a pos
sible conspirator against all esta blished
| order. The moderate liberals feared
him as the patentee of the American
caucus in England. This was wea-
pom they had not used and could not
understand. They stood aghast when
he referred to Lord Harrington as the
former leader of the liberal party"
BY degrees, however, they came to
understand him, then to trust, and
finally to admire and to applaud. Ere
Mr.. Gladstone returned to power in
1880, Chamberlain had lived down much
of the suspicion that he was at heart a
red republican,; and his inclusion in
that cabinet was regarded as a GER
tainty. He entered it. stepping at once
to the responsive position of president
of the board of trade. Here his care
full municipal training stood him in ex.
cellent stead. He provG-e a practical
and capable administrator, ready to
deal with such highly technical sub
jects as the bankruptcy laws. patents
and merchant shipping. On the floor
of the house in debate his vivacious
and vigorous oratory proved of con-
slant service to the government of the
day and helped to cheer the tagging
spirits of the ministerialists in times
of defeat.
Admitted His Leadership.
1t was during this period-the period
between 1880 and 1SS5-that shrewd
judges of character and events began
to see In the man and his work the
elements of future leadership. At the
time of the introduction of the reform
bill of 1885. no secret was made of the
fact that Chamberlain was largely re-
sponsible for several of it's most Sweep
Ing and serviceable provisions; while
the irish parliamentary leaders paid
open tribute In the house to his nd.
mirable efforts In endeavorng to bring
about a reconciliation between thaS
party and Mr.. Gladstone.
Then came the general election of
1885, with an official programme an,
nouncing that the establishment of an
Independent parliament and executive
IN dublin was to be the chief concern
or liberal legislation in the new parlia.
ment. To Mr.. ChambeMain tbis cam.
as a total and genuine surprise Al.
though previously. in advance of Mr.
Gladstone and Mr.. Morley, as The
newspaper files Of that period prove bv
the testimony of scores of important
speeches In parliament and on fha
hustings, he now found himself entire.
~ distanced In the effort to give to
Ireland such reforms as he rerardeS
necessary. He refused to go the nace
ana issued what was called an "unau.
thorized programme" which greatly
scandalized the strict party followers
OF Mr.. Gladstone. This was the begin.
ming or the memorable rupture which
ended In the formation of the ,iberni
nnionist party by the late John nriya,t
Lord Huntington now Duke of Devnn'
shire, and Mr.. Chamberlain. ''
Reasons for tho Rupture.
me motives which actauted him IN
breaking with his old colleagues have
peeh made the subjects of an astunish-
ing variety or conflicting judgments.
rlhcing them to his bitter dislike of
Harcourt and Morley, who had go.
cured larger share than himself OF
Mr.. Gladstone's partisan confidence.
BY others he Is accused OF frustrating
Mr.. Gladstone's home rule project in