Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-01-31

but the astonishment was greatest when
Chamberlain broke away and rose in COM
mons rs the new leader of the opposition
After IA short period as Liberal Unionist
he became full lodged Conservative
His old friends became his most cordial
enemies, and his former opponents became
his new friends For eight years and
more he WAS the subject of the most hos
tile criticism. When the Gladstone min
istry fell, Chamberlain was accused of
having struck the deathblow. The fail
ure of the homo rule bill was laid at his
door, and every Irishman made up his
mind that Chamberlain was his natural
enemy The amount of abuse that was
hurled at him from the Irish benches hut
family expressed the feeling of the Ma
tionalists, although the invective was bit
ter and unstintcd. Chamberlain was
called Judas" 81 pcrsistently that he was
credited even outside of England, with
being monster of political ingratitude
and faithlcssness, to whom that Biblical
character was paragon of steadfast up
rightness. His enemies joyfully predicted
his speedy political extinction and were all
ready to point u moral, with his fate as "a
dreadful example.
The prediction has proved falser than a
weather forecast. Mr.. Chamberlain is not
only politically alive but he is today on
the top wave of popularity. He is one Of
the two commoners in the "big four" who
form cabinet within the cabinet of tho
strongest government England has had
since the time of Disraeli. The London
cartoonists are fond of picturing him in
the attitudes of that famous statesman, and
the scotfcrS have changed their epithet from
- IuQuS' tn - DiZzV tbn Snpnp1
The change has come about gradually.
but recent events have brought 1t promi-
ncntly to the front. 1t has not been Sal
iSbury, the premier, but Chamberlain the
colonial secretary, who has stirred up Brit
ish enthusiasm by his handling of the
TransVaal squabble and the Venezuela
controversy Lord Salisbury, it is true,
has had something to say, but the actual
work OF settlement is being engineered by
the shrewd, crafty, resourceful statesman
who holds an inferior position, but who
would not lose any chance to step into a
superior one. 1t is IA narrow and slip
perry pinnacle to which the Birmingham
leader has climbed but his nerves are too
much accustomed to such heights to allow
him to tumble through his own weakness
or to keep him from jumping to "A still
loftier one when occasion offers
This much for the political character of
the man. Viewed personally. he is still
interesting Joseph Chamberlain is now
in his sixticth year, but no doesn't look It
by at least two decades. Some epigram-
matte writer has said of him that there
were two things that he refused to do
grow old or lose his temper. There is
much truth in this. Although he has a
daughter year older than his charming
l.. IL.
is not apparent to the visitor to the Cham
berlaD home lie is today one of the
most Nirilo and vigorous men of all those
who direct the affairs of that great en-
pire. His youthful, smiling urbanity has
done more to disconcert his opponents than
his best laid schemes for revenge. He can
listen, unmoNed, to II torrent of eloquent
abuse and reply with cold, cutting sar-
casm His physical constitution is one of
iron, for he disTegards tho British love of
exercise. In the days of his widowerhood
he used to say that his idea of luxury was
cab and cigar, "a remark which indi-
Gates his liking for tobacco and his dislike
of walking
His present popularity with the com
mon people of England is great. In Bir-
mingham, where he was born, and where
his father made his fortune AS manu-
facturor, lao is known as Our joe He
has been ;hrce times mayor Of that city,
ana his palatial home is located in its
suburbs. When he went to Washington
to settle the Canadian fisheries dispute
and brought back AS his third wife the
daughter of eX- secretary of War Endicott
all Of Birmingham turned out to welcome
him and his bride.
He is the Right Hon. Joseph Chamber
lain, Commorer, and is likely so to remain,
although rhero is no doubt that ne could
have added II title to his name long ago
had he SO chosen. He is one of the new"
Englishmen, with no long line of ancestry
behind him. but he receives at his home
representatives of some of tho proudest
families in tho kingdom.