The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-03-14
A RULER IN PARLIAMENT
Joseph ChamberIain's Manner and
rlethods in Politics and
Other Things.
Although His Family Was Always
in Business They Were Not
Exactly i'm Trade.
He Made Fortune Out of a Yam
kee Patent and larried
q Yankee Girl.

Messrs Frederick Warne and Co. have
been most fortunate in the timeliness Of
their series, public Men of Today" Nat
urally series devoted to public men o1
the day would be timely, but then it has
just happened that when each volume in
this series was issued the subject was
more than usually "in the public eye
Ii Hung Chang had just been shot al
when n life was published, the volume
on Stas. itif was so very up to date that
his murdsr was reported in it's last pages
though when the book was written he
was one of the most Give" men in Eur
ope, and William H.. whose career was
given in the latest published volume, had
been making himself unusually conspIcu-
GUS when that appeared. Now comes MI.
Joseph Cham berlain, by S. H. Jeyes; and
SO timely is this volume that it contains
the Jameson Transvaal episode, writes
Jeannette L. Glider in the Chicago Trib-
une. .a
Mr.. Jeyes begins naturally with Mr..
Cham berlain's early life, but he intro
duces this chapter by saying. ''Like Lord
-Beaconsfield and Mr. Gladstone, but like
no other figure in current English poll
tics, he (Mr. Chamberlain) possesses the
quality, call it as you please the vice Oh
the virtue-of those who nothing about
him accept his public acts and opinions
he has expressed. He is probably as
heartily detested by Home Rule radicals
who have never exchanged two sentences
with him, perhaps never set eyes upon
him, rs Lord Baconsfeld was by the Nom
,;c+e Io 10 ich nf u
ish misdoings in Bulgaria, or Mr.. Glad
stone by the Unionists when he first an
nonnced his conversion by Mr.. Parnell.' y
The offense which Mr.. Chamberlain has
given those who now denounce him is
that having been looked on as one OF
themselves, he has turned against them
the very force which they reckOned their
exclusive property. They abuse him not
because Of his change of opinions but be-
cause when he joined the Unionists he
took with him an organized following
drawn from the very classes which but
for him might have remained faithful to
Mr.. Gladstone. Mr.. Jeyes has made no
attempt to eulogize or denOunce Mr..
Chamberlain, but simply to trace the out
line of his public career with as much
fairness as possible. He does not go into
certain kind Of personality, as he thinks
that is hardly becoming during the life
time Of a man, and in the case of Mr..
Chamberlain he thinks that it will be
admitted, even by those who praise him
least, that he has never mixed up his in
dividual with his public career, and that
any infringements that have been made
on his privacy have been made against
his will.
Joseph Chamberlain was born at No 3
~ 11,1y
8, 1886, and comes of stock of which he
boasts that non-conformist traditions
have been hereditary. His family was
always iii business though not exactly
sin trade" if by trade we mean retail
business. Three generations of Cham
herlains. the last OF whom was ,ne la.ner
of the Colonial Secretary, were eng2 "od
In boot and shoe manufacturing. The
father of Mr. Chamberlain's molner was
q wholesale provision merchant. Joseph
( Chamberlain was one of a large. family
Of children. At the age of he was sent
to a private school, and later as a day.
boarder in another private school kept
by the Rev. Arthur Johnson. At the
age Of Il he was admitted to University
College School, where he studied Greek,
Latin and mathematics, but it was in
modern SUBJECTS" as they are called.
that he distinguished himself, gaining in
the two upper forms first prizes for ma
thematics, natural philosophy and
French. He was intended for a CONNER
cial career, and it was not thought worth
while that his time should be wasted in
literary and philosophical training. After
he left the University College School he
was put in an Office. Then. as now, he
p was a great reader, and he continued his
acquaintances with English and French
literature.
1t is interesting to note that Mr.. Cham
berlain laid the foundation of his fortune
with an American patent for improved
machinery in making screws. Such sue
cess did he have n this business that he
was able to retire with a fortune at the
age of So; then he threw himself body and
soul into politics.
1t will be remembered that Mr.. Cham
berlain came to this country in 1883 on a
mission connected with the old standing
dispute between Great Britain and the
Z United States with regard to the North
American fisheries. He had been wild
u over since 1876, then met the daughter
s OF Mr.. Clevelands first secretary OF war,
the Hon. w. Endicott, ard married her,
ard It is said by those who follow the ca
Eeers of American women who have mar
Tied L-.l5lishn1en that Mrs. Cham berlain
has proved an important factor in her
husbands political life.
For the present Mr.. Jeyes thinks that
MIR. Chamberlain believes that he can get
more assistance towards his social goal
9 from Conservatives than from Liberals.
He has admitted-and this was before he
was In active alliance with the former
that they have dome more remedial and
conservative work than tl1ir competitors
! for popular favor. Mr.. Chamberlain
Z boldly supported the house of lords, be-
cause to maintain such associations was
i specially important, since it afforded an
example and offered a neucleus FOR the
more extended system Of insurance which
he Wishes to see established IN this re-
5epect. then, as in factory legislation and in
& the improvements OF the dwellings of the
moor. he is convinced by comparing the
d Inst 81 ut performances aild profe essed lnten-
{ inns Of the two parties that he is nlore$in
4 @hiSr1nOny with nlEdern Co'aseryatis than
B e4isting Libera ism. Before all things
ham g not indeed an ops
4 G6j hut ''ss