The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-08
(Krin CbjnsLipped Keeper Of
John Bulls moneq Bags.

Chamberlain as much as Lord Roberts
hates cats The chancellor of the ex-
chequer and the secretary of state for the
colonies-the man who made the war and
the man who has 10 pay for it-often have
10 sit side by side on the front bench in
the house, crowded so close together that
their elbows touch, but you will never see
their heads leaning toward each other
like those of q new-married couple. Sir
Michael acts as if contact with the am
bilious Unicnist were physically painful
to him, and as for "Pushful Joseph"
well, he Is almost as good hater as Sir
Michael When Mr. Chamberlain made
his great speech of self defense In the
house at the beginning OF the session,
the look of cold contempt on Sir
Michaels face was plain enough, even
from the visitors gallery.
Sir Michaels hatred of Joseph Cham
berlain is due probably more to his dis
like of that kind of man than to any
personal objection to the Birmingham
politician Sir Michael Is a conservative
in party and In fact He believes IN
following precedent as closely as new
conditions will permit, and his famous
war budget just submitted is an evil
dence OF his style of procedure, Even
the staid old Times found fault with
that budget, on the ground that the chan
ent English willingness to pay, pay,
pay as Rudyard Kipling says, to in
stitute some reforms in the treasury de-
partment; TO do some new things. But
Sir Michael followed tradition closely,
and escaped with less criticism than any
body expected. His motto, like that
of Davy Crockett, is, BE sure you are
right. then go ahead" and to this say
ing the doughty treasurer would proba-
Il 4 Aol hon he
you're right if you run off after Radical
notions and experiment with new things?
That may do well enough where only
theories are at stake, but when millions
of cold cash are involved let us stick to
the old rule that two from four leaves
two -
ALSO HATES PUBLICITY.
So far as known the man who has the
job of paying for the Transvaal war has
never submitted to an interview for pub
lication. There is a tradition that an in
experienced American correspondent once
managed to make his way into the
treasury sanctuary and get so far as to
explain that his Journal would like to
have signed statement from Sir Michael
giving his opinion on the silver question.
Just what happened to the man then
was never known. He was seen to
emerge from the treasury building look
ing white and feeble, and, according to
this same tradition, disappeared shortly
afterWard, never to be heard from again.
This strange man who presides over
England's finances apparently abhors the
redoubtable man in the street." whose
opinions are so potent with most English
ofhceholders. He likewise abominates
photographs, and has never had one
taken since some one inveigled him into a
photograph gallery twenty years ago.
Fortunately, however, he has not chang
ed in these two decades, and his face Is
wrong with. The accompanying sketch
made of him on the night he unfolded
his budget scheme to the house of COM
mons is as faithful as any photograph
could be.
1t would be a libel to publish the
name of Sir Michaefs tailor, for the fnan-
cier's clothes are a byword In the house
Of commons, especially as his seatmates
on the front bench include such glasses
of fashion and molds of form as George
Wyndham and Joseph Chamberlain. His
everlasting cutaway coat is always wrin-
killed. and his trousers, seem to have been
born baggy at the knees. He is tall, thin
and stiff, with red-brown eye that seems
to throw out fiery darts on the frequent
occasions when the chancellor is wrath
full or contemptuous. He is not a great
orator, but the Importance OF what he
usually has to say makes up for his de-
fciencies as a speaker, and at such times
as he is on his feet and leaning over the
silver-bound dispatch box on the table