The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-03-31

not look a day over so. Even now he
| steps as jauntily as ever out OF mis- han.
som at the private entrance to the
house of commons, orchid in button
hole, monacle at eye, smartly dressed
high instep, and with a confident smile
but after q long session in the de
| pressing atmosphere of the house, you
| can discern even from the visitors gal
lery, heavy lines running from the in
ner corners of his eyes diagonally
across his face; he sinks down YEARLY
on the Ieather-covered bench, and his
| sharp eyes close, while some orator or
| the opposition side of the house is po-
| litely calling him names and telling the
press gallery and the country at large
| that the right honorable member from
! Birmingham West is a villain Of the
! deepest dye.
You might think Mr.. Chamberlain
was asleep, and every one of his sixty
four years old, at that, but let the OPP
position member touch on some state
ment that would really count for some
thing. and the right honorable gentle
man is suddenly discovered to be very
much awake and young again. He sits
I'D smartly and shoots a question or
denial at the opposition orator that
usually scores a point, the government
supporters say, Hear, hear" and Mr.
Chamberlain shuts his eyes and grows
old again.
The war is telling on him heavily,
in spite of his buoyance, for he hates
exercise, works almost increasingly
either at the colonial office or at his
lovely home, HighDury, in Birming-
ham, and probably plans and schemes
o'nights. He intends to be premier,
and so far as known, ne always gets
what he goes for.
The first big thing he got was q
fortune. and like most other things he
not bv saving his pennies or inheriting
pennies his father had saved. After fin
ishing his education at the London
University school, he went to Biz
mingham. at the age of Is, and after
while became junior partner in the firm
of Nettleford & Chamberlain, screw
manufacturers Then things began
to get lively in the screw business
Thanks. it is said, to the Chamberlain
shrewdness, the frm got nold Oh an
American patent for making wood
screws that soon put them at the head
of the business. What happened then
is matter of much discussion and
criticism. So. instead of trying to state
the case on hearsay, l applied to a
close friend and associate of Mr.. Cham
heIain's for a first-hand vension of the
story. Here are his exact words
"There has been much speculation
as to the way in which his wealth was
made MANY stories are told, some
nartlv true and some altogether false.
His POSITION as a junior partner in the
screw business of Nettleford & Cham
harIain no doubt, gave him many OPP
nor.tunitieg for the exercise of those
business qualities which were after
ward ca marked during his municipal
caraar The charge which his opponents
TTara not slow to bring against him
that of bringing about a monopoly
withont regard to the principles of fair
nass and Justice to his competitors,
r1,as certainly not true. That by the
aid of patented American machinery
bic fi1n was able to dictate terms to
tbe other. screw makers in the country,
and that they were all, or nearly all.
inf;uced TO sell their business at a, fair
nriceNthus leaving Nettleford & Cham
herlain masters of the situation for
wars may be accepted. But this could
nrohablv have been done by competi-
Hon alone. without having to paw the
nrice which the various businesses cost
M charge of real tyranny or Injustice
has ever been established. That the
monopoly. however, was brought about
and that it secured to all the members
of the Chamberlain family great wealth
seems certain.
Another old friend of the colonial Sec
retary has recently referred To Mr..