The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-12
Joseph Chamberlain Almost
as American as HisWife.
SOURCE OF HIS, FORTUNE d: + I, \ E
Made a Rich Man Through an American
invention Tender and Devoted
,ss3 q in His Life at
Home.
BY CURTIS BROWN.
Especial Correspondence Of The Times
Dlspatch.l iHa

Il BY CURTIS BROWN. 81
Especial Correspondence Of The Times
Dspatch) x
"a LONDON, March, 31.-Politicians of one
sort tell YOU j one thing and those Of
plain, unprecedented, observation says, in q
way that can't be mistaken that 1t isn't
likely to be long before quiet little
American womans husband occupies tho
highest position. within the gift Of the
British people-that Of Premier, which
signifies in a way, rs was explained
recently. president OF the British Re-
public 4. FRI Z, SIS 3 \
Bfs5s It has boon apparent for a long time to
the man up tree that Joseph Chamber
lain was coming on. and that nothing
could stop him. Since his trlumphal
return from South Africa It has been OBJ
yvious, even to tho man down In the street
that In the ordinary course Of human
events the best hated man In England
would have to be called upon to take
charge openly Of tho Government which
he has been running from behind the
scenes ever since he became Secretary OF
State for the Colonies. (, &,
u Like him or not call him either a
statesman or, a cheap politician. say he Is
the right sort or say that no Is q
n bounder." you can't got away from tho
fact that Joseph Chamberlain is the
strongest man to-day In the tight little
island OF which King Edward Is the social
head. Much as he Is feared and hated,
the country began to turn lnstinctvely to
him In the dark days when things looked
worst In South Africa and travelling
back and forth over the Tugela. ''Joe's
the only man who can pull us through
seemed to be the expressed view Of the
great middle class OF English voters,
whose ballots count for just as much as
IF they were all dukes. Of course there
were ali sorts Of political compiled lions IN
the way. but it is safe to assert that II
Ladysmth had fallen all these compli-
cations would have been swept away, ana
~ oe'' would have been made Premier
without any effort on his part to attain
that distinction just then.
STRONG BACKBONE OF A WEAK
GOVERNMENT.
u He was probably rather glad to escape
and he was certainly the first to assure
Mr., Balfour of his loyal support when
that amiable gentleman succeeded MS MS
Uncle Salisbury as Premier. Having
better knack than most men Of seeing
into future. 1t was doubtless plain to Mr..
Chamberlain that Mr.. Balfour's days In.
!eyitably would be numbered-that de-
lghtful scholar being the very beau IDEAL
Of the Premier when tho path was
smooth land everything pleasant but
quito unable to originate and push
through the bold plans that arc necessary
when a situation becomes dangerous
4 So when the backbone of the Govern
ment bctook himself off to South AFRICA
the rest or the Government had the sort
of trouble that could be expected IN the
absence of backbone. Further develop
ments OF the baneflh effects of social In
5fluence In the army the refusal Of the
Attorney General to prosecute Whitaker
Wright for frauds in which n startling
numb Der OF great personages were Involved
through carelessness In watching that
promoter, and finally tho political disas--Y
ter OF the election OF q Labor candidate
with one Of the greatest majorlties on re-
cord by a constituency that had always
been strongly Conservative-nll5 these
things have turned the eye of the average
citizen once more to the Strong Man.
I'm It wasn't the intention. at the beginning
az this article. to reel off a political did,
tribe but these manifestations of the way
Providence helps man who has helped
himself seem as fascinating as n romance
srR1UA1PHANT AMERICAN WOMEN y
But lei. us go back to Mrs. Chamberlain
and wave the American flag for mo-
,ment. If the Duchess of MARLBOROUGH
should achieve her pet ambition and pc
come the first lady of Ireland equali2ins
the glory of the erstwhle Miss Letter as
First Lady Of India. we should nave
when Mrs. Chamberlain comes INTO power
& political triumph for American women
as great rs their social triumph already
{. has been, as American women would then
hold the greatest three places obtalnaoie'
II is interesting to mention In this con-
nection that the wife of Sir William Har-
court, who came within an ace Of sue.
ceeding Gladstone as Premier, Is also an
American, daughter of Motley, the histo-
rian. Furthermore. the star OF Winston
Churchill whose mother Is an American,
could be expected to rise still higher IN
: tho armament under n Chamberlain Gov
I eminent.
z3 Joseph Chamberlain himself has always
seemed more like an American than like
an Englishman. Some of his faults are
those to which we Americans confess II
candid moments and without going into
TOO many particulars, and his quick IN
tclligence Is surely hHoi 'en4'
friend OF mine, in the midst of I'M
uortant and secret negotiations which
brought him into touch with number Q
the heads of Government departments
observed to me recently: MS
Throughout the whole business me
with great courtesy. also met with de
Law and red tape enough to drive mi
we'll nigh to distraction. The head Of tn
department would know nothing OF tn
subject III hand, II would be necessar,
TO walt until the Under Secretary, VIII
should return from yachting trip
When the permanent Under secretar,
got bsck It developed that another 9th
cial, who had started off for golf!nl
tour the day before, was the one .wh
could supply the head of the department
with the exact facts necessary to enabl
+ him TO make up his mind, At last go
around to Mr.. Chamberlain. Thunder an