Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-24

S~sssN-sSSe~>
sportsman. and especially fond of golf
cricket. shooting and cycling. He was the
first prominent British statesman to ride
bicycle, and he was also the first cabinet
minister to give out a newspaper interview
on politics.
Although he has sat in the house of COM
mons for thirty-five years. he always seems
very nervous there. He is usually fdgeting.
and when he is going to make big speech
he has a curious trick of tearing scores of
sheets of fOolscap paper into tiny fragments
and throwing them in the air around his
seat.
On busy nights in the press gallery the
remark is often heard, Thank goodness.
we'll soon get a rest. George Hamilton has
started his snowstorm' The reporters
never trouble to take notes of his remarks.
He has wretchedly bad delivery and I'M
nke most Of his kind. is aware of the fact.
He, therefore, sends typewriter copies of
ms speeches up to the press gallery.
Canny MI Richie.
The Right Honorable Charles Thomson
Richie. who has resigned the office of
chancellor of the eXchequer is Scot like
Lord George Hamilton: and no cannier Scot
than he could be found from John O. Greats
to the border.
Ritch!e has never been famous as a Sill
Ver-tongued orator; he has never swayed
the passions of the mob or tickled the ears
OF the groundlings; and the public has
known little about him and cared less But
since he first entered parliament in 1874 his
Fellow members have recognized him a one
of the best of business statesmen He let
other people make the eloquent useless
speeches while he mastered the facts OF the
case and did the useful work in committee
or in private conference.
mus he became power, and since 1888
no conservative cabinet has been complete
without him "Ritchie is a permanent in
sututlon, Mr.. Chamberlain is said to have
remarked sarcastically. He is as much
part of the furniture of the cabinet cham
Der as the table itself"
Be this as it may, Ritchie has had a
steadiiy successful career aS secretary to
the admiralty, president of the local gov
eminent board, president of the board of
trade and chancellor of the excheuuer The
sohd business men who form the backbone
vi me unlonlst party In England trust him
as they trust no other statesman of their
party. They regard him as the bean ideal
OF a good conservative.
He has no surface brilliance, but he pos
sesses that infinite capacity for taking
pains. which is said to be the attribute of
genius He Is extremely conscientious too
w men he was president of the board of
trade he was responsible, among a host of
other things. for the welfare Of the British
merchant sailor. He had to administer the
merchant shipping act and devise rules and
regulations for the proper treatment of
poor Jack ashore and af1Oat. An ordinary
departmental Heau WOULD nave been con-
tent to receive reports from his inspectors
Not so Richie. He would leave the glded
splendor of the Carlton Club and go down
to Mapping, Deptford, Rotherhthe and
other resorts of sailors. There he would
disguise himself in tarry breeches and an
old monkey jacket and spend evenings in
the crimp shops, opium dens and taverns
where Seafarlng men congregated. In that
way he found out some startling truths
about coffin ships shanghaied sailors and
board of trade inspectors who never in
spected anything except the champagne in
the shippers cabin.
The subordinate officials Of the depart
ment used to have a bad time of it when
Richie returned from these expeditions.
He would take up report, beautifully
written and neatly. tied with red tape,
istration of the merchant shipping act was
now a complete success in Mapping. He
would smile and ring for the writer.
At the Bottom of Things.
'Ah. Jenkins" he would say, this re-
port is delightful. Things seem to be go
ing beautifully. don't they? No drinking.
no swindlng of underwriters, no murders,
no overloaded ships. Mapping is becoming
quite Sunday school,
I'm glad to think. SIR the gratified
official would reply, that our efforts have
born good fruits"
II suppose So Jenkins, have you ever,
in your travels around Mapping, made the
acquaintance of a gentleman called One
Eyed Pete?
NO, sir.
"-Thats a pity He is worth knowing:
last week he shanghaied three boys ana
nut them aboard tramp bound Tor 1oko-
hama. He runs an opium den where the
customers are apt to disappear once III
while Lascar Jim is, perhaps, superior
practitioner; but he's in the hospital just
now with a knife thrust He made the mis-
take of trying to get a Dagos purse De-
fore the Dago was thoroughly drunk How
over YOU could go down and introduce
yourself to Pete. He might give you some
valuable material for your next report
Mr.. Richie has never come into Violent
conflict with Mr. Chamberlain as Sir Mich
ael Hicks-Beach has done; but there mas
not been much love lost between them at
any time In the cabinet Mr. Riches
wise sober-minded counsel was always
listened to with deep respect, and 1t was
generally gwen against Mr. Chamberlain 8
schemes. 1t is believed in Well-informei
British political circles that he strongly
opposed the provocative policy which led TO
the South African war.
Although tory of the old-fashioned
school, Mr.. Richie has inflated and car
ried through parliament more social legs
lation for the benefit Of the laboring classes
than any other British statesman. He made
strenuous efforts to settle the great engi-
neering strike in 1897; he carried through
the house of commons the local government
act of 1888; the housing of the working
classes act 1890: the public he1lth act
1891: the companies act, 1900: AN act for the
better prevention of accidents to railway
servants in the same year. and the fac
tories and workshops act. 1901.
All these measures have proved to be
beneficial and successful, 50 that when Mr.
Richie tells the British workman to be-
ware of the dear loaf he will be listened to
tried and trusted friend.