The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-11
BY HOLLAND MIGRANT.
Copyright, 1903, by T. C. Mcclure.

the slums. looking after the sick and
the poor, giving away barrels of
money finding jobs for the loafers,
ana persuading men to go to work
instead of getting drunk and knocking
thelr wives and children about.
Austen does that kind O. work
mere now, but we don't see the old
gentleman much nowadays. l hear,
/. though, that he does a powerful lot O.
good in London"
A stranger would take Joseph and
Austen Chamberlain for brothers. not
rather and son. The former is nearly
seventy, but does not look more than
nifty. He has never looked his age.
Jesse Ceilings, Nh. Chamberlain's
political lieutenant, used to be fond of
telling stories about how his chief
was mistaken for a young man even
after he became a Cabinet Minister.
once they were travelling together
in Spain. They missed their steamer
at Malaga and went aboard a small
tramp to try to arrange for a passa ge
to Gibraltar. The captain, who did
not know them. said:
I've got no accommodation for pas
sengers; but the old Gentleman
pointing to Mr.. Collings-"can have
my bunk, and the youngster must
rough it on the sofa"
The ''youngster" was cabinet min
ister over fifty years old. and less than
hVe years younger than his white-hair-
ed companion.
Shortly before Mr.. Chamberlain was
married a second time, a woman who
met him in Birmingham for the first
time exclaimed in astonishment:
is that Mr.. Chamberlain? Why,
| hear he's widower and a great man
in this city. He doesn't look as if he
were old enough to be married. He
looks just like clever, wel-drassed
/ boy" At that time Mr.. Chamberlain
was over 80.
Although the son is the double of
the father. it must not be imagined
that he is slave to his influence and
example. On the contrary, Austen is
a man of great independence of spirit
Years ago, when he was young
| man. he presided over a debating So
clety in Birmingham. Now and then
MS father. already world famous
statesman, would drop in to "amuse
himself with the boys He would
take part in the debates with his usual
keenness, but Austen delighted in using
his power as chairman to suppress his
father and turn him down for vio-
lating the rules of parliamentary pro-
cedure. The other members of the So
ciety would gasp with horror, but Mr..
at the boys independence
1t would be absurd to contend that
Mr.. Austen Chamberlain has become
greater man than his father. or that
he is even, as yet, the latter's serious
competitor. But the son. at a COM
paratively early age, has fulfilled an
ambition which his father was never
able to crafty. He has become Chan
cellor of the Exchequer-a position
which, by ancient tradition is the
third, if not the second, in Importance
in the British cabinet.
Mr.. Chamberlain has always wanted
to be Chancellor of the Exchequer,
and has made no secret ofehis ambi-
ton. He was Slated for that post
by Mr.. Gladstone but he left the Lib
eral fold beore he could reach it.
When he first took office under Lord
Salisbury, he would have been made
Chancellor except for a vigorous Con-
sentative revolt. The old-fashioned
Tories, who looked on him with dislike
and suspicion, and with whose views
Lord Salisbury himself. sympathised,
urged that Lord Goschen (then Mr.
Goschen (and Sir Michael Hicks Beach
had prior claims by reason of seniority
and past services. Mr.. Chamberlain
had to content himself with the office
of Colonial Secretary.
At bound Austen Chamberlain has
taken the position which his fa Their has
coveted for many years. Those who
know the two men we'll believe that
the son is simply keeping the place
warm for his father. They say that
Joe" hopes to sweep the country on
his new tariff cry. and go back into the
government after a general election,
more powerful than ever. Then Austen
will step down from his new pedestal,
and his father will become Chancellor
Of the Exchequer. In that position he
can best carry out his new tariff
schemes. provided the country indorses
them. The son, so the prophets say.
would probably take the fathers old
place as Colonial Secretary in re-
constructed cabinet.
That seems to be the present idea
1t is plausible enough. If true, it
shows that the two Chamberlains
double one another in politics just as
they do in dress, in speech and in
manner.