The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-19

At last I got around 10 Mr. SAd IA Det saf-i'
| Thunder ard nghtning-what contrast.
He asked me a few vivid questions tna~
J showed what thorough grip he mad CT
the thing closed the whole business Up
with snap in scarcely more time than IT
takes to tell IL. and had the papers really
for me the next day.
II was an American invention. too, that
made Mr.. Chamberlain rich man. His
father. a well-to-do manufacturer, was
a partner in the firm Of Nettlefold q
Co., of Birmingham. makers OF the Old
fashioned wood screws. Not long after
the younger Chamberlain entered the i1rin
they bought the English rights of an
American patent for modern metal screws
and, armed Herewith, got monopoly IF
the business in short order. The charge
has been brought that by means of the
American patent of all its competitors.
but business associate of Mr. Chamoe--
lain tells me that. although the other
fellows undoubtedly could have been
driven out by competition alone. yet they
received good price-unless they showed
too much fight.
The Chamberlain Of the young Biz
mingham days must have been r>-
markable youth. There was no end to
his activity and it seems to have been
due to something considerably more pot
ent than luck that all these activities
tended in the one direction of boosting"
their author. He helped organize a oe-
batting society, and although he broke
down hopelessly on the occasion of hi5
first attempt to speak and stumbled AMI
halted painfully on many an occasion
thereafter, he kept at it until by sheer
persistence he began to get the reputa-
ton of saying things that were to the
point, and hitting back quick and hard,
and having the knack of being on the
practical side of a question-aIl of which
were effective in getting him launched in
politics and made him mayor of Birming-
ham.
He used to have class in Sunday school
too, and won the reputation for making
an unruly lot of boys sit up sharply and
attend strictly to business of getting NOR
al instruction at the risk of biting sa-
tire on the part of the teacher for any
inattention. However, much or little good
he did the boys, it gave the teacher
name for being very much alive-and also
helped him with the women folk in tie
days when he began to want votes.
Then he was great on schemes for the
improvement of the army Of workmen
employed by his firm. He spent lot
of time and money on them. holding
classes and giving them opportunities for
free education, with the result that when
he ceased to be a radical practically ev
cry man jack Of the NettlefoId employee
changed political faith with him.
And so it has been straight or ever
since. Whatever happened turned out to
be for the good OF ]. Chamberlain. lie
was supposed to have signed his political
death warrant when he broke from Mr..
Gladstone on the home rule question. but
it is home rule that is practically dead
today, while Mr.. Chamberlain is more
alive than ever The jameson raid was
counted on to finish him sure, but he
fought his way through the Rhodes trial.
took for himself all the knocks that
might otherwise have come pretty near
hitting the Prince of Wales. and emerged
with the loyal friendship of the man
who is king.
''At last we have him. said his enc
mics when, through under-estimating
Krugers obstinacy in the game Of bluf,
he helped to bring on the Boer war. But
there again he scored for he IS TN
doubtedly in a better position today than
he would have been without the war.
The greatest obstacle in the way of Mr..
Chamberiains straight and narrow path
toward the premiership was his lack Of
caution in speech. He got into. trouble
over an unfortunate reference to IAN al
lance" with the United States; he caused
his features TO form the face of the most
popular patterns of cupsdor now in use
in Germany by an undiplomatic reference
to the attitude of that country; and he
created irritation in France in a similar
way, but of late, he has been safe to
a degree and diplomatic enough to suit
any state.
Mr. Chamberlain's attitude toward the
United States has always been one Of out-
spoken friendliness.
II know a hundred reasons why we
should be friends" he once said; none
why We should be otherwise, and / be-
lieve that has been the true feeling OF
this country toward the United States
for many years. All misunderstanding
have been happily removed and the COM
bination of the two English-speaking ma
tions would fear no other alliance. Our
imagination must be fired when we con-
template the possibility OF such cordial
understanding between the seventy mil
lions of people of the United States and
our fifty million Britons-an understand
ing which would guarantee peace and
civilization to the world. We shall well
r. $Anir
rer as a colonizing nation, because We
know they are animated by the same mo-
tives and love justice as ourselves"
If narrowness of chest. pallor of face.
and general appearance OF physical frailty
count for anything. Mr.. Chamberlain
ought 10 have retired to hospital thirty
years ago. Yet he came back from South
Africa after a record of seventy speeches
and thousands OF miles of hard travel and
countless important and difficult confer
ences. as spry and active as II he were
thirty-six instead of sixty-six. 1t seemed
as if the whole cabinet sat Up and pc
came more vigorous the minute he got
back. Just in time, by the way. TO see
another bad defeat for his party in bye
election.
Although to his political opponents Mr..
Chamberlain seems as hard and pen5-
trating as the steel screws he makes, the
domestic side Of him is pleasant &c look
upon. Hichbury, his famous mansion n
Birnineham Is 4 com Portable. "honey''
sort OF place. and the astuie politician
who owns it would rather be there potter
ing about among his magnificent consec-
vatorieS than ba anywhere else n the
world. excep, possibly Downing street.