The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-03
AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN
AS LEADER IN COMMONS
Calls His Father MY Right Hon
orable Friend" from West
Birmingham.
OPENING OF PARLIAMENT

LONDON. Feb. 2.-"Aiy right honorable
friend, the member from West Birmias-
ham," as Austen Chamberlain described his
father, was the central figure in the drama
that marked the opening Of Parliament to-
day.
No playwright could have devised more
curious situation Fer the first tine in
years Joseph Chamberlain took lis seat as
a private member of the House OF Com
mons and was separated from his former
colleagues in the Cabinet by the gangway
From this seat he saw his son act as leader
of the House Of Commons. position which
Joseph Chamberlain, with all his years Of
parliamentary experience, never attained.
Premier Balfour was laid up with in
fiuenza, and. therefore. was unable to be
present. When Austen Chamberlain arose
to reply in behalf OF the party of which his
own father Is believed to be the most pow
erful member, the House was spellbound.
Until that moment MIR. Ackers- Douglas,
secretary of state for home affairs, was
generally expected TO take Premier Bal
tours place. and interest in the proceedings
was heightened by the fact that Sir Henry
ampbell-Bannerman, the Liberal leader,
had just concluded a merciless satire on
Austen Chamberain's father. The situa-
ton was without parallel in the recollection
of the oldest politician, and all eyes were
turned alternately upon the father and the
son.
Joseph Chamberlain. who had sat un-
moved under the 'ridicule of the Liberal
leader, turned nervously towards his son,
who now takes precedence over him with
his monocle in his eye, an orchid in his but
tonhole and his hands clasped across his
knees, the most prominent figure In the
British empire sat and listened to his own
defense from the lips of his son.
GREETED WITH JEERS.
Austen Chamberlain spoke haltingly and
under evident strain, yet when he referred
to his father it was always as 1.-The member
from West Birmingham" There was a
tnge of impassioned feeling in his words
which brought constantly to his hearers
realization of the relation between the two
men. Now and again jeers greeted the
youngest member Of the Cabinet, where
upon, with unmistakable anger, his father
turned his glance in the direction of the
offender, and occasionally Hon. Joseph
Chamberlain cheered his son on with an
emphatic Hear, hear"
AS Austen Chamberlain neared the con-
clusion of his defense of the attitude or
Premier Balfour and his father TOWARDS tne
fiscal question the Interruptions grew more
frequent and the chancellor of the eX-
chequer clutched the brass-bound treasury
box OH which Gladstone was so fond OF
leaning and addressed his remarks almost
solely in the direction of his father. De
family Austen Chamberlain accused Sir
Henry Campbell Bannerman of attacking
the premier in his absence, and with
touch of pride said: 1.-The member from
West Birmingham is here; he can speak
for and look after himself"
The house finally expressed its relief when
the speech was over, and generally termed
the proceeding as one of the most extraor-
binary personal situations that ever had oc-
CURED, and the speech as one of the weak
est defenseS of the governments policy ever
made.
on behalf of Premier Balfour Austen
Chamberlain declared the House of Com
mons must first decide whether or not Ii
desired any change at all in the fiscal sys-
tenn, and until that point was settled the
opposition demand for details OF the gov
ernment's fiscal reform plan could not be
With the exception of the foregoing I'M
expected incident and the spirited defense
of his action in the Whitaker Wright case
by Sir Robert Finlay, the attorney general,
the opening of Parliament was unevent-
full
King Edward and Queen Alexandra drove
In full state to the House of Lords, where,
with much ceremony, the session was de-
clared open. His Maiesty's speech from the
throne is generally regarded as having
merely recorded facts already known, while
the governments legislative programme
has been announced in these dispatches.
Lord Lansdowne, the foreign secretary,
confirmed what has heretofore been gen
orally conceded as Great Britain's attitude
in the far Eastern crisis without throwing
any new light on the negotiations. Both
in the House of Lords and the House OF
Commons the British Thibetan expedition
and the war in Somaliland came in for
criticism.
In the speech from the throne the King
deplored the crisis in the far East and said
his government would render any assist
ance possible in averting clash.