The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-07-23

Haunted by the Aristocracy and Sus-
pected In House of Commons, He |
Won Recognition Nevertheless and In
Later Life championed lmperialistic
Conservation.
The death of Joseph Chamberlain,
the famous English statesman, re-
moves one of the most striking figures
from British politics in the past gen
Grafton.
The once famous Birmingham Rad
ical, who used to be regarded in the
exclusive circles of the British aris-
tocracy almost as the apostle of red
revolution, but who lived to be
champion of imperialistic conserya-
tism, was born in 1886, not, as is popu-
larly supposed, in the city with which
his life history is associated, but at
Camberwell, suburb of London.
The son of a Birmingham manufac-
turer of screws, Joseph Chamberlain
helped to make the business famous as
well as successful. AS n young en-
thusiastic Radical he went into local
politics. Three times mayor of the
city he left his stamp on it in fine
public buildings and many other
municipal improvements. The city
sent him to the house of commons in
1876. But in spite of his abilities no.
body expected that he would become
on the larger stage the dictator of two
parties and that his decision at a criti-
cal moment was to change the whole
DnlitiPal history Of England
Beau Brumnel of Commons.
For a considerable time after he en-
tered the house Chamberlain was sus-
pected of being a republican at heart,
Of desiring TO do away with the crown
and incidentally to end the house of
lords. The best dressed man in the
commons, his single eyeglass, the
orchid in his buttonhole and his supe-
rior manner were not regarded as reas-
surfing. Was not Robespierre the dandy
of the French revolution?
One of the best debaters in the house,
Chamberlain got recognition from his
party. Gladstone disliked him, but
needed him. So he gave him the place
of president of the board of trade in
| 1880. And between that time and the
| Introduction of the home rule bill the
gentleman from Birmingham took his
place definitely among the Liberal lead
ers
| Chamberlain was for home rule If
the Irish members were to be contin-
ued in the imperial parliament. Glad
stone, it was said, would compromise
! to meet the others views. But when
! the time came the leader ignored his
! colleague, threw him over and Went
ahead as If there had been no OPPOSE
ton in the party. Chamberlain got out
of the government and took some oil
the strongest of the liberals with him
These, under his command, joined witt
the Conservatives, and the Liberal
Unionist party was formed.
Associated Closely with the leaders o.
the Tory party, in opposition to a rad
ical measure which the aristocrat
hated, Chamberlain, the former repub
lican, became an aristocrat himself
In 1887 Mr.. Chamberlain visited tn,
United States as chairman of the fish
cries commission. A treaty satisfac
tory in its terms to both countIfe
grew out of that mission. The follow
ing year he returned and on Nov. J.
married Miss Endicotf, the only daugh
ter of w. C. Endicott, secretary of wa
under Cleveland. He had been MAJ
ried twice before.
Held Responsible For Boer War.
In 1895 Mr.. Chamberlain astonishe
his friends by taking the then compal
atiyely unimportant place of secretar
a of state for the colonies. He 500
made it important The Boer war di
the rest. That struggle of $4,000 farm
, ers against the whole British empir
: kept all eyes turned to the minister.
Bitterly assailed in the house an
: outside it, as passionately defended b
: his admirers, Chamberlain kept coo
even when news of one defeat ate
d another struck CONSERVATION into I'll
q nation. He succeeded in keeping tt
: confidence of the party in power
:. his policy.
When the war was over he beean
the real leader of the party, thong
Mr.. Balfour was its titular head /;
prime minister. Chamberlain, tt
radical, turned imperialist, proceede
to give an extension to his theory. T
turned his back on the free trade
a lief Of his youth and became the a
se tive advocate of what he called ''tari
r REFORM" or ''fair trade"-in reality
protection. His proposal was tn
trade should be regulated with vie
to the best interests of the empire as
whole and NOT with regard TO the
IL terests of a part of it. whether tn
part was England or anygother.
Liberals and Tories who were Q
posed to protection had feared that
would completely dominate the Co
servatives in a great campaign al
a end by taking the office of prime mi
lister himself