The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-07-03
NOTED BRITISH STATESMAN DIED
OF PARALYSIS AFTER SEVEN
YEARS ILLNESS.
WIFE WAS WITH HIM
Faithful Wife Had Never Left Him
Since He Was Stricken With Paraiy-
sis Seven Years Ago-One of Brit
aims Noted Leaders.

LONDON, July o.--JOSepu Cndlnptl
lain died at his London home last
night, His wife, who had never left
him since he was stricken with par
alysis seven years ago, and his sor
Austen, were with him.
The Right Honorable Joseph Cham
berlain was the pioneer in Great Brit
ain of tariff reform, and the great
advocate of imperialism. For thirty
eight years, with a brief interregnum
he represented Birmingham in parlia
ment. In 1906 his career of stormy
activities was ended by a stroke OF
paralysis. The blow fell when he was
for the establishment of a protective
tariff with preference for the British
colonies, and just after his constitu-
ents had celebrated the thirtieth an
niversary of his first election.
Since that day the strong fighter
has been an invalid, a pathetic on
locker at the political game, pictured
always with his loyal wife, daughter
of w. C. Endicott of Massachusetts,
who was President Cleveland's Sec
retary of war, beside him. His chief
consultations were the growing political
prominence of his son Austen Cham
berlain, and the loyalty of his constit-
uents. Birmingham would not dispose
the leader, although he was no long
er able to represent her upon the
floor of the house of commons. In
each election he was returned to his
old seat, and appeared afterward in
the house but once, where amid re-
spectful silence, he made his way to
the speakers desk on the arm of his
son and took the oath of office. jan
uary 5, 1913, Mr. Chamberlain wrote
to his constituents, resigning his seat,
and saying:
81 cannot hope again to do my work
in parliament, and / feel that our city
and the constituency need the services
of a younger man."
While his greatest claim to fame
was his determined and brilliant advo-
cacy for years of a protective policy
for Great Britain, the citadel of Free
Trade, he will also be remembered as
the bitterest enemy and most forceful
opponent of Gladstone in that states
mans efforts for home rule for Ire
land; as one of the founders of the
Liberal Unionist party; and as the
minister whose policy in South Africa
involved his country in the greatest
war it has experienced since the
Crimean conflict, but blotted out the
two Boer republics and made South
Africa "all red"
From the day he left University Col
lege, London, to enter his fathers
screw factory at Birmingham, Joseph
Chamberlain devoted his best ener-
gies to "the principles of constructive
reform" 1t was in 1868, just 32 years
after his birth in London, that he re-
ceived his baptism of public life, as
town councillor of Birmingham, later |
serving as mayor for successive terms. !
He gave his whole time to the cause |
of municipal reform, and what had
been previously one of the worst gov
erned cities in England, became
model for municipal reformers.
In 1876 he entered parliament, being
elected without opposition as a liberal
from Birmingham. In his early years
in the commons he sat among the
Home Rule Liberals with whose as
pirations he was supposed to sympa-
thize, but a few years later he en-
disabused his associates in
the house of any notion they may
have had of his belief in separate
for Ireland.
In less than four years ne was a
cabinet minister, entering Gladstone's
in 1880 as president of the
BOARD of trade, and in less than a de-