The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-27
HE PUT IT ACROSS
Modest ScOtchman Raised )
Billion for England.
BOnar Law Suddenly Becomes
England's Financial Wizard.
BY LOWELL MELLETT.

LOWE1llf
London. March Eff you wanted
to borrow a dollar, you would not
pick out your bashfullest friend to do
the job for you. would you?
That's Just the difference between
you and the British prime minister
Lloyd George wanted to borrow all
he could get. So he picked out the
most diffident, most unassuning man
in English public life to turn the
trick for him.
America, Meet Mr.. Bonar Law!
America, meet Mr.. Andrew Bonar
Law, chancellor Of the exchequer of
Great Britain.
There's a Scotch grin tucked behind
his ragged and dropping moustache
and n Scotch chuckle located some
where in that long, lean waist. He'll
be interested in any. hing you have to
say, provided your facts are on
straight. Don't muss them up when
you are talking to Mr.. Law. He is
toe courteous to give you away, but
he'll put down a mark against you
for future reference.
The thrillingest moments of the
present parliament have been occa-
| stoned by Mr.. Laws deadly execu-
tions. In the midst of an argument
designed to desiecate the opposition,
he will casually remark:
I'm this respect 1 agree with the
Honorable and Learned Gentleman
from Blankshire''
Whereupon UP jumps the H. and L.
Gent from B and holly denies such ac-
cord.
Statistics at Fingers Ends
Into one of his nine pockets reaches
Mr.. Law. Out comes a clipping dated
some months or years ago, quoting the
angry gentleman just represented.
1t s fascinating game-for the in
nocent bystanders. Fast as they pro-
test, Mr.. Law forks out the evidence
and while ne seems always to dig into
different pocket, its never the
wrong one.
That's part of his long distance
memory. Bonar Law never torgets.
In the face OF a house filled with
members waiting to trap HIM, he will
make a two-hour talk-without notes
filled with cumbersome figures and
! intricate facts and never score an
error. Nobody is really more sure of
himself than Boaar Law. Take that
little matter of raising five billion dol
lars.
Saves so Million Year.
Humbly, as befitting a mere cabi-
net mem Der, he went to the inner cir
Gle of British finance. He taught the
great money experts how it should
be done Iney fixed up plan. Law
decided on only one change. He made
the interest per cent instead of 6.
Cant be DONE" protested the inner
"Well, we'll try it, modestly OBJ
served the chancellor.
| All the world. including Germany,
now knows how well it was done. The
change of l per cent saved Britain
fifty million dollars a year interest.
Bonar Law told your correspondent
why he was SO confident he could
raise a great loan at 5 per cent. Read
this newspaper tomorrow.
4 Giant in Tariff Legislation.
But first Americans ought to know
more about the man, for two reasons.
| One is that in case the next shuttle in
England politics should give the old
conservative party control, Bonar Law
would be the logical choice for prime
minister. The other is that there is
: big protective tariff fight coming
in Great Britain, one that will neces-
sarily affect America. And Law is
the unauestioned leader of tie tariff
reform forces.
| On a platform of 'tBonar Law and
! order he was elected to parliament
from Glasgow. Nobody paid any at
/ tention to him until one day the debate
| involved some tariff questions. Up he
rose and Logan to offer facts figures
and deductions. The effect was tre-
mendcus.
His carer was mapped out from
that time on. Inevitably he later be-
came leader of the conservatives and
as such he had many a lively clash
with Lloyd George.
! (Tomorrow-The first interview
given an American correspondent by
| Chancellor of the ExcheQuer Law.)