The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-02-27

His FirmneSS
In War Wins
For Him New
Popularity
BIZ HEILT0N BRONNER

NEA Service STAN CORRESPONDENT
London, Feb. 27-The "appeasing"
Neville Chamberlain, around whose
head often stormed criticism for
his "VacciIlating." has long since
hardened In the fires Of war. A new
Iron Man" Chamberlain Is emery
ing-and Britons love 1t.
When the Prime Minister re-
Gently spoke at Birmingham, he des-
crIbed his disillusionment with Adolf
Hitler as q man who had SHAT
tered any faith In his pledged word"
and declared the Allies were steeled
to win the war, he was cheered to
the rafters.
SO don't make any mistake about
it-wartime Britain Is being gov
erned 100 per cent by q mighty
tough old fundamentally and physic-
ally In the person Of 70-year-old
Prime Minister Neville Chamber
lain.
And don't make another mistake
chamberlain is going to continue
to be Prime Minister just as long
es he desires.
The twists Of his popularity
curve are among the most striking
in the history Of British public men.
In September, 1888, when he came
back from Munich, he was q popular
hero.
The thing that stuck IN peoples
minds was that Germany and Brit
ain had been very close to war and
that Britain was totally unprepared
for armed conflict.
II that period saw the zenith OF
his pull with the crowd, March, 1889,
saw its nadir. All the fair promises
Of Munich were swept away. Cham
berlain seemed a doomed statesman.
WOOL is NO LONGER
OVER HIS EYES
The iron entered Chamberlain's
soul and from that time on he was
q changed man. A man Of honor
himself, he had implicitly trusted
that what Hitler said Hitler meant.
When he found he had been de-
ceived, Hitler entered into his black
book. From that time on Chamber
lain worked to prepare Britain for
war, If war must come.
When he said Britain would fight
IL Poland was attacked, he meant
It. That's where Ribbentrop, Nazi
Foreign Minister, fooled his boss.
He told Hitler Britain would not go
to var.
Having taken Britain into the
war, Chamberlain has been working
overtime ever since. Let's take
peep at famous No. 10 Downing
Street where the Prime Minister
lives with his good-looking wife and
where he carried on the big business
Of waging war to finish with NaN
Germany.
10 Is O taree-story, rather squat,
brick house with no outer pretension
to style at all. There are simply
thousands Of houses In London
which look something like 1t. It's
one main outstanding feature Is
that with No. 1i-quarters OF the
Exchequer-it Is the only residence
in short Downing street.
ONLY CASUAL
GUARD AT NO. 10
In striking contrast to the hun
dreds Of guards that surround Hit
ler's chancellery, No. 10 Downing
Street has only one guard, a mill
tary policeman on duty outside the
door. And inside there are only a
couple of blue-coated door keepers.
The Premier breakfasts about 8
o'clock. Then for a spell, he reads
personal letters, glances through
all the London papers to see what
they are saying and dictates letters
which are most important.
That through, sun or rain, he
usually goes for a brisk walk in st.
James's Park with Mrs. Chamber
lain.
Birds and flowers are the hobbies
of this man who often seems to have
no poetic strain in him.
From then on, except at lunch and
dinner, Mrs. Chamberlain may not
see the Premier again. He goes to
his office in No. 10 and works stead
lily. His ministers all have almost
immediate access to him in the fore
noon and so do the high officers In
charge of British war efforts.
At 1880 he lunches, usually alone
with his wife. If Parliament Is not
in session, he then goes back to his
private office. If Parliament Is sit
ting, 2:3O finds him on the Govern
ment Front Bench. Very often
Parliament sits until quite late at
night.
When that Is the case, the Pre-
mier is apt to dine in the House OF
Parliament. When he finally does
go back to his official home, he
works at state papers until mid