Widnes Examiner. — 1903-05-22 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

HOME RULER. become a centre of  interest and miner' tainty. A glowing light is thrown on the jacigmerit which has been formed of his character 11; other countries by the simultaneous declaration° certain German and American newspapers, that u:3 intends to overthrow Mr. BA.LFOUR and usurp 1315 place. And just at the moment when these thing, are being said there appears Mr. JusTrif MoCARTirY's book. In a baker's dozen of leading Parliamentarians, of course, Mr. CHAMBERLAIN" if; a prominent figure, and Mr. McCARTiir has some' thing to say about him which is not new t° politicians, which has never before been so plainlY revealed to the public at large. The illumination thrown on the Colonial Secretary's past by tbe , brilliant historian and novelist who was for ti while the leader of the Nationalist party in the House of Commons, will go far to explain tho distrust, not limited to our own country, which assumes that Mr. CHAMBERLAIN is always on the watch to forward his own interests at the expens° of his colleagues. "I regarded him as one of the truest English friends the Home Rule cause had ever made," writes Mr. McCAßniy. This refers to the period just before the general elee' tion of 1885. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN was alwaYe emphatic in his declarations that if the large majority of the Irish people desired Home Rale their desire should be granted to them by the Imperial Parliament. Mr.CHAMBERLAIN was then expecting to be made Irish Secretary. He and Sir CHARLES DILKE had planned a visit to Ireland to study the pleblern of Home Rule on the spot, but that visit was never paid. it was Lord FREDERICK CAVENDISH who became Irish Secre tary in succession to Mr. FORSTER, and Afr' CHAMBERLAIN abandoned his Home Rule opinione to take up a position of savage and unrelenting hostility to Mr.Grabsro.Nes proposals. To anyone who is disposed to argue that the cruel murder of Lord FREDERICK CAVENDISH is a sufficient elplanation of this change of view,it is merely necessaryzto quote Mr. MoataTEY's statement that gr. CHAMBERLAIN was still ready to become Irish Secretary after the murder had taken place. (34 Mr. GLADSTONE'S reasons for not gratifying this ambition we shall probably hear when Mr. IVIOIL' LEY'S biography is published. But what we surrniee is that the great statesman relied on Mr. CRAW BERLAIN'S absolute faithfulness at that time, and believed that he would be satisfied with whatever position was assignel to him ny his chief. After Mr. FORSTER'S resignation the present Colonial Secretary was so convinced of being appointed tn succeed him that he held a conference withia th° precincts of the House of Commons with certain of the leading Nationalist members, who under" stood clearly from him, says Mr. McCAnTriy, tb if he went to _lreland in the capacity of Mini; Secretary he would go as a Home Ruler,and woulu expect their co-operation and assistance. Th° historian finds the subsequent change of opinin° inexplicable. "His conversation," he says, accomplished with a suddenness that seemed te, belong to the days when miracles were yet wore upon the earth." But, after all, is there anythin,g inexplicable about it? To those who take sings° and straightforward views of Mr. CHAMBEr,LAIN"° character it seems explicable enough.  A more kindly and genial County Court Jacir,g° than his Honour Judge B3wen 113wlands, /C." would, we imagine, be difficult :to find, but, occhirt sionally people appear before him who, no do% overawed by the surroundings,persistently refral from facing the Bench when answering the queks; tions pat to them by the members of t" legal profession. His Honour experienced grVid difficulty in hearing the evidence of a lady plisinut:e who sought redress last Thursday. In vain did endeavour to persuade her that there was nothilag to fear. Her replies were almost without late  afteremical ozuiflt iShed  more` .0 of ince'  it'll of lat ho 13 his ihings .USTIN !ading AIN" iS 80I1*tO lainlY  atiorl )y,tb for II in tho that whiCh )n tho le ex"  as one , cans°  This elee' iIWaYO large 0 RUIB by the the° re and  p spa, Lord Seere' d Mr'  enting inyol3o •der of nt feces' lat 31r* Irish  this .1110 F UrIniSES  ited to ,a the :ertalo  under" v, tlll4 Chid would  . Tbo ,pi.ioo " wo aed 0 vorked ythiag simPlg