"OUR JOE"

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LII, Issue 9187, 6 September 1906, Page 2

"OUR JOE"

ile Chaualieriam was se\enty years old j : on Sunday (writes Uui London oorre&pon- i \ dent of vie Duuedji btarj. {Say, rather, ( in -ur Gladstone's pnrase, "seventy years young," for three score years and ten of sti-enuods ufe iiad failed, to rob the famous {.tetesman of his> extaMordinaiy aw oi ' youtnfulncss. liis birinday was the occa- . sion of unparalleled enthusiasm at Birmingham, wlMare the popularity of "Our ' Joe" is at its zenirth. On vho Saturday Qua whole city was given up to holidaymaking in honor of Mr Chamberlain. ' Thousands of orchids — "Joey's button- ' holes" they aire called— found a ready sale .' in tiie street. Every school child wor& I a Chamberlain medal. Hawkers sold ' Chamberlain portrait*, buttons, ba<^ge&, ' and Chamberlain matches in Chamberlain ' match-boxes. A wonderful motorcar pro j cession, beaded by Mar Chamberlain and j members of his family, was the feature ot j the day. It traversed eighteen miles of streets, taking three iiours on the jour ney, and making six stoppages at public parka for the presentation of addresses. And everywhere they went the route was black vnfch crowds, all cheering frantically for "Joe." It was a triumph, of affectionate enthusiasm. As Mr Chamberlain said afterwards, he "seemed' to be the centre of a great family gathering." Here and there along chic route girls showered confetti upon the hero of the day, and more bouquets were presented than his motorcar could ihold. Small wonder tihat Mr Chamber kin almost broke down in His first effort to return *ihanlr«i for this wonderful spontaneous demonstration of affection. Me was evidently deeply touched with the warmth of his reception His heart was full of pride and thankfulness, he said, that with, the greater part of his life behind bam, an open book that all might read and criticise, he had yet been able to retain the affectionate regard of those among whom he lived. Another great triumph awaited Mi Chamberlain on the Monday evening; when ten thousand people mustered in Bingley Hall for a mass meeting in his honor. '•Where's Joe? Where's Joo?" they omed as each, new arrival appeared on the platform, and when an length the great man entered with Mrs Chamberlain by bis side ten thousand voices burst into a mighty roar of cheering. It was a wonderful personal'tribute to their beloved "Joe," and thore vcaa a tremor in lri& voice, and. tears in his wife's eyes, when at length, the storm died away and. he arose to, speak. But first came "Auld Lang Syne" and tHe preN sentation of 115 addresses of congratulation, and the whole audience then joined in singing "Rule Britannia.' And when at last Mr Chamberlain got up they broke into "For !he£ a jolly- good fellow," and cheered .him 'to the echo. Then came a characteristically CJbamberiain speech^ full of gratitrude for 7 tbe splendid loyalty oorf r Birmingham, aggrcßsdve and outspoken in" its denunciation of "mere adherence* tojot6olete formulae," and of 'she meir,professa ing to bo the representatives of labor, who "bJackea the character off men who are upholding British, ltonor abroad." One little incident showed how complete l^ -Ms personality dominated the vast, concourse. "Never in her history," said Mr Chamberlain, "has Birmingham sympathised with the Little Englartder. If Birmingham is a great city, what has made it. great?" And without an instant's hesitation the audience shouted back their answer, "Joe." That was not what he meant, but it showed very plainly what every man of that great audience meant. After the great meeting: a torchlight procession escorted Mr and Mrs Chamberlain home- to Highbury, and again the wrote was lined by cheering multitudes. • The whole, demonstration' was a. unique and historic tribute. of loyalty, and affection on the part of a great city to its 1 •'■ leader. Mr Chamberlain's opponents try '. to minimise its significance by talking of Birmingham's political- isolation. But •what if the ex-Colonial Secretary were to ■ ■ take his lohg-talked-of trip to Australia and New Zealand. I venture to think, that his reception in the Australasian colonies would be a series of ovations such as even Birmingham could not surpass