A GREAT STATESMAN.

Mataura Ensign, 4 July 1914, Page 5

A GREAT STATESMAN.

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COPYRIGHT, PBB UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. LONDON, July 3. lho. death is announced of Ht. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, P.C., LL.I)., DiC.L., F.R.S., J.P.; who has been M P. (U.L.) for Birmingham We.st since ; 1885; aged 78 year.s. A PEACEFUL END. Received Jiilv 4, 9.J0 a.m. . LONDON, July 3. iMr Joseph Ohainiborlain died peacefully at Ids London residence in the I presence of .his family. An appreciation of the late Mr Cham-1 berlai.n iuy air Donald McNeill MP , contributed'to 'The Daily Mail''on the occasion of the 76th birthday of the statesman is of particular interest. The article stated : I q.day is the birthday of the greatest af living jMii.dish.men. Mr Chamberlam is, indeed, more than that—he is tnei <nio.st illustrious statesman |umv alive in the'world ; but .it is as the »reemmeirt«Englishman that his fellowcountrymen .not in these 'islands alone, but in every province 'of the • British Empire, will thinik ot him as tliev wish him many happy returns of the.<lay of thus, the 76th. anniversary of his birth. It is a splendid testimony to the genius of a commanding personality that, oven in these .days of hurry and ""tii t memory, Mr Chamberlain's long retirement from Dublin affairs lias 1 done nothing diminish the 'regard of his grateful compatriots or to reconcile his party to the loss of his matchless powers of active leadership. In particular, [•quid anything .bp more wonderful than his relations with his own constituency? Political leaders are usually migratory birds. Air Chsfniberlain has never had to shift from .the seat in which liis own neighbors placed him nearly half a century ago. Their confidence in him, their pride in him, their affection for him have steadily increased with every year that has passed over his head*; mc! l to-day, although he has not for years been- able actively to represent thenr- in' the House of Commons, they ' would not be willing to release "our ioe" (as they affectionately name him) ; bo make room for any les&er man. Itis a record without parallel in the history of representative institutions. i

Lord Morley has truly said of Mr Chamberlain that 'ho has "a genius for friendship ". . Tliat_ is no doubt the secret oi the personal devotion of those who have had the privilege of close personal association with him in public or private life. But it does not account 'J? 1 ! the magic of his name whenever the English language is 'snokefi." Nothingbut' the combination o£ qualities that mate the born loader of men can ex- ? l lain the estimation in which Joseph Ohamßerlaiu is hem,by the British race in tooth hemispheres. "If asked to deline, what has especially endeared him to Englishmen,, I should name his clearness of vision, hit; penetrating sincerity, his lucidity and directness of speech, and perhaps, above, all, his fearless courage and ins readiness for self-saeri-lice in; the pursuit of patriotic aims. Of Mr Chamberlain not less than ot' Disraeli may it be said, in Lord Morley's phrase, that he is one'of the rare •"seminal minds" of his century. Mr Chamberlain has been the most fruitful social reformer of his 1 generation, although his achievements in this field' are. often overlooked or ignored; while, as regards Imperialism, he is the "onlie begetter" of the most vital issue in contemporary .statesmanship. It! was because he was an Imperialist by intuition as well as conviction that he never could be a Home Ruler. Unionism is for him a. necessary part of "the larger policy for the Empire. Do not let-us forget that the; maintenance of the Union was the first of Mr Chamberlain's notable services to tho Empire, S3 his. memorable administration of the Co.'.oniial Office, and his advocacy of Imperial 1 Preference were the second. For each of these causes in turn he made the greatest personal sacrifice that can be required of a statesman's ambition. Rather than, surrender' the Union he left 'tJie Liberal ..Party at a moment when the reversion' of its

DEATH OF MR CHAMBERLAIN. PASSING OF AN IMPERIALIST.

leadership was his without a rival a:, when l his- resignation.(as his correspon dence with Lord Randolph Church;! proves) left-him no expectation of we entering a Cabinet; again. Seventeen yeans later he similSHy, sacrificed a posi , tion of pre-eminence hta Unionist Aiin isti'y to be free 'to preach the go c pc of Empire, and with'it the gosuel'o social amelioration at home. His penetrating business aptitude hi. enabled him to detect a process o change in the conditions of model'] commerce which' offered a menace't: British trade and British employment Realising that no permanent eommer cial prosperity can rest on anything except national production, he foresav that keen foreign competition in th< ho in q market, backed by heavy hostili tariffs abroad, must render it impo# sible foi' British industry to sustain i high level of employment and wages The rise in the cost of living relative ti money-wages lias vindicated Mr. Chamberlain's foresight; .and the "labor unrest," which is largely the outcome of these conditions, might have been in the main averted if his policy had won acceptance by the nation nine'years ago. Much, however, has been gained. Tlie Dominions stand staunch for. Pre* ference, and liavo not yet banged or bolted the door to the richest markets of the future in the' face of the Mothertheir "offer" (do Radicals still deride it?) remains patiently open; Canada has refused-»to become an aihicxe of tho United States, and is ready to share our burden of Admiralty, These things are "rare and refreshing fruit", of M.r Chamiberlain's inspiration. The exceptional conjunction in him of idealist and busiiiesti man has welded together Empire-building and industrial improvement in a solid political movement of far-reaching significance. On its successful accomplishment depends the future existence of the British Empire. LOST ONLY ONCE. ■ Mr Joseph Chamberlain has. wrapped up ,his life into a nuunker 'of neat packets of 10 years each—round: dates have always been decisive ones (stated the London correspondent of 'The New Yorkl Sun' recently). He was 40 years old almost to- the day when he entered the House .of. Commons; 50 when lie ceased to be a Liberal; all but 60 when 'be became a Conservative Min-

ister, and 70, again almost to the day,when lie made his last Parliamentary speech. Vc-ry few great political careers have been so free from electoral, vicissitude j as that of Mr Chamberlain. He sustained one defeat at Sheffield-—and then his 37 years unbroken representation of Birmingham began . A MASTEiRFUL MAN. The editor of .the 'Daily News' tells two stories of Mr Chamberlain that are new to us, and "throw ani interesting light on tho masterful side of bis character. Years ago, when he was Mayor of .Bl rminidiam, he told a friend of the editor's his rule for retting things done. "In every committee- of 13," he said, "there are 12 men who go to the meetings having given no thought to the subject, and prepared to accept someone else's lead. One. goes having made up his .mind what he means shall -be done. ] alway-s make it my business to .be that one." The edi'or told this st-ory to a leading political hoste.% who said it interested her very, much, because a m-ember of the Senate of Birmingham University had just been giving her an example of Mr Chamberlain's methods. Mr Chamberlain had gone to the last meeting of the Senate and said. "I have come to the conclusion that what th-'ij University wants is a Siena tower.'.' Tho other, members were astonished, and declared that, chairs for this, that, and the other subject were wanted, "before, a Siena, tower. Mr Chamberlain paid ■no attention to them, but drew a plan of a Siena tower from his Docket, and by sheer force of will got the Senate to agree to the erection- of a tower "which -we didn't want, at. the cost of money we hadn't got, and which if-.we .had : got 'fre'needed for other things."'