Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

5 articles on this Page

A TRICKY FINISH.

News
Cite
Share

A TRICKY FINISH. The Education; Bill is at laist through Parlia- ment; and the second phase of the struggle is about to begin. The Bishops of the Roman and Anglican Churches iave had it their own way in Parliament in spite of the all-suppressed: grumblings of the Tory laymen. Those holy men will now be able to turn their energies to blessing bloodshed in Venezuela, Somalia and elsewhere; and to finding texts in favour of establishing semi slavery in the South African. Rand. Lord Rosebery compared the ta-ctis of the Bishops to those of the children of Gibeon mentioned in the Book of Joshua "They did work wilily." He might have added few stronger adverbs without over-stepping the mark. Their success for the moment has been far in excess of their own expectations, though some High Church organs keep a humbugging pretence of being stiJI. dissatisfied. It was surely am' enormously generous proposal to put the schools on the rates and taxes and yet allow the sectarian management to continue practically intact. But the Bishops claimed in addition a. share of the endowments; and they got it. They then claimed a share of the fees, and again they got it. Next they claimed rent for the school- masters' houses; and once more they got what they asked' for. For some time, their spokesmen ail over the country argued that the Church, as & consideration for -retaining the management, would' keep, the school houses in repair. With that understanding, the Bill left the House of Commons. When the Lords got hold of it, the Bishops renewed the attack on the public purse. In spite of the protests of the Duke of Devon- shire, and- in violation of the rule that financial matters should be managed, by the Commons, the Lords gave way to the 'Biaho'ps. Then, the question arose what would Mr Balfour with his great and' well-drilled majority do in the Com- mons. If be and they had an atom of regard for the British Constitution, or even for their own consistency, they would have rejected the episcopal clause without ceremony. By means of a series of verbal quibbles, too contemptible to be set forth in detail; the Lordb, at the in- stigation of a Roman 'Catholic duke, saved tha face of the Commons; aM the latter, mainly through the vote of the Healyite members from Ireland!, kowtowed to the Lords. It was an ignominious surrender to one of the meanest political tricks recorded in British aimals. It is an humiliating thought that the trick has been played ,by' fhose who assume to be, and who should (be exponents of the higher morality The precise amount of the mischief that will practically result from .the new clause relating to the repairs of sectarian school buildings will be lessened to some extent—it may The considerably —in consequence of an amendment adopted at the suggestion of Mr Uoyd-George. That amend- ment limits the "wear and tear" which will 00 chargeable to the rates to the amount allowed by the "local authority." So far, the amendment. is to the good. Some critics—even among thoaa who are enthusiastic admirers of Mr Lloyd- George as a Parliamentarian—seem disposed to regard: the amendment as a tactical blunder- They argue that as the Prime Minister -had treated the matter as an open question, the Bishops' amendment might have been defeated—owing to Tory votes or Tory abstentions—had it. not been madte tolerable by Mr Lloyd-George's amend- ment. Such a. view is plausible; but it is not basedl on certainty. It is at least equally pos- silble that the strength of the Irish vote—the Rome Rule that has come upon us for refusing Home Rule-w-ould have been sufficient in any case to secure the triumph of the priests. In that case, Mr Lloyd-George's amendment must be regarded as one which diminishes the virulence of the episcopal poison. There is considerable force in Mr Lloyd-George's own contention, made in a letter to the press :—"On the tactical point as to whether or not the Manchester amendment wouLd have been accepted by the House of Com- mons in its original form I will content myself with observing that after taking this con- sideration fully into account my ainendulemit was supported, by speech and vote, by Sir Henry Camipbell-Baimerman, Sir Williaaa Harcourt, Mr Bryce, and Sir Henry Fowler. Mr Morley and Mr Asquith also voted for my amendment. Can. anyone supply me with the names of more expert, and experienced, judges of tactics on the Op- position side of the House?" Now, the battle for free schools for the chil- droo: of the people, managed by the representa- tives of the people without; the interference of sectarian chiefs, will have to he fought out in the country. It is a matter 9f life wnd death for

Advertising

LLANDUDNO COUNTY COURT.

[No title]

Advertising