The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-28 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.

The Times says that Lord Granville truly described
the Fenian raid on Canada as a most wanton affair, and
that nothing has been proved but the recklessness of the
proceeding. The invasion has collapsed before it had
well begun. Men like O'Neill take their lives in their
hands, not because they are impelled by some transcen-
dent motive of action, but from mere carelessness of exist-
ence. But if the penalties of the law are brought home
to them with any certainty, if they find that their plots
end in a wearisome imprisonment, their spirits are broken
and their designs are checked in the bud. It will be some
bcompensation
countrymen f all the annoyance
incanada
if t
the
en d
raiddi stress
o f
t hsiuffd
s er e
week
should set the law of the United States in action so as to
restrain all desire to repeat the attempt.
The Post declares that the last intelligence from Canada
has fully justified its previous remarks. The invasion of
Canada may be said to be over. It is as well that no
extreme measures have been taken because angry feelings
might have been provoked thereby. The United States
Government have done all that was required of them, and
the Fenians have had no chance of escaping between the
troops of America and the Dominion. This fiasco has
shown the folly of attempting to invade Canada.
There are few things, observes the Standard, more
exasperating than the notorious existence of a wrong
which apparently cannot be righted, and, judging from
the length of time during which the question of short
weight and adulteration has been pressed upon the
attention of the Legislature, one might almost despair of
securing redress. The improved tone of the Government
last night, however, and the eagerness with which the
House took up the question, encourage us to hope for
better things. Mr. Bruce carried the general sense of the
House, and the acquiescence of the mover with him,
when he declined to undertake the question during
the present session. But he made no pretence of adopt-
ing the line of argument pursued by Mr. Bright last year.
Mr. Bruce admitted without any reservation that giving
short weight is not less a crime than picking poekets, and
that adulteration is a form of obtaining money under
false pretences. For the reasons we have cited, the motion
and the demand for legislation during the present session
were not pressed ; but we see no reason to doubt that
next year one of the worst abuses of the day will receive
a decided check.

The Daily News thinks Mr. Forster's conciliatory reply
to Sir George Grey last night will tend to lessen the dis-
appointment eaused by his amendments to the education
bill. The discretion given to the school boards
will open the way to endless sectarian strife. In
every board there will be a fight between those
who wish for secular, and those who wish for denomina-
tional education. But there is room for compromise,
and if Mr. Forster is to succeed in settling the question at
all it can only be by at least excluding Denominationalism
from the school boards and the rate-provided schools.
The Telegraph asks who invented the phrase—Time-
table Conscience clause. The term must suggest to sane
readers a kind of nightmare combination, as if " Brad-
shaw" and the " Church Catechism" had got mixed up, or
the Athanasian Creed were travelling to and fro
along the South-Western Railway. Yet it is simple
enough, and now forms the cardinal principle of the
Government Bill, as may be seen from the new
amendments which have been printed. As the State
knows no sectarian distinction when it calls on people
for rates and taxes, it is only fair that no sectarian
" fear' favour, or affection ' should be displayed
in the distribution of its funds. That is simply the secret
of the difficulty which lies at the root of the matter and
that difficulty the Time-table Conscience Clause is in-
tended to meet.