New-York tribune., 1872-05-06
EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
THE GOVERNMENT AND FAWCETTs BILL
ABOLIsHING TESTS.

rFcT OF THE MEASURE ON THE GOVERN
hENT.
lpROM THR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF lhh rhS@NAi
IONpoN April IA very grave resolution was
taken at the Cabinet Council yesterday, nothing
Iess than 70 stake the existence of the Ministry on
it, onpositiou to Mr.. Fawcett's Dublin University
hill That bill comes up on Tuesday next. On going
into Committee. Lord Harrington is to move reso-
h,t,ou dividing the bIl into two parts,
enc part which the Ministry is ready,
~ Mr. Gladstone has before disclosed,
70 adopt and another fact which they have made up
their minds at all hazards to reject TINS resoIu-
tion 10 defeated the Ministers viii CONSIDER the de-
feat az vote of want of confidence, and Will resign
without dissOlving AS resolves OF that sort OF OF
auv eort taken in Cabinet, not ordinarily mace
public II should be added that Ministers have
thought it desirable that their present programme
should be known in advance, and a statement OF II
will probably appear IN tOmOrrow's papers
Mr. Fawcett's bill, though one of great Importance,
would not. of itself think, have driven the mir
nority into it's present attitude They might have
afforded 10 be beaten on 1t last session. or at an
earlier part of this session But since tho Easter
HOLIDAYS they have had 10 encounter senes
of rebufs which have apparently exhaust
ed ther patience Last week they en-
dured three defeats, all on important
uuestions Mr. Harcourt's amendment to their Bal
lot bill was carried Monday by majority OF one,
which might be thought q snap vote ana so passed
over On the following night Sir Massey Lopes
resolution which attacked, as Ministers SAID, theu
whole system Of finance, was carried against them
by a majority Of 100. On Thursday the contest
or the Ballot bill was renewed. The Gov
ernmeut made the strongest efforts TO prevent
recurrence of Mondays mishap. but on direct
vote upon Mr. Leatham.s amendment which they
declared they now deemed essential TO the Ballot
hill Mr HarcOurt again defeated them. and TINS
time by a majority Of q. This is hut an imperfect
reeapitulation of their recent difficulties but II
will serve 70 show that they have had other provo
ratinn than the merely anticipated defeat on this
Fawcctts bill 70 inspire their present resolution
They must have a strong stomach TO 90 on under
such q succession of calamIties Mr.. Gladstone and
his colleagues however whatever may be their
faults are men OF high spirit and great political
courage. and they are not likely to retain once
merely for the sake of office
The question is in itself more interesting or even
vital 10 a man like Mr. Gladstone than that which
Mr. Fawcett's bill raises. 1t deals with the higher
Irish education and there is more perpIeXlng OF
AT any rate embarrassing problem British politics.
Mr Fawcetts bill proposes IN substance 70 take
Dublin University cut Of the hands OF the
disestablished Irish Church, and 10 put the
control of 1t IN the hands Of its graduates. Il
abolishes the tests which now close FellOwshlps
to Roman Catholics. and this s the point which Mr..
Gladstone is willing to accept 1t reconstructs the
University by simply throwing open It's government
to all classes of graduates whether Eplcopalians,
Roman Catholics, OF Presbytenans, and this is the
other part which Mr. Gladstone If willing TO resign
rather than adopt. The reason OF his reluctance
goes 10 the root Of his whole IRISH policy. Such
measure viii not satisfy the Irish Ultramontanes.
Nothing Will satisfy them bat absolute control over
the higher as viii as lower education. To give them
that control would be 10 offend mOrtaly the
great to-day of the English nOnconformlst sup
porters Of Mr.. Gladstone, and the Scotch Liberals
without exception. To refuse it is TO ALLEVIATE the
whole body of the Irish Ultramontaine who fight
ander the Liberal flag II s perhaps no wonder that
4 question which thus threatens the disruption of
the Liberal party. The Liberal leader should hesl-
tate should seek 20 put off the evil hour and should
IN fact prefer to go out leaving II unsettled and
legacy of difficulty to Las Tory successors, rather
than divide hls party by siding with either fraction
Of il.
There s no use il predicting the result Of this de-
termination since the debate viii be and the
matter decided before this letter can reach you 1t
Is not even certain that the heroic mood Min
ssters are now in viii last through the week.
The arguments against resignation are always
Fery strong. The number OF subordinates whose
interests win be affected by it is very great
Some middle ground may yer be discovered but II
s safe 70 say that Mr.. Fawcetts purpose viii not be
afiected-should Ministers cherish such hOpe-by
the announcement of a resignation. He is a Lib
oral but Liberal radical that he has Of late been
more often found IN opposition to the
Government than IL support Of it.
II Lord Harrington should declare a
Tuesday that the Government VIII ask the confidence
Of the House. 10 viii make no difference TO Mr..
Fawcett It is understood that Lord Hunt
ington viii pledge the Government to deal
with the whole question next session. He
must 80 further he wishes TO concil-
late opposition. He must declare how they
will deal with 1t, and what measure they will intro
duce, and l suppose that is precisely what they are
not ready TO do; probably what they have not yet
made up their own minds about. The ad-
vantage Mr. Fawcett has in these circuIn-
stances il that his mind Is made up.
and has long been This is, if I
rightly remember the fifth year in which he has
brought forward this question, and he Is one of those
men who knows neither weariness nor vacillatOn of
PUsaose IL pressing measure which he believes to
be right
Tuesday, AprA 23-AmOng the papers which are
usually the cOnfdants of the Government, only,
The Daily Ncs. announced yesterday the ministerial
policy The Times and Telegraph were silent; the
latter probably conceived temporary aversion
from sensations in consequence of the miscarriage
Of it's proclamation of a new FTanco-German COM
pieaton last week It is natural, perhaps that The
Times should this morning express a doubt Of the
accuracy OF a statement 80 important which wac
not 10 own IL treats the whole matter
a mystery that can only be cleared up by
- -. Il T..sIsg