The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-05

A
bin and the Education bill. As for the
former Of these two projects, which
aims TO render the funds of trade unions
immune from suits for damages even
when the injuries inflicted may be traced
directly to instructions issued by the
unions, actual experience will bring
home the iniquity OF such discrimina-
tion to the English people as a whole;
but for the moment it is probable that
the grievous consequences are 'foresecn
with clearness only by the employers Of
labor. On the other hand, what would
be the effect of the Education bill is
patent TO all Anglican or Catholic voters
who send their children to State sup
ported schools md want them to receive
religious instruction during school hours.
These elements of the electorate seem
to have combined on Friday against
the Liberals, although on most Ques-
tons the Irish Catholics, who possess
the franchise in English ~boroughs,
would be apt to support the Zimmerman
Government. We may take for granted,
then, that outside of the metropolis the
controlling motive of the majority was
a wish to encourage the House of Lords
TO throw out the Education bill, or at
least so to amend it Ia to cut out the
vital feature, which prohibits religious
instruction.
If we may judge by the uncompro-
missing and defiant spirit with which
they have dealt with the measure, the
Lords would seem to stand in no great
need of encouragement. Already they
have shown themselves disposed to ohal-
lenge the Government to appeal to the
country on the religious education issue,
and up to Friday it looked as if the chal-
lenge would be accepted. Even on that
day Mr.. AsQUITH, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, declared in a public speech
that the Government would press the
bill with firmness, which was construed
to mean that after a second rejection
Of the project Parliament would be dis
solved and the constituencies invited to
confer a positive mandate. The only
alternative, indeed, would be to drop
the bill, which might be looked upon
by British Nonconformists as a betrayal
Of their interests.
Thus We see that the surprising out
come of the borough elections has placed
Sir HENRY BANNERMAN in a very grave
~predicament. OF the two dangers to
which he is exposed, however, defeat at
the ballot box or the resentment Of Nom
conformists, it seems probable that on
reflection he will prefer to face the lat
ter. For several reasons. In the first
place he can justly claim that he has
done his best to keep his pledge TO the
Protestant d~issenters, and that the mis-
carriage OF his bill is due to no fault of
his. Secondly, he may ask the Noncon-
formists what they would expect to gain
by deserving him, since under no
circumstances could they obtain the
desired concession from a Unionist
Government. If they cannot attain
what they wish from the present Liberal
Administration with a huge majority
behind it in the House of Commons they
never will get it from the House of Lords
until that body has been suppressed
or converted into a chamber rejecting
with some show of Difference the will
of the popular assembly. Would it not
be expedient, therefore, the Noncon-
formists may be asked, to refrain from
going to the country on the naked edu-
cation issue, and give the hereditary
legislators rope enough with which to
hang themselves, or, in other words,
TO let them go on repelling one proposal
after another until they have exasper-
ated almost every considerable section
of the British electorate and a universal
cry goes up for the ending or mending
of the House of Lords?
When that time comes, it ought to be
possible for the Liberals to repeat their
triumph of last year.