The Roman Catholics are strongly represented in the Labour Party,
and they and the Church of England stalwarts in the Party revolted against the Govern- ment. This is for them a matter not only of conscience, but of faith. They were determined to fight for the grants for their schools, and Mr. Scurr stated their case very ably. The Government had assured themselves that they could beat down the revolt. But they were wrong. In the division there were 282 votes for the amendment against only 249 for the Government. The Prime Minister then announced that the Government had no intention of resigning as the division merely meant that the House preferred to do in one way what the Government would have preferred to do in another. There was no principle at stake. The third reading was afterwards carried by a majority of 18. It is obvious, however, that the Bill cannot come into operation till another Bill granting money to the non-provided schools has been passed. We sincerely hope that the interests of the children will be placed above an unreal battle of the sects. We cannot but be impressed by the singleness of mind in the denominational spokesmen in the Labour Party. How different and how much better than the arid professional anti-clericalism of Socialists in the Continent of Europe !
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