The amendment, which met with considerable support on the Ministerial
benches, was left open by Mr. Balfour, and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman recommended his followers to support it, though he admitted that by its acceptance they weakened their case against the Lords' proposal. The amend- ment having been carried by194 votes to 165, Sir James Fergusson moved to omit the Duke of Norfolk's rider, and after a pro- longed discussion, in which the Speaker ruled that the pro- posal was regular, it was carried by 200 votes to 104. On the Motion to pass the Lords' amendment as amended, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman moved its rejection on the ground that it infringed the dignity of the Commons and upset the original arrangement as to the responsibility for the internal repairs of Church schools, an arrangement confirmed in Committee in the Commons by 337 votes to 35. Mr. Balfour, in reply, announced that the question was to be left open, but defended the action of the Lords as Constitutional. It was an error to think that the Bill only removed burdens from the managers' shoulders and did not impose fresh ones. Even with this added boon the burden on the denominational schools would be heavy. Ultimately the amendment was carried by 197 votes to 159, sixty-five Nationalists supporting it, while upwards of fifty supporters of the Government voted with the minority. In the eyes of the Opposition the Government stand convicted of inconsistency and sharp practice over this " wear-and-tear " amendment. This is, of course, a partisan view ; but we cannot deny that the Govern- ment have laid themselves open to such a charge, though the ruling of the Speaker and the assurances of Mr. Balfour go far to neutralise its force.
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