NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THERE is a decided lull in politics, from the total inability of men of all shades of opinion to understand whether the Govern- ment will or will not arrive at a compromise on the Education Act. On the one hand, the Premier is supposed to have repudiated compromise, in a speech inviting his brother-in-law's tenantry to dispense with a School Board,—a speech of which the importance has been ridiculously exaggerated ; and on the other hand, the Executive Committee of the Birmingham League passed on Thursday the following resolution :—" This Committee, accept- ing the reconstruction of the Cabinet, and Mr. Bright's accession to office immediately after his condemnation of the Elementary Education Act of 1870, as a ground of assurance that Ministers are prepared so to modify their educational policy as to bring it into harmony with Liberal principles and restore the unity of the Liberal party, recommends that until the result of the Minis- terial changes is announced, the League should suspend the action which it has pursued with satisfactory results in recent elections." The satisfactory results are in all cases but that of Dundee the election of Tories, which is thus declared to be the object of the League. We may add that a local correspondent, with unusual means of information, tells us that the dictation of the League was the sole cause of Mr. Jaffray's defeat in East Staffordshire.
