The three chief measures before the House of Commons, any
one of which may bring the Government to grief, are the School Attendance Bill, the Trade Disputes Bill and the Electoral Reform Bill. We need not suppose that the Government will stand too much Upon their dignity. Indeed, they did not do so on Wednesday after a heavy defeat 'on the report stage of the School Bill. A considerable indentation has already been made in the tradition that a Government resigns when outvoted on any matter of serious' importance. The fluidity of politics nowadays makes that tradition im- possible to maintain, and we are far from blaming the Government for making concessions when they recognize that neither from their point of view nor from that of the nation can anything be gained by stubbornness. The life of the Government may, therefore, be longer than is commonly expected, and for our part we cannot help feeling that when no Party is confident of its future there is a good deal to be said for continuing the present lessons in the art of subordinating Party interests to the " highest good " and of limiting controversy. There is enough controversy in all conscience in the Government's measures without deliberately adding to it.
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